Total Domination IPA - Ninkasi Brewing Company

RoyalT

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - This poured a beautiful, hazy deep orange in color with a gorgeous head that left some nice lacing on the inside of my glass.

Smell - This is an excellent mix of hop aromas. First off, the pine is as sharp as I've ever smelled but somehow manages to harmonize with the rest of the other hops. The citrus is a mix of mild white grapefruit and the smell you get from a tangerine minus the orange flavor. That may sound contradictory but when you smell a tangerine you get the big orange aroma of course but then you get an earthy smell from the rind and the pulp and that is what I'm finding here. It's kind of vegetable-green as well.

I feel for the poor malt base that can't some close to standing its own here, but hell this is a PacNW IPA so f' ya. This hop bouquet though is incredibly inviting and really just sets the stage for what must be an amazing flavor profile.

Taste - This delivers in spades at the taste. The hops are so refined and so succinct they define the "crispness" comment you see written so often in IPA reviews. I've had a lot of big pine resin beers before but this characteristic is so clean and fresh it's like the difference between eating frozen green beans and picking them off the vine. The other players from the nose come on righteously at the taste so don't mean to ignore those flavors but the pine in this profile is just phenomenal.

Mouthfeel - This is medium-bodied, again very crisp, with a sharp bitterness that is both big and pleasant. The continuity is incredible as it just starts off sharp, threatens an overpowering bitter mallet, then maintains its cool, and finishes with a flourish of sensations never once offending the drinker.

Drinkability - This is my idea of a killer sipping IPA. I actually had the DIPA by Kinsaki first and was grandly disappointed and am now confused. How could you produce an amazing IPA like this then struggle so mightily with the DIPA? Either way, I'll certainly be buying the rest of the BevMo stock of this ale come the weekend.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2010 02:13:14 | More by RoyalT

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.58/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this from bottletrek

Pours honey/amber with 1 finger of ivory colored head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Slight honey malt, then a ton of citric hops. Biscuitty malt shines once warm

T: Citrussy hops, biscuitty malt & pineapple fruittyness up front. Apricot fruittyness along with piney & grapefruitty hops as this warms. finishes a touch dry, fruitty & hoppy

MF: Medium bodied with nice creamy softness, & great balance

This drinks very easy, what I look for in a session IPA, enough hops to hold your attention, but not rip your taste buds out. A damn good AIPA, probably too tame (balanced) for most hopheads

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 17:15:06 | More by russpowell

BeerZack

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful golden-orange color with bubbly head that sticks awhile.

Sweet topical fruity hop smells; apricot, tangerine, bit of dank.

Intense tropical and citrus fruit hop flavors jump out of the light buscuity malt. Kiwi, starfruit, mild orange. Persisten bitter finish.

Nice soft carbonation with light-moderate mouthfeel. Great IPA! very bitter, very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2008 07:30:15 | More by BeerZack

franksnbeans

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy amber orange. Has the characteristics of blue moon but this is an IPA. Very little head with an extremely sticky lace. Talk about a hop bomb. I literally smelled the hops before the pint was put in front of me. Huge hops smell, some grapefruit, more hops and more hops. Tastes like...HOPS, lots of grapefruit, bitter bite of rind, piney, fresh grass. Finishes dry and bitterness to perfection.This brew is a gem and reps Oregon big time. If you ever get a chance to try this jump all over it and enjoy one of the best IPAs youve ever had. Mouthfeel is incredible, full, perfect carbonation. Even though this thing packs a massive punch, the drinkability is scary good. Will make a point to get this everytime I come back.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2007 05:09:07 | More by franksnbeans

cbros

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving type- 22 ounce bomber poured into a mug.

A- Pours an orange straw yellow. Nice small lite tan head that has a mild cling to the glass. There is a small amount of activity present in the beer after the pour.

S- Strong hints of citrus and hops smell when you put the beer up to your nose. I little alcohol smell present at the end but nothing that you would notice unless you where really smelling or putting your nose right up to the beer.

T- Beautiful combination of hops, citrus(maybe grapefruit and orange) and bitterness. NIce malty finish but not overpowering.

I had this beer while in Eugene a few months back and did not get to review it at the time. I finally broke down and ordered a few off Bottletrek. It is as good as a remember. A very nice IPA that I feel does not get as much credit as it deserves. In fact everything that I have had from Ninkasi has been solid. If this were available to be I would certainly get this on a regular basis. It would definately become a staple of mine.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 21:43:23 | More by cbros

washburnkid

New York

4.47/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Recommended by a guy at the SLO BevMo. Poured into a .5L stein.

