Russian River Hopfather

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

wow! twice as many hops as pliny the younger, yes the younger, but all flavoring and aroma hops! amazing smell and incredibly complex taste. the cheese funk from the 10 year old hops used, yes 10 years old, is incredible. the hops essence can literally be slightly felt in the eyes, almost like vaporub. the hops are insane, making you smell like you are drenched in hop oil, yet it is only the 13.5 # of hops per barrel in this beer, yes 13.5# per barrel! yet with all the hop essence, more true of a form than i’ve ever experienced, it is incredibly smooth. only 5.0 to date, nuff said.

A beautifully crafted wet, sticky, and juicy hop explosion. I fell in love with the scent and enjoyed a few of these this weekend. The beer has a rather perfect texture and aroma, which meshes with the big flavor that is sure to drive some people away. This was a new keg of the new batch, and I think it will impress over past batches. The only negative is the low gravity, which was surprising for the sweetness.

Tap at the Bistro IPA fest. A phenomenal IPA all-around. Strong aroma of citrusy/piney hops, flavor similar with a little pale malt to balance. Floral, piney, and grapefruity. This is really meant to showcase the hops it seems, which Vinnie does well. Body is medium and hop oils linger on the palate.

Draught at the Bistro IPA fest. Clear straw with a sticky head. Huge fruity aroma with grapefruit, mangos and peaches. Soft and rounded with lots of fruit in the flavor. Dry and light in the malt department, with a light body. The flavor is almost pure fruity hops, with no harshness or obtrusive bitterness. Not really like their other IPAs, and maybe only similar to sculpin in its profile. The spec sheet said 72 IBUs, but the bitterness is so smooth that you hardly even notice it. The amarillo hops add a really nice dimension to the aroma, with the mango and peach components coming through over the more citric notes you might expect from the cascade and centennial that are also used. Definitely another standout addition to the RR IPA lineup, and a unique one. Probably tied with Kern River for the best IPA of the festival.

Clear golden with a fizzy white head. Grapefruit and pine aroma. Earthy hops grass and stone fruit taste with an orange finish.

This is the new incarnation of this beer tasted at the bistro’s ipa fest. Very unusual. It pours a pretty pale golden color w a big white head. The Aroma is floral and piney. The flavor is bone dry with medium bitterness and a touch of diacetyl. Distinctive among other ipa’s I’ve tried, but not great.

(Draft, Lupulin Slam III) Hazy amber body with off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, grapefruit, some orange. Taste is medium sweet, grapefruit, strongly bitter. Medium body, with some resin, fairly one-dimensional.

Draught at Lupulin Slam III: Pours to a slightly cloudy light amber with a small eggshell colored head. The aroma is strong grapefruit, lemon, citrus, and floral hops. Dry Lemon, bitter lemon rind, fresh grass, leafy hop cones, with a bit of pine make up the taste. Medium bodied, medium carbonated, clean and crisp.