Russian River Blind Pig IPA

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Santa Rosa, California USA

Draft at Ron’s. Pours hazy dark straw toward copper. Nose is grapefruit and tangerine, heavy hops, malt. The taste is bitter, very hoppy and resiny, with hefty pineapple and grapefruit flavors, and black peppery hints. Smooth and crisp, with a niice complexity, this one is a hop head’s wet dream, literally and figuratively.

On tap at Capone’s. Pours out a nice mostly clear golden color with a small to moderate white lacing head. Aroma is intense and of grapefruit and pine hops, very nice. Good sticky mouthfeel. Taste is complex and an assault of hops, grass, pine, and citrus all come together perfectly with a slight malt balance, but nothing to take away from the hops. Once again a world-class beer from Russian River.

Pours golden amber with just a little bit of haze. Thick and sticky pure white head. Aroma is full of clean citrus. Grapefruit and bubble gum. The flavor comes off as pine right down to the prickly bitter finish. Medium body, but drinks fairly light. Long bitter finish. I can surely see why the west coast guy sing Blind Pig’s praises.

On tap at Tria in Philly. Hazy dark sunflower supporting a 3-2 finger white head. Sticky patches of lacing hug the glass all the way to the bottom. Aroma of fresh cut grass, grapefruit zest and oranges. Extremely well-balanced flavors with citrusy and piney hops in lock step with mildly sweet malt and fresh baked biscuits. Another layer of summery fruit flavors dance about as well. Silky mouthfeel and one of the best finishes I’ve had in any beer. Easily one of best beers (not just an IPA) I’ve been lucky enough to find. Until RR starts distributing to NJ, I’ll be more than happy to trek into Philly for a fix.

In the biggest surprise of the year, I finally able to score some RR Blind Pig and Pliney the Elder off Liquid Solutions! Light caramel-orange color with a light off white head. BIG pine aroma followed up with citrus hops and a touch of tropical fruit. The flavor is immediately fruity. Tons of tropical citrus fruits are right there to greet you and continue all the way through. Along the way, plenty of pine pokes its head up to say hello. And finally an earthy finish rounds it all out. This is definitely an exploration of hops. Not real malt to speak of other than the fact that there is enough to allow the hops to shine with out being abrasive. Semi-dry, light-medium body. YUM!

Bottle via Dunk, thanks Steve! That lasted in the fridge less than 24hrs. Pours golden/copper color with a medium sized off-white head. Aroma is grapefruit, pine, caramel, floral. Flavor is huge blast of pine, citrus notes, that settle into caramel and grapefruit. Palate is medium+, medium carbonation, finished bitter. Resiny finish, sticky on the lips. Surprised its only 70IBU, ranks up with the best IPA’s!!

I can tell this is going to be good. It looks exactly the way an IPA should. A perfect slightly cloudy blond with a long lasting white head. Aroma is wonderful. Very fruity. Grapefruit mostly, some pine and just a touch of hops. Flavor is more bitter. The hops and pine come through more here. There is some lemon flavor, and the grapefruit is still there too. Very warm aftertaste. Some ginger and nutmeg with fresh hops. Medium bodied, almost full bodied. If I were rating for style, I would say that this is more like an Imperial IPA, but I’m not. I find this to be quite pleasant all around. Not complex, but quite flavorful. Just the way I like it.

Bottled, thanks Vode! Copper color. Thick juicy hop aroma with pine, orange, lemon and herbs, excellent! Dry bitter flavor with pungent piney, orangey, grapefruity and herbal hops. Excellent fresh hop aroma and flavor!