A: Almost 3 fingers frothy ivory head over lightly hazed amber. Nice bursts of orange at the edges. The retention on this beer is seismic...and there's some really great lacing gracing my stein. What a gorgeous beer!
S: Huge pine and floral hops. Nice light citrus balanced out by a toasted caramel malt. Dark fruits in there, too.
T: Mmm...the first thing I notice here is the balance. The explosion of hops (definitely West Coast with the grapefruit bitter backdrop and an emphasis on the pine). The floral on the hops is heavy, but still there's that balance. The toasted biscuit and caramel malt keep the hops in check while still allowing the juicy hops to engulf every taste bud and corner of my mouth.
M: Light to medium with a good amount of carbonation for the style.
D and notes: This is an IPA I can drink all day. I look forward to trying more from this brewery, especially if the beers are anywhere near as close to their respective styles as this one is.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 01:05:11 | More by washburnkid

Norfawkers

Virginia

4.47/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Not your run-of-the-mill IPA for sure but hang in there and taste the interesting blend of earthy, piney, hoppy goodness

Appearance: Cloudy golden with a light head

Smell: Piney, earthy, and citrus notes with a slight hint of malt

Taste: Earthy piney hops with some yeast and a bit of funk

Mouthfeel: Long lasting flavor and bitterness

Drinkability: Complex and a sipping beer; it's not as strong as other Ninkasi beers but definitely worth a taste

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2010 17:33:42 | More by Norfawkers

Matthew

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Concordia Ale House.
Hazey golden orange color with a 1/8 inch of soapy white head, lots of lacing, decent head retention.
Huge fruity aroma, pungent oily hoppy grapefruity aroma, orange, pineapple, earthy/flowery, with a sweet maltiness present too.
Big immediate bitter hoppiness in the taste, once again the grapefruity character is very prevalent, slight grassiness, orange rind, with hints of a lemon zestiness in the finish along side a caramelized maltiness to attempt to keep this nice big hop bomb of an IPA in check. The hoppiness in the nose as well as in the taste has always been percieved as being fresh.
I've been drinking this IPA consistently since moving to Oregon and has made its way to the top of my list as one of my favorite IPA's period. Great pungent and prominately fresh tasting hop profile with a nice malty complimenting body.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2006 06:28:00 | More by Matthew

cswhitehorse

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The total domination is a damn fine brew. It poured a light orange color with a solid finger foam head and some snowflake lacing.

The aroma is Northwest hops in your face. Nice cascade aromas. Smell some citrus and pine. The flavor is an initial balanced hop/malt profile that is soon annihilated by the hops. The finish of the beer is leaving you the tongue coated loveliness of the hops. My mouth was totally dominated by this IPA and with the DIPA they produce I think they are on their way to the namesake. Wonderful American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2008 22:17:17 | More by cswhitehorse

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fairly aggressive pour yields an inch-thick head that calms to half the size rather quickly, leaving wicked lace patterns in its wake. The color is an earthy copper-gold.

Hops positively glow in the aroma, having a sweet honeyed aura and not seeming to have much in the way of big malt presence. It's very hoppy, particularly very Northwest hoppy. If you've ever been there, or have had an abundance of IPAs from the area, you'll know exactly what that means. Citrus/evergreen nirvana...

Big-ass fresh hop attack in the flavor too. Not overdone, far, far from undrinkable, but still an intent focus on resiny, prickly, piney hops. Malt just kind of clocks in and watches the boss entertain, doing its job but not hogging the spotlight. Not a ton of depth here, but toasty and fruity elements add to the experience, although they remain bit players. Surprise, surprise...the finish slathers the tongue with a coat of hops. Mouthfeel is on the sharp side, and with the amount of bubble activity in the body, it's no wonder. Works well with the aggressive nature of the beer.

Bitter beauty. One of the truest examples of the Northwest IPA...seek it out if you're an IPA lover, a hophead, and particularly if you've been to the NW and need a reminder of the region's signature beer style. If you already live there: lucky bastards! [And many thanks to lucky bastard msubulldog25 for hooking this up.]

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 23:03:08 | More by Metalmonk

jwc215

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a bright orangeish light copper with a thin lasting white head that leaves strands of lacing.

The smell is of a complex hop aroma - grapefruit, orange/lemon, tea-leaf, cedar/pine and peppery spicing.

There is a near hop explosion on the palate. Yet, bitterness is held in check by an elusive in flavor, yet present malt sweetness rounding it out in the finish. Not of citric/tropical fruits - orange, lemon, grapefruit, mango - with black pepper, tea-leaf and pine all coming together nicely. Delicious hop taste, and bitter but not puckering due to a light but present sweetness.

