Blind Pig IPA - Russian River Brewing Company

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

[Cask at O'Brien's] Poured a lightly hazy, copper color with a medium sized, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of citrus fruits, pine resin, floral hops and faint malts as well. Taste was super, tangerine and other citrus fruits, more pine and a strong grapefruit bitterness. The IBUs are incredible on this one.

Serving type: cask

11-10-2008 00:03:21 | More by egajdzis

YieldToNothing

New York

4.21/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

16 ounce bottle into a pint glass. brought it back form the brewery after my trip to north cali.
i flew with it, so i'm thinking that's why there was so much head. not overly carbonated, very mellow taste, nothing really overwhelms.
what can i say that hasn't been said? certainly not a game changer in my book, but a very good ipa.
a couple of people i talked to in frisco said they prefer this to pliny...yea, i don't really see that.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 02:10:21 | More by YieldToNothing

Somebody_Else

California

4.63/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Same as everybody else: bottled 5/02/2013

Poured into a cold large glass Just big enough to hold the entire 17.25 oz after a little sip.

Seductive honey color with a thumb-width cream-colored head which dissolved into a thin line with light delicate lacing.

I got a good hops whiff when I opened the bottle but after the pour the smell was pretty weak. Later, as the beer warmed a little, I got good honey and malt smells, but somewhat light on the citrus or pine.

Great flavor! Loads of hops but surprisingly light on the bitterness. It's there, just not the massive IBUs of some. Now... I LIKE high IBUs and might normally downgrade an IPA for being too light, but this beer pulls it all together. This is the taste I want.

Mouthfeel? I call it after-taste. After the swallow you get the resiny hops clinging to the tongue and supplying plenty of recycled flavor. I sort of pump my tongue to cycle this past my nose. I dare say this is my favorite part of any big-hops beer. Now I sort of like Palate Wrecker better for this -- not for quality, but for shear quantity and durability of the aftertaste. For aftertaste quality, this Blind Pig is as good as it gets, in my opinion.

Overall: YES. What else can I say?

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:19:31 | More by Somebody_Else

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

4.89/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

17.25 oz. bottle purchased at Ales Unlimited (gotta ask for it!) in San Francisco, CA, bottled on 5/2/13, poured into a hotel style glass and drank over ~30 minutes.

A: 4.75 - straw yellow coloration, hop haze (couldn't read through), white half-finger head subdues into subtle glass lacing, moderate alcohol legs for a 6+% beer

S: 5 - BOOM! lots and lots of grapefruit, pine, resiny dank aromas just pouring out of the bottle on opening the glass; as it warms, you definitely pick up more of the bready/biscuity qualities of the malt; really nicely-balanced aroma here!

T: 5 - based on the aroma, I was anticipating a slap of bitterness, which I don't usually enjoy, but I didn't get this at all! There is a slight bitterness on the anterior tongue but in the middle of the mouth, hop flavors predominate...pine, resin, tangerine and lots and lots of grapefruit again on the back of the tongue/aftertaste; little malt presence for me and super-dry

M: 4.5 - moderate bodied; high (and impressive) carbonation just pouring off the bottom of the glass in tight little bubbles and pushing the hop aroma right into your face; the only flaw here, I think, was the alcohol was a little too present in the taste for my liking and the relatively low content

O: 4.75 - definitely an exemplar of a West Coast IPA; lots of dank, citrus flavor and aroma, superdry; I'd put this up there with Ballast Point Sculpin, Green Flash IPA, Stone IPA and others as the best examples in class; cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:21:37 | More by MNishCT77

jdhowe

California

4.15/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled on 05/02/13.

Bottle reads 6.25% abv.

A: Pours a pleasant clear golden color with 2 fingers of off-white bubbly head. Quickly dissipates to 1/2 finger of head and then to a film. Lacing is strong in places and nonexistent in others... inconsistent but nice.

S: Smells strongly of hops, primarily citrus character with a little malt sweetness

T: After the nice smell, I was hoping the hop flavors would step up and "wow" me when I finally took a sip, but I was a little disappointed. The flavor is nice, but not terribly strong, with citrus and pine dominating, but malt being present. It finishes with a bitterness and a flavor that is a little earthy or even grassy. Certainly not bad (and definitely well above average) but I am a little let down. After going through most of a pint and allowing it to warm a bit, the hop flavors have stepped up as expected and have actually made this quite good for an IPA. Enjoyable and highly drinkable.

M: Very pleasant. Not overwhelming, nicely carbonated, and very drinkable/refreshing. With how fast I'm tearing through this bottle, I'm surprised at just how drinkable this beer is.

