Russian River sours (the easy ones!)

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My friend Anand was kind enough to bring some West Cost brews back from his internship in California that included the famous Russian River sours (reviewed below), some well regarded West Coast IPAs including Blind Pig, and AleSmith Speedway Stout. Thanks Anand! However, Anand was lazy to make a trip to SoCal for Alpine goodness and I had to get Duet, Nelson, and Pure Hoppiness in a trade. Fuck you Anand, and thanks again!

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Supplication

American Wild Ale
Russian River Brewing Co.
7% ABV
27 IBUs
OG 1.064

Batch III. Brown Ale aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with three strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and sour cherries. 375 ml cork and caged bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance: Rust brown, somewhat hazy, with a very good and creamy light khaki colored head. Excellent retention and lacing. 5/5

Aroma: Sour, obviously. Notes of brett, but not overpowering. Much sweeter than I expected, and very welcome. Earth, spice, and fruit --- quite rustic. Some vinegary sharpness comes along with warmth. 4/5

Taste: Tart and sweet, but never overpoweringly sour. Everything from the aroma is present, and it goes down with a kiss of sour cherries. Amazingly clean with a subtle yet long aftertaste of cherries and funk. Also, oak gets quite strong as the beer warms up. 4/5

Mouthfeel: The body is medium with a certain fullness yielded by the high, and yet soft, carbonation. It's an oxymoron! Very dry and clean. 4.5/5

Overall, very very good, and so refreshing! A testimony to what subtle can be... it is sour but a lot of other things too. I love it. 4.5/5

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Temptation

American Wild Ale
Russian River Brewing Co.
7.25% ABV
27 IBUs
OG 1.062

Batch III. Blonde Ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. 375 ml cork and caged bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance: Honey golden and bright, with hues of ripe oranges in the snifter. A very good  off white and creamy textured head with excellent retention and good lacing. 4.5/5

Aroma: Sweet malts at the very beginning, followed by soft fruit and unmistakable sharpness of a sour beer. Brett notes seemed absent at the beginning but emerge with warmth. Still very estery, and an accomplishment in the sense that the base beer is not lost at all. Strong aroma of Belgian ale is always felt in the background. Toasted fruit is strong, so are rum raisin and oak. 4/5

Taste: Light and sweet on the palate with tartness eclispsing the bitterness often felt towards the end of a beer, and evolving into a tannic, dry and clean finish. Superb! The sour character dominates many notes of the aroma, but does not demolish the palate. I feel that this one could have been more complex if all notes of the aroma came through. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium body, high-ish carbonation and a dry and long woody finish. 4.5/5

Overall, I quite like it. Like Supplication, subtly sour and never overpowering, but very very  clean, refreshing, and enjoyable. 4.5/5

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Consecration

American Wild Ale
Russian River Brewing Co.
10% ABV
IBU?
OG?

375 ml Batch III poured into a snifter. "Consecration is a dark Belgian style ale aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Not only do we use Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococcus, we also add currants to beer while it is aging in the barrels"

Appearance: Clear and deep rust brown with a small, dark, "soda" head that fizzed away rather early and left no lacing whatsoever. 3/5

Aroma: Fruity with strongest notes of cherries and some currants with warmth. But the aroma, in my opinion, was eclipsed by intense, one-dimensional sourness. Decidedly funky nonetheless. 3.5/5

Taste: A clean and intensely sour beer, with minor hints of the base beer. Unfortunate, in my opinion. Wood is felt, but mostly mouth puckering sour, and that's it. Well, the funk is unmistakable, but for a sour brownish ale, Supplication was definitely better. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Like its other brethren, medium bodied, yet quite clean with a long, oaky finish. 4.5/5

Overall, my least favorite among the bunch and only because the base beer, and fruit, seem to have lost to sourness & funk. Did too many cooks (bugs) ruin the broth? 3.5/5

A couple of California IPAs

Green Flash West Coast IPA

American IPA
Green Flash Brewing Co.
7% ABV
95 IBUs
12 oz poured into a tasting snifter.

    Looks are classic AIPA, but lean towards the amber territory --- one of the darker AIPAs, West Coast IPA looks burnt orange, slightly hazy with a good light tan head. The retention and lacing are just average though.

