Russian River IPA

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

Deep gold pour. Compared to Bling Pig, this beer had less citrus qualities with more grass, sweetness, and lemon. Tastes of pine, grass, wheat bread and grapefruit. Finishes with orange and bitter breadcrust. Medium bodied and creamy. it’s alright.

On tap at the Russian River Brewpub. Pours a clear golden body with a finger-width, off-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of lacing. Aroma is big and straightforward earthy, piney, heavier citrus. Not as bright or as floral as the blind pig, but still pretty hoppy. Flavor has a lot of strong pine with some apricots and mango to go along with the big grapefruits. Finishes dry with a heavy pine aftertaste. Palate is lighter bodied with a light, crisp caramel providing a pretty solid balance. Overall, a nice IPA. Lots of hops with a decent enough balance. Straightforward and tasty.

On tap at Oggi’s. Pours a orange-amber with small white head. Aroma is citrus hops , pine . taste is grapefruit , pine. Not as good as blind pig, but better than alot of other ipa’s .

On tap at Stone. Super dense white head. Go ahead and stand on it. Lace looks like somebody laid a piece of gauze across the top of the glass. Nose is hop bomb. Sweet hoppy. Taste is tart hop smack. Half way down the lace was so thick on the glass it looked like a frosted glass. Lovely beer.

Tap at the brewpub: A dense off white head tops a golden pour. Hugely hoppy aroma- piny, spruce notes, vegetal, catty, grapefruit and lemon rind. Creamy body with a densely piny flavor. Bitter, but the malt comes through- light caramel and pale husk comes through. Vegetal, grapefruit, and a long resiny bitter finish. An IPA for hopheads.

Draught at the brewpub. Gold with a creamy white head. Mango, grapefruit, pine, and doughy malt aroma. Very smooth hop flavor, very juicy, with lots of mango, grapefruit, and pine. Light pale malt sweetness, but this is all a juicy hop flavor exposition. Ends quite dry, with smooth, but ample bitterness. Medium bodied with smooth carbonation. The hops in this are just a little smoother and more interesting than Blind Pig, but they are pretty close overall.

On tap at the brewery. This orange amber ale poured with a tiny beige head and a pine aroma. There is an excellent caramel malt base with some resinous boppy bitterness striking fast and ending with a bite.

Tap at San Clemente. Tastes like a double. Very sharp hops in nose and flavor. Vaguely piney, spicy, slight apple flavor, tart citrus. The malt bill is staunch and biscuity like an English beer.