O: Very glad I finally tried this. It won't become a staple beer for me, but I'm definitely not sad to have some of these on-hand. A very solid IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 23:42:59 | More by jdhowe

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.46/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to leschkie for this one...

A: Pours a nice translucent yellow/orange gold with one full finger of pure white head. The foam takes a bit to settle and there is only a bit of lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is pine and orange citrus. It smells wonderfully hoppy without overdoing it. I get a little bit of malty sweetness but only in the background.

T: It starts off wet and flavorful. Light sweetness with drying pine hops up front. Sweeter in the middle ad the orange citrus notes begin to shine. The back end is a touch vegetal. Hoppy and a touch dry. Nice.

M: Medium bodied beer. It's light and refreshing to start. The beer hits the palate bright but soft. The flavors swirl in the middle and there is a hoppy bite to dry it out in the finish.

O: Very nice. This is something that I would love to drink as often as possible. Too bad Russian River is a few thousand miles away.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 13:08:57 | More by trxxpaxxs

Hendry

Vermont

4.76/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Pours a golden honey color, filtered and clear as a bell with a generous two finger soapy white head, lively carbonation,solid lacing.

The nose is subdued when making the inevitable comparison to Pliny, which has more going on with the seductive phenols and tropical infusion. There are floral hints in there along with some light clementine, and a piney presence of hop goodness in the spotlight.

Taste is an altogether different game: Blind Pig offers a splendid blast of clementine juiciness, some candy like malt sweetness,and a distinct pungent hop kick. Medium to full bodied, mothfeel is sticky & chewy hops,oily and flavorful. Smooth easy drinking with no alcohol detected.

Russian River knows how to make great liquids, and Blind Pig is a fine example. Get a bunch of these if you can get your hands on them, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 01:38:16 | More by Hendry

pkalix

California

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

very nice orange-honey color, nice white topping.
subtle grass, pine and grapefruit aroma. not overpowering like other ipas.... some fruit juice in there too!
taste is very subdued. i expected a stronger flavor but this is very nice, very smooth, very easy to drink. the bitterness isnt strong although it is left on the tongue after the nectar is down in the gulch.
not as 'refined' as pliny, but dang they got a good thing going with these brews. and after having others from russian river i am very impressed. might have to pack my bags and move up north....

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 00:00:37 | More by pkalix

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

10oz. pour into a Duvel Tulip at Hawthorne's Cafe in Philadelphia.

A: Translucent amber body with no tones. Thick, white, frothy head that lingers and produces tons of spotty lacing.

S: A perfectly build, slightly citrusy IPA.

T: Grapefruit dryness jumps out heavily as undertones of Lemon back it up.

M: A slight dryness and relaxing level of carbonation in the forefront with nothing overdone and an easy tingle from hop resins.

OVERALL: Blind Pig is a beautiful IPA. It's easy on the stomach, has great head, and is very juicy, but not overbearing. This is what IPA's were like before the "Hop Bomb" era. Thin, balanced, and drinkable with a perfect amount of citrus spiceness and all of the tonal flavors you'd expect from a West Coast IPA and the IPA style in general. Very 2007-2010.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2013 20:46:14 | More by RobertColianni

PsilohsaiBiN

New York

4.3/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled on 4/3/13

Appearance: Amber, with modest carbonation and a small white head that quickly fades away.

Smell: Piney hops, bready malt sweetness, mango, pineapple, peaches.

Taste: A seamless blend of juicy hop bitterness balanced perfectly by sweet malt. To me, this is like the East Coast Pliny. The hops are strong up front but then move back enough to let the malt let itself be known. Next, as the malt fades the hops wash back over and take over the end of the drink, with a dry, bitter finish that fades out gently. Matches up with the nose nicely.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is modest, and a bit lacking; probably my only gripe with this beer.

Overall: A good, balanced IPA. Other than the carbonation being weak, there's not much to dislike here.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 02:12:26 | More by PsilohsaiBiN

arfenhouse

California

4.29/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

13 day old bottle.

A: Clear light copper with off-white head. Retention is good and has some lacing.

S: Mango, pineapple, sweet malts, and some tangerine. Some peach and flowery hops. A Bit of pine on the back end. Very good and tropical.

T: Not as big as the smell would lead you to believe. Tangerine and pine. Slightly sweet and grainy in the middle. Peach, grapefruit, and pine aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied and medium-low carbonation. Could use more dryness.

O: Very good single IPA that's well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 07:12:37 | More by arfenhouse

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BeerThirty for another CA IPA. Bottled 7 February 2013, tasted 28 March 2013. Had meant to drink this sooner, but illness got in the way.