    Smells pungent, spicy and sulfury and in fact quite distinct from other west coast IPAs. Taste is unadulterated bitterness with massive hop flavor --- earthy and insane. Great malt base as well, and perfect carbonation.

Appearance: 4/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4.5/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Overall 4/5

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AleSmith IPA

American IPA
AleSmith Brewing Company
7.25% ABV
IBUs?
OG 1.072
22 oz bomber with no date poured into a Saison Dupont glass.

Amber golden and hazy with a good off white head, medium retention and lacing.

    Aroma is floral and fruity but there is pungent hop character lurking underneath. Tastes tropical fruit bitter, specifically pineapple and mango on a good malt base. The bitterness dominates this beer and the malt character seems rather low for 7.25% ABV, but is not a fault.

Crisp, dry, and deeply bittering, it's a top notch IPA.

Appearance: 4/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 4.5/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 4/5

Russian Imperial Stouts Tasting

Left to right: Ten Fidy 2010, Founders Imperial Stout 2009, Yeti, Stone Imperial Russian Stout Spring 2010, Darkness 2010, Darkness 2009, Dark Lord 2010, Grand Teton Black Cauldron, Old Rasputin, Ten Fidy 2009. Not included in the picture: AleSmith Speedway Stout. Also not pictured and not included in the original plans: Bell's Expedition Stout 2009, Tyranena Doubly Down 'N Even Dirtier, etc. ... yeah, it got crazier as the time passed and we got drunk!

    A very generous trader hooked me up with Dark Lord 2010 and I knew it was time for a big tasting of stouts. I decided to restrict it to Russian Imperial Stouts as classified on Beeradvocate, which might seem arbitrary but was the best option. I understand that it could be hard to tell the difference between Russian Imperial Stout and other Imperial Stouts but what stands out to me, personally, is a more pronounced roast character that borders on charred and minimal use of adjuncts like coffee and chocolate, and no barrel aging. Using massive amount of adjuncts/barrels adds a lot to the base beer, and smooths out the roast giving the end product a clear advantage over the base. I also believe that this should be kept in mind while rating the beers, although it gets tough to practice.

    My contribution to the line up was Darkness 09 & 10, Dark Lord 10, Stone IRS 10, and Ten Fidy 09 & 10, and snifters :) My friends got the rest, and another Beeradvocate¹ got the Speedway Stout, and an Exponential Hoppiness, to break the monotony. I thought that it was a good idea to include Old Rasputin as the base case, to compare other stouts against and frankly, it seemed that the only quality Old Rasputin really has is its accessibility: both in terms of availability and the challenge it poses to the palate.

    We started with Darkness 09 & 10 and I can safely say that aged Darkness is a far superior beer. I was able to buy only two bottles of 09 because I was late and sadly I don't have any left. Darkness stands out from almost every other RIS because of its smoothness and excellent notes of raisins. Dried, dark fruit is an often thrown around adjective in the reviews of stouts but there's no other beer that literally tastes like rich raisins. And it's SMOOTH: I am sure there is roasted barley in Darkness but the beer is so smooth that the roast feels like oak in the finish. To top it off, it's amazingly clean for such a sweet beer. Collect all the praises that I have sung of Darkness, multiply them by two, make the beer creamier, subtract some bitterness and you will get an idea of what age will do to this one. I don't have much experience cellaring beers but Darkness 09 and Bell's Batch 9000 have been pleasant surprises with some age on them. And sorry if it offends anyone but it makes Old Rasputin taste like gutter water. I saw Darkness in an entirely different light this time that makes me ashamed of my earlier review. Especially considering that I have rated it close to Old Rasputin. In Old Rasputin's defense, I have no experience with a few years on it so I might be ashamed later for taking a crap on it here!

    Coming back to Darkness, I got a chance to try 08 & 10 side by side a few days later too, and I had no choice but to bump my scores for Aroma and Taste, both, to 4.5/5. A near perfect beer that could be made better only by adding more stuff in it ;-) -bal Darkness with coffee beans & cocoa nibs added, anyone? The next one in the lineup was Dark Lord:

2010 vintage into a snifter. Thanks lurchingbeast for hooking me up with this one.