Very smooth. Ample,not nearly fizzy, carbonation makes this one glide away. Alcohol is well-covered and this just seems to disappear "too" quickly. Very drinkable and enjoyable! A great American IPA!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 21:57:10 | More by jwc215

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Beautiful pour in an orange body with a head of super pale tan starting out a 2 inches and fading ever so slowly. The truth can be found in the lacing... I bet this is gonna be some sticky stuff!

S - Strong hops in a citrus form with an accent of pine. It has to be consumed. This is a fantastic aroma.

T - This is a unique IPA. It has a charcoal flavor I'm not used to in any hoppy brews. The hop flavor is very good consisting of citrus and tall grass. The bitterness is evident but by no means overwhelming. The flavors are really, really good together.

M - The feel is smooth at the beginning and then moves to mildly coarse as it nears the end. This assists in bringing out some of the unique flavors in the hops. My only issue here is that it's not quite as sticky as be I had anticipated.

~ This is a very good beer. I will definitely be on the lookout for this brew in the future. The only downfall is that I live in Wisconsin and this dominatrix isn't available here. Perhaps I'll have to take another trip to Oregon, hopefully sooner than later.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 04:12:33 | More by cdkrenz

brentk56

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a firm whipped egg white head; terrific structure to the lacing

Smell: A bit understated, but fairly balanced, with some biscuity malt and "C" hops

Taste: Starts out biscuity but after a few seconds, the lemon and grapefruit flavors arrive; citrusy after the swallow, but balanced throughout

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Clearly on the APA side of an IPA, this is a quite enjoyable beer if you like a balanced approach to an IPA; not totally dominating by any stretch, but still quite tasty to my palate

Thanks, riversideAK (from the other site), for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 22:14:11 | More by brentk56

RickS95

Indiana

4.38/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Golden color, hazy; lots of bubbles form a thick fluffy white head.

Great smell...floral hops and citrus dominate.

Best-tasting IPA I've ever had. Instead of being completely overwhelmed by hops, the citrus is prevalent as well and helps balance the flavor.

Lots going on in the mouth. Starts off sweet, due to the citrus; then bitter from the hops kicks in and stays well into the finish.

This is really a top notch beer. Looks and smells great, taste is very complex being both sweet and bitter and it packs a 7.0% ABV punch.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2009 20:20:03 | More by RickS95

rkuhnel

California

4.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From a 22 oz bottle that I picked up for $3.99 at Market of Choice in Ashland, Oregon, this poured a hazy orange with a light yellow head and sticky lacing. Very powerful citrus hops nose, with pine and floral hops backing it up. Good mouthfeel. Really great flavors with a wonderful long and bitter finish. A really great IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2008 20:44:03 | More by rkuhnel

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brought this back from my trip to the Northwest.

An interesting dark copper/amber color with a decent amount of visible carbonation. Finger and half of foamy white head that shows decent retention. Light lacing.

The aroma is fantastic Very bread like, orange notes.. other lighter citrus and slightly sweet.

This is a wonderful IPA. Initially gives you a sense of balance, then the lingering hops slap you in the face and remind you that this is a big IPA. Initial brown sugar sweetness immediately gives way to lots of fruit flavors and then a ton of bread flavors. Some bitter grapefruit flavors and then the long slow burn of glorious hop bitterness.

Medium/Light body, light prickle of carbonation. Oily.

Wonderfully drinkable. Wish I had brought back a 2nd bottle of this one. I will have it again on my next trip out west.

Excellent. Just love bready, fresh, bitter IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 01:11:32 | More by Reagan1984

industrialswill

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I picked up a 22ozer at RiteAid for $3.79. I originally came in to get a 12 pack of Schmidt, but they were out.
So, this bottle of "Yuppie beer" is my consolation prize.
No sense in me re-hashing what's already been so very well said about this stuff. I think it's just about as good as Sierra Nevada Torpedo. This is excellent beer and I would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 02:05:17 | More by industrialswill

paigertx

New York

4.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Blind Tiger, poured a taste because I had never heard of the brewery and had to get a pint. The hop aroma won me over then the maltlessness(all hop) sealed the deal as I was craving a clean hop with no sweet taste. M - a little chalky aftertaste but smooths over quickly. Packs a punch with abv which might be closer to 7.2% IMO. Wow, very drinkable considering that, but wouldn't want to stay this bitter nor is it sessionable. Definitely order this if you find it on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 16:24:32 | More by paigertx

mynie

Indiana

4.3/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big name for a medium-sized IPA. Pours fine but it smells pretty tame, like very light grapefruit hops and cereal malt.