Pours very clear medium-pale orange, like looking through colored glass. One finger of white head, gone pretty fast, okay lacing. No visible carbonation at all.

Smell is big and piney, backed by a fruity sweetness. Pine cones, apples, and a bit of grapefruit zest. Nice.

Taste is fine, but not overly exciting. Flavor is thin, grainy with a tiny bit of sweet. The last 2/3 is chalky, but a little off from the pleasant dry bitterness that some of my favorite IPAs have. Here there's an odd bitter twist that creeps in, and the rest of the flavor is only half as potent as I want it to be. Basically, it's kinda bland and kinda chalky-weird.

Mouthfeel is good. Medium-light body, leaning to light. Lots of fizzy carbonation, buzzy like seltzer water. Moderately lasting finish.

A pretty good IPA. Certainly not on the level of the best, at least to my taste buds. Smell is the high point, but even that isn't top-tier. Not bad, but moderately lacking in a lot of ways.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 06:19:51 | More by zeledonia

TheSixthRing

California

3.8/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on date of 03/21/13

Appearance - Pours clear and golden with a white, 2 finger head. Fair retention. Leaves a somewhat smooth surface, with bubbles clinging at the edge of the glass. Lacing is streaky and spotty, with good stick.

Smell - Orange zest, stone fruit, hints of pine and black pepper. Lesser notes of sweetened bread.

Taste - Starts with orange and a touch of stone fruit character, backed by a strong, sweet, bready malt background. Black pepper spiciness. Good balance. Finishes with slight pine, a touch of grass and orange pith bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Medium body with soft carbonation. Very drying finish.

Overall - Good, but I'm not big on super dry IPA's like this. Lagunitas IPA is the same way; in fact, these two beers are quite similar in many ways. For the price, I'd just as soon drink the Lagunitas than buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 04:24:30 | More by TheSixthRing

clayrock81

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured a seethru auburn-tinted brown with two-finger white head that died quick with lace patches and had a very hoppy nose; pine and citric hops along with grapefruit and touches of breadiness and caramel malt. Light to medium bodied and easy going down the hatch, the hops are dominant and have a great earthy, citrusy and grapefruit taste along with minimal fruit sweetness. Beer is balanced by sweet and dry malty backbones, and finishes not bitter but dry and crisp and makes you want to have another drink. Skirts the edge between overly hoppy/DIPA and just a right balance for an IPA between hops and malts and is an excellent brew.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2013 15:18:32 | More by clayrock81

brodericksloth

Oregon

4.51/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted side by side with pliny the elder at russian river yesterday
Less piney than pliney more tropical nice summery yellow color; very clear. ample long lasting head. Great pub beer on draft.
Good balance of hops and malt; hop dominated blend of Chinook, Cascade, Amarillo,Simcoe, and Centennial hops. not overpowering easy to drink
Lighter style than pliney...both excellent in there own ways. pliney more suitable sipper
Good spring beer. well hidden alcohol. not filling nice lingering aftertaste
Very impressed by how good all of the beers were; no losers. the sours were the big surprise; consecration truly amazing

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2013 14:10:34 | More by brodericksloth

NiceTaps

New Jersey

4.41/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On tap in a pint glass.

A- Poured a dark golden-amber color with a 1-plus finger head, fluffy white leaving nice lacing.

S- Citrusy, earthy, woody.

T-Malt forword ahead of some citrus and piney hops.

M-Very solid body and feel. Nice carbonation, abv is well concealed. The malts carry the body and flavor of the brew, but it's hoppy enough, lingers.

O- Lots of hops, malts and balance in a drinkable big IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2013 22:33:03 | More by NiceTaps

chrisgalvin

California

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The very first DIPA and it's my most favorite of the DIPAs, except for PtY when it's on tap. I like this better than PtE because it feels big, bitter and well balanced. Hate to be a pretentious arse, but there's a bar down the street from my house and they have it ontap all the time, and like PtE, I have to have one of these a week.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 04:34:27 | More by chrisgalvin

writerLJBerg

Oregon

4.01/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Apex bar.

A: Bright orange with a lazy eggshell colored head. Slides off the glass.

N: Loads of hoppy goodness. Grapefruit, pineapple, spruce. Very tropical. Some light sweetness. It's tempered and inviting.

M: Very dry. Does a number on the palate.

O: An excellent all-around IPA. As with Pliny the Elder, it never overextends itself, leading to a brew worthy of drinking time and again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2013 17:44:29 | More by writerLJBerg

MCain04

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Courtesy of BostonRyan, 500ml bottled on 12.12.12, consumed just under 3 months later. Hope it stayed fresh enough! Poured into a 12 oz Spiegelau snifter.