    Dark Lord poured like silk in a thick, very dark brown stream, and looked opaque in the snifter. The head was very dark too, but it quickly gave away to a tiny collar. Legs were seen upon swirling the glass. The usual suspects were present in the aroma: chocolate-cream, vanilla, and sweet malts.

    Felt thinner than I expected, perhaps because we were tasting at room temperature, but tasted very good and complex nonetheless; simply put, quite yummy! Sweet and rich in a milky way as opposed to Darkness that I find "raisin" sweet, but equally delicious. Finished clean in spite of the sweetness, and warmed me up as it went down. The alcohol is present and it is felt, no doubt, but the beer is not the sweet-boozy mess some describe it to be. In fact I found it quite a treat, and I *think* it could have been bigger on body for better.

    Overall an excellent beer but nothing to die for, or travel for that matter, unless the event itself is what you're looking forward to. However, it is certain that Darkness and Dark Lord belong to an entirely different category within RIS's, if you want to call them RIS's, and are therefore worth seeking out.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Drinkability 4.5/5

    After Darkness & Dark Lord, other stuff on the tasting seemed merely well done but run of the mill. Expedition and Founders Imperial were richer than anything else, and dominated the other stouts. The age on Ten Fidy wasn't noticeable and I don't think I will be able to detect an year in a blind tasting.

    AleSmith Speedway (not a part of the original plan) stuck out in its excellent coffee character and I am certainly going to seek it out already did! Review here. I have done a far detailed review of Great Divide Yeti and some of its variations so that's another post.

    Finally, I did not get the praise that's showered upon Stone RIS: It's a very solid beer, no doubt, and I have known it from experience at multiple occasions. Example. However, I just can't appreciate the greatness that experienced palates seem to find in it, yet ;) Good news is that this a beer that is said to improve vastly with age, and I have a bottle stashed away just for that.

The problem with Imperial Stouts
I rate beers on BeerAdvocate, that makes it very easy to view my ratings by the style. The more I rate, the more I discover the inconsistencies, change of palate, random variations etc. across all styles. However, Imperial Stouts take the cake when it comes to inconsistencies & randomness, and that's probably because they all taste the SAME! Okay, not the same but very very similar, and it is tough to keep track of "what I subjectively felt". So, do not put too much stock in what I had to say because I don't either. Well, except that Darkness is for real and Dark Lord is NOT a sweet boozy mess.

notes

¹ Joe hosted an end-of-semester tasting that was much bigger than this one and is the mother of all tastings I have been in!

AleSmith Speedway Stout

AleSmith Speedway Stout
Imperial Stout
AleSmith Brewing Company
12% ABV
IBUs?
OG 1.111

750 ml poured into a big snifter. Thanks Anand!

Dark brown and clear, viscous looking but not the thickest, Speedway poured with a medium dark brown head that fell to a ring and a disjoint sheet of tiny foam soon enough. Some lacing. Good enough for a 12% ABV Imperial Stout.

Aroma: Coffee, alcohol, and sweetness that could be from alcohol, but most probably comes from sweet malts. No hint of roast; and overwhelming booziness --- limited in merit and complexity.

Taste is smooth, bitter and flavorful with coffee. Ample amount of sweetness from rich malts and alcohol. Finishes with unexpected strength of roast and a kiss of alcohol with lingering coffee aftertaste. Feels silky with low carbonation against its body but is still not as coating; however, the finish is fairly clean too so no problems here.

Overall rather one dimensional but quite potent and well done.

Appearance: 4.5/5; Aroma: 3.5/5; Taste: 4.5/5; Mouthfeel: 4/5; Overall: 4/5

Dark Horse's Stouts: IV & V

    I have had the pleasure of drinking all 5 of Dark Horse's stouts together about 2 years ago at Stub & Herb's and drinking the barrel aged Plead the Fifth at Heritage Liquor a few months back. I reviewed the -bal Plead the Fifth but never reviewed the other versions. Today I cracked open IV & V with a friend to do a side by side. Here are the reviews:

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Fore

Smoked Stout
12 oz. bottle with no information and BAD artwork poured into a snifter.

    Phenomenal looks, just as good as any other stout out there: Fore poured real dark, in an almost black stream with a big, dark mocha hued creamy head. The head retention was good too. The lacing? Not so much, but still there.