Tastes great! The hop profile is rich and varied. It's west coast, of course--big grapefruit, orange, and pine. Very nicely balanced, too. It starts with sweet cereal malt, moves into variegated hops of several shades of green, and then finishes on a combination of yeasty biscuit dough and straight, bitter hops.

This is a very nice, very drinkable strong IPA. It's not quite to the level of Two Hearted, Ale Smith, or Alpha King, but it's still damn good.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 01:54:50 | More by mynie

grumpy

Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pretty simple to describe this one - it's a glass of grapefruit juice. Not pink grapefruit like Oggi's HopWhompus, but white grapefruit, or yellow, or whatever a regular grapefruit is.

Pours a slightly cloudy, straw-copper color with a moderate white head that leaves little lace. Smells of grapefruit, tastes of grapefruit. Mouthfeel is medium, malts are muted by the high IBU. Not a big DIPA type beer, but really tasty. That is, if you like grapefruit juice.

Sidebar: The brewery is up and going (obviously!) and has established tap accounts around the region. Nothing is being bottled yet, and to my knowledge, the IPA is all that's available right now. I apologize to the proprietor if that's incorrect. Expansion of the beer production, and construction of a tasting room are in the works. If Total Domination is any indication, they are off to a good start.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2006 16:31:44 | More by grumpy

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Aroma is strong and hoppy with a fruity underpinning that is surprisingly more pomme (apple/pear) than citrus and a firm hint of yeast. It pours a clear dark amber with a thick, though not persistent, white head that leaves some good lacing. Flavor is hoppy and woody, somewhat bitter, with a somewhat sweet undertone of pear and a hint of honey. Fizzy and smooth texture leaves a hoppy, fruity and slightly woody finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 02:47:37 | More by Cyberkedi

devilben02

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a sparkling amber-orange color, with a thick, billowy cream-colored head. The aroma is bursting with bold, citrusy combination of orange and grapefruit. The flavor is likewise jammed with grapefruit, with a juicy, lingering, pithy bitterness that is only partially balanced by a light caramel sweetness and some earthy undertones. The texture is light and smooth, yet the sticky, resinous hops don't readily fade away. Overall, although the flavor isn't a rot-your-molars kind of bitterness, it is certainly substantially hopped, resulting in a wonderfully bright and flavorful IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 14:22:06 | More by devilben02

100floods

California

4.25/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pale hue, something between yellow and gold, leaning more towards golden. Two finger whit head. Smells fresh, clean. Notes of grain and some hop flavors, coriander? There's definitely some belgian hop/spice thing going on, points for that. It's not as upfront, but sniff around a little and you'll find what I'm talking about. It's a little sweet, like a Belgian IPA, nice. Nice, smooth malt followed by some nice hop flavors. The malt gives a nice platform in which the hops take off from. Grapefruit, some pine flavors. The sweetness from the malt blankets the hops from being too present. This seems to give off a kind of spiced flavor. The aftertaste seems to resemble something close to that Belgian IPA aroma from earlier. This is an IPA after all. None of that DIPA business here. The choice of hops and malt seem familiar enough but just to the left of predictable. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 05:36:56 | More by 100floods

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a slightly hazy golden-orange with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of grapefruit, pineapple, tropical, citrus, and pine hops with some sweet caramel and biscuit malts.

T - Starts out with grapefruit, pineapple, orange, and citrus hops with some bitterness and some sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, some light pine hops come through with some more bitterness and some biscuit malts. The finish is a mix of grapefruit, pine, and grassy hops with some bitterness and some sweet biscuit malts.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry and bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice hop profile with good bitterness and a good malt and hop balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 23:07:38 | More by ngeunit1

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ninkasi's Total Domination IPA pours up sublime with a fluffy white head that neatly tops the slightly hazy tangerine yellow-orangish amber body. The intoxicating aroma is alive & dripping wet with pungent Pacific Northwest hops. Lots of lupilin! The overall character is very fruity (apricot, grapefruit, tangerine) with some piney (woody) notes in the background along with a constant light-moderate graininess with hints of caramel. Very nice overall. The flavor starts off with some candied apple toffee/caramel sweetness then the bitterness takes over to drive this baby home to a very clean, bittersweet, slightly warming, grassy finish. This is simply a delicious session IPA that reperesents Oregon well. Here's to the Goddess Ninkasi and her namesake brewery from Eugene!

CHEERS! Beertracker

*Taster's Note: A big thanks to Hoppiness for the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2008 16:47:17 | More by Beertracker