A: Golden clear color with a big 2 finger eggshell-white head. Good retention and lacing.

S: Even 3 months old the nose is still great. Nice hops, tropical fruits and grapefruit, mango, orange, and some pine with grassy notes. Great!

T: Hop taste follows the nose, but I think this one is a little too old, tastes a little stale. It's pretty dry, and otherwise well-balanced. Malt backbone gives it a good drinkability without making it too heavy.

M: Good carbonation, medium body, crisp and clean, dry on the finish.

O: I think I'd probably enjoy this better fresh, but still a really solid IPA. I'd be happy to drink it any time.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 03:34:58 | More by MCain04

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

510ml bottle poured into tulip 8/3/13

A clear golden yellow with a few bubbles feeding a short lived soapy two finger foam that leaves no lace, looks pretty basic

S grapefruit, peaches, sweet orange, pineapple, tangerine and mango make for a great tropical nose, faint pine and a floral aspect that works well for it, smells great

T more pine then the nose and the tropical notes are toned down ever so slightly, just a little hard toffee and some rind opposed to the flesh I was smelling

M more bubbles then I could see in the glass and a mellow bitter bite with a lingering finish of tropical rind, just a little grit after the fact

O highly drinkable and I found myself trying to take smaller sips so I could savor it for more then 5 minuets, it looks basic but no complaints elsewhere

I love my customers some days because I never would've dreamed I'd be randomly drinking one of my top wants today, cheers Ian for the random act of kindness

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 04:08:58 | More by wordemupg

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

500 Ml poured into a snifter

A- Pours crystal clear golden color with a one finger of an off white head. Good retention.

S- Big pine, a nice ripe grapefruit, apricot. A sweet breaddy malt and perfectly balanced.

T- A light taste at first. A slight crisp grainyness and clean malt profile. Very low bitterness for an IPA. The hop flavor is more subtle then it is on the nose. It is still quite hoppy, bringing in grapefruit, pineapple and a resinous pine flavor. A subtly flavored and well balanced IPA.

M- A light body and very low bitterness. Very very drinkable.

O- A very solid IPA, well made and well balanced

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 00:54:45 | More by TwelveOunces

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.06/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a clean golden-copper with 2 fingers white head, nice retention and decent lacing. very floral scent, cascade piney hops, caramel, grapefruit. a slight piney flavor up front, lots of grapefruit-like citrus flavor, earthy bitterness in the finished mixed in with a sweet malt backbone. medium body, medium carbonation - a very refreshing and well balanced ipa. i have waited patiently for a full year to pull off a trade with this one. i've had way better ipa's in the meantime, but i am definitely glad i've gotten to try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 01:35:26 | More by facundoCNB

tasteegood

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up in California during my California to San Antonio trip. This survived the travels in my car then the flight from San Antonio to Chicago ( I was fortunate enough to have one back in California on tap too)

Anyway, I think I had this before; my first impression was that it was a "good" beer. It definitely did not knock my socks off, but I would drink it.

Smell-does not stick out for me...average; don't know if the trip messed with this, but I did a good job of trying to control for temperature changes

Appearance- this is probably the highlight for me. This is a very clean looking, amber shining beer, with a 1/2 in white head. and spotty lacing.

Overall, it is a very drinkable IPA, balanced and not a palate crusher.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 05:06:09 | More by tasteegood

MaddMatt639

3.41/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Tasted on January 18, 2013:

A: A copper-ish amber. Full head of foam, easily an inch and a half. Nice retention.

S: Very citrusy. Not as hoppy as I was expecting. Slight maltiness in the end.

T: Citrus notes right up front. Still not as hoppy as I was expecting. Slight maltiness in the end.

M: Very bitter feeling. Long-lasting heaviness. Somewhat malty notes on the tongue.

O: A pretty good IPA, but I've had better. Enjoyed the strong citrus notes.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 08:46:38 | More by MaddMatt639

lsummers

California

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear straw yellow/orange with a two finger head. Smells of floral piney hops with a touch of sweetness. Taste is well balanced and hits upfront with the bite of the sweet piney hops and a touch of citrus lemon. A touch of the nutty malt comes through on the end. Mouthfeel is pretty stellar with its upfront bite and clean chewy character that keeps it drinkable.

Overall Blind Pig is a fantastic example of a west coast ipa. It may be a bit hard to find but it's worth the trouble.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2013 20:55:56 | More by lsummers