    Roasted coffee beans, sugars, and faint smoke form the backbone of this beer. Hints of chocolate. The first whiff was quite smoky but it went downhill from there, and I am a little disappointed; I was hoping for a smoked monster, but it's just ok.

    Roasty bitter with subtle smokiness should describe this one pretty well. Feels mildly fruity at the beginnings because of the acidity and the slight sweetness. Largely bitter with a roasty finish and a long aftertaste that is more coffee than smoke, I am underwhelmed. The alcohol creeps in with warmth but is never distracting.

    Medium bodied with medium carbonation, high acidity, and medium finish. Overall not bad, but not exactly what I was in for.

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Plead the Fifth

Imperial Stout

12 oz. bottle, 2009 vintage, with just as bad artwork as other Dark Horse beers poured into a snifter.

    Inky black with a tiny head that left even before it formed completely! A tiny dark dark brown ring persisted. Forgivable for a 12% ABV beer.

    Aroma is sweet chocolate and vanilla; I would have thought this came out of barrels. Hint of alcohol. I like it.

    Intense and delicious, bitter, sweet, roasty and chocolaty. Quite complex, but not over the top. Some acidity. Quite warming. I made the mistake of considering it ordinary once and I was wrong. Palate coating until it finishes with kiss of alcohol and kick of roast. Only downside is that it still feels rough and not-well-integrated.

    The mouthfeel of this beer, however, is not up to the taste. Hell no! Thin and harsh instead of being silky, this beer could be in BCS territory with its taste it has but its body seems short of supporting it. Overall very good in spite of a few shortcomings here and there.

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Scores	Fore smoked stout	Plead the Fifth
Appearance	4.5	4
Aroma	3.5	4
Taste	3.5	4
Mouthfeel	3.5	2
Overall	4	4

Apocalypse Cow

Apocalypse Cow

Double IPA

3 Floyds

11% ABV

100 IBUs

    "...intense citrus and floral hop aroma balanced by a velvety malt body which has been augmented with lactose milk sugar." 22 oz. bomber, sent by lurchingbeast, poured into a New Belgium globe. I am positive about its freshness given that it's a June release. Thanks Frank!

    Falls in a hay golden stream and looks a beautiful hue of orange in the glass. A magnificent alabaster head with creamy texture. Good lacing and retention. Aroma is fruity, floral, and slightly leafy green too - but dominantly floral. Enough sweetness to tell that this will be a sweeter beer, and a hint of spicy (onion-garlic) hops.

    As expected from the aroma, very sweet tasting but in a lush and fruity manner, rather than cloyingly so. Still, a harsher and more biting taste profile wouldn't have hurt! Although there's enough bitterness, the sweetness is definitely up there with barleywines. Body, carbonation, finish... everything is medium. You could call it balanced but I would like a crisper and drier beer with the sweetness dialed a few notches down. Otherwise, the hop profile is very delicious.

Scores: Looks 4.5/5, Aroma 4/5, Taste 3.5/5, Mouthfeel 4/5, Overall 4/5

Edit: Good as it is, it's hard to justify the almost $12/bomber price (inclusive of tax)

Rabid Duck

Rabid Duck
Russian Imperial Stout
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
10% ABV

12 oz bottle, courtesy BulbMan, poured into a snifter. Thanks Jon!

    Looks: Dark brown, rather thin looking (but I make no judgment yet!), with a nice dark khaki colored head with good retention for the size. Not much in terms of lacing.

    Aroma: Very very fruity, borderline vinous, and not all that stout-y. Can't say if it's a flaw because the aroma is not repulsive by any means, but not quite what I expected. Some roast is present.

    Taste & Mouthfeel: I think that the yeast used to ferment this beer might have been particularly characterful given the likeness to a Belgian Dubbel: first the aroma was fruity, then the first sip felt metallic. Of course, the metallic character was because the beer was too cold. But this is overlapping into the Belgian Imperial Stout category (?) nonetheless: fruity character, almost bubblegum at times, with the high carbonation derived pseudo fullness, and a roasty finish. Coffee like flavors linger afterwards. Body is medium-full at best. Overall, this reminds of the famous Kate, but it's not in the same league.

Looks: 4/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 3.5/5; Mouthfeel 3.5/5; Overall 3.5/5

Wake n Bake

Wake 'N' Bake
Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Terrapin Beer Co.
8.6% ABV
50 IBUs
OG 20.8

    12 oz bottle from 2010, courtesy BulbMan, poured into a Surly pint glass. Thanks Jon! This bottle lists ABV at 8.1%, slightly different from the website.

    Appearance: Dark, very very dark and inky-viscous-velvety brown with a tiny brown soda pop head that recedes before it forms; no lacing, obviously. 3.5/5

    Aroma: Mmm, coffee! Good coffee! This is some serious gourmet shit! Goddamn! Pleasing and soothing aroma of freshly roasted coffee riding atop a sweet smelling base. Very good :-) 4/5

    Taste: Akin to smell, this is beer in coffee, not the other way round. Slightly sweet, at its gravity, but the acidity of coffee quickly takes over, and leaves the mouth bitter with plenty of coffee flavor. Also, for its magnitude, it finishes very dry. Very very dry. I am able to taste some alcohol here and there too, but frankly, I am not bothered. Not one bit. 4/5

    Mouthfeel: Quite different from the way I expected based on its looks, the mouthfeel is sharp, acrid, and, if I may say so, thin. Of course, the flaws are only slight. 4/5

    Overall: There was a thread equating it to Founders Breakfast Stout. To make a fair comparison, I need to have these side by side at similar levels of freshness, *but I think* that this is every bit an equal in terms of taste and aroma... you know, the stuff that matters most. That said, Breakfast would win on the mouthfeel and looks. 4.5/5

Duet

Duet
American IPA
Alpine Beer Company
7% ABV
45 IBUs
OG 1.065
22 oz. with no dates into a Bell's tulip. Thanks BulbMan!

    Yellow golden hue and brilliance, with a medium off white head. Good retention, some lacing. A very fruity aroma of mangoes and pineapples. And signature Alpine weediness. Good aroma, fo-sho.

    Slightly fruity and sweet at the beginnings with a crisp, dry and bitter finish. Drinks easy and very refreshing with good carbonation and medium body. Man, if this came by easy and had half the alcohol, I'll purchase it by the case. Lacking bitterness, or at least not as bitter as want. Also evidenced by the IBUs on this one. Overall, a very good beer, bordering greatness but higher in alcohol that I'd prefer.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 4/5

Maudite

Maudite
Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Unibroue
8% ABV
22 IBUs
12 oz. bottle poured into a Chimay chalice.

Rust brown with moderate clarity and a good light murky brown head; average retention that might very well be the chalice's fault and decent lacing. 4/5

Even though poured gently, the aroma is huge on yeast; not off putting per se, but not the very likeable owing to its dominance. Other notes include soft fruit, berry sweetness and toasted malts. 3.5/5

Notes of slightly bitter fruit peel (plums, apples) on the palate with a tannic finish followed by fruity and estery aftertaste. Lingering bitterness. Tannic character borders on roast. 3.5/5

Light, effervescent and clean mouthfeel; like it ought to be! 4.5/5 Overall good. 4/5

Hopsecutioner

Hopsecutioner
American IPA
Terrapin Beer Co.
7.3% ABV
78 IBUs
OG: 16.3
FG: 3

    12 oz. bottle with a best by of August, Week 2, poured into a shaker pint on 06/15. Thanks BulbMan!

    Pours with slight haze, resembling orange candy with a moderate head. The retention and, especially, the lacing is impressive for the size of the head. Smells malty and fruity, with notes of tropical fruit. No pungent character to go with the name.

    Tastes fruity, pineapples and mangoes in my opinion; with bitterness coming up only towards the end. Still quite bitter. Mouthfeel is medium and rather creamy; finish is quite dry and the carbonation is moderate. Leaves a bitter aftertaste that is delicious but lacks character. Gets a wee but aggressive with warmth (greener and sharper) but stays quite balanced; too balanced I think. Overall a well done AIPA but that's about it.

    Also, I can taste the alcohol, I can feel the alcohol warmth and I do not think that this beer needs to be 7.3% ABV for any reason other than bang for the buck.

Appearance 4.5/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 3/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Overall 3.5/5

Wodan Weizen

Wodan Weizen
Hefeweizen
Harriet Brewing
5.3% ABV

    On tap at Stub & Herb's. My first beer from the new Twin Cities brewery, Harriet, and I am impressed! Poured into a shaker pint.

    Hazy ripe orange with a small head from the "pub pour". No retention and no lacing for that reason and hence merely average. Aroma is strongly estery and perfumy with lots of banana-clove and hints of bread and bubblegum.

    Taste has all these elements and a faint tartness; nice! Finishes dry with a long and subtle banana-clove aftertaste. Light and crisp with carbonation, this one drinks very easy. Recommended!

look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pure Hoppiness

Pure Hoppiness
Double IPA
Alpine Beer Company
8% ABV
OG 1.072
22 oz. with no dates into a Bell's tulip. Thanks BulbMan!

Hay golden and amber with an excellent off white head. Hazy towards the bottom of the bomber. Moderate head retention and moderate lacing. Nothing spectacular but good nonetheless.

I have had Pure Hoppiness before, and all I could think was dank, grass, cannabis etc. etc. Now, not so much! Fruity notes with a faint memory of what I loved --- clearly, this is not a fresh bottle, OR my nose is off. But, there's no way to know until the bottles are dated, so I am just going to go with AVERAGE here. Sorry Alpine. You probably don't care though.

The weediness is much more prominent in the taste, but still not UP there. Light and crisp with medium bitterness, this seems like a good IPA but not among the best; not by a long shot! The malts are there, but not as much as I'd like, and the beer feels rather watery. Taste is mostly dank and spicy, which could have been very good. However, in my humble opinion, the focus is on flavor and aroma much more than the actual bitterness, and I'd love to see how it drinks with part of the hop bill scheduled earlier in the boil. Still, not bad. Mouthfeel, as remarked has its shortcomings and could be more beer-y and less water-y.

Overall though, and especially with warmth, this beer comes to its own and drinks hoppy and easy. The green and wet character, along with the bitterness, is amplified and starts to delight more and more. However, I really feel that the ABV could be 2% lower. Really. A disappointment, but a mild one, and only so because of the high expectations, I believe.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 2.5/5; Overall 4/5

Nelson

Nelson
"Golden Rye IPA": Nelson Sauvin hops and European rye are the highlights
Alpine Beer Company
7% ABV
45 IBUs
OG 1.065
22 oz. with no dates into a Bell's tulip. Thanks BulbMan!

    Lighter and brighter looking than I expected, Nelson poured without any "redness" I typically, and erroneously, associate with rye beers. A clear hay golden hue, with a beautiful cream white head; excellent retention and lacing. Tropical fruit (esp. pineapple) is jumping out as I pour and I know that this is going to be a hoppy delight even before a sip. However, strong notes of sourdough bread make it clear that it's more than your regular IPA. Off to taste!

    Fruity, spicy, mellow and bitter --- almost a contradiction, but very successful. And firmly bitter, no joke! Like other Alpine IPA's (have had Pure & Exponential till now), but with a twist. Creamier but still plenty crisp, Nelson smells and tastes of awesomeness. Eventually, rye seems to dominate this beer and not in an unpleasant manner. The mouthfeel is creamier, but still a little thin. Overall though, Nelson delivers exactly what it promises and is a major success!

Scores: Appearance 5/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Overall 4/5

Blind Pig

Blind Pig
American IPA
Russian River Brewing Co.
6.1% ABV
OG 1.060
500 ml. (16.9 oz.) bottled 05/09/2011 poured into a pilsner glass.

    Crystal clear liquid gold with a good off white dense head. Surprisingly the retention is just average but the lacing is real good.

    I am not a big fan of the aroma that although very good, is rather weak, and a tad maltier than the blast I was hoping for. The hops are weedy and spicy, and come along really well in the taste. Very bitter with minty, spicy and pungent notes on the backdrop of a light malt base; somehow Blind Pig feels like chewing on tobacco/tea leaves, but in the most delicious way.

    The mouthfeel is not as crisp, but that could be the temperature. Finish is bone dry and the body is below medium. A real easy drinking, lower alcohol, low gravity, hop heavy IPA. Belongs in the league of Masala Mama and Furious in every respect but aroma. But then, I have always had the said beers fresh, and even on cask so the comparison might not be fair.

I like it, very much!

Appearance 4/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4.5/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Overall 4.5/5