IPA Fest Samplings

Arrived at Lucky Baldwin's Delirium Cafe for the week long IPA fest last night and was able to sample some really good beers. I first got there and ordered a pint of Russian River Blind Pig IPA. This beer tastes similar to your standard IPA hopped with the C's. What makes it one of the better IPA's out there is the aggressive bitterness and juicy hop feel. The citrus coming through gives it a sweet twang that is very nice, and it finishes dry. Enjoyed this very much.

The second beer I orderd was an 8oz sampler ($2 for IPA's and $3 for DIPA's) of Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA. I've wanted to try this beer for a while but it's pretty expensive at the store, I think around $7 for a bomber. I was glad I finally got to try this, definitely a tastey DIPA. It is one of those DIPA's that falls under the more syrupy/sweet designation (for reference, Victory Hop Wallop and Lagunitas Maximus are good DIPA's that don't). Not much bitterness to this one, just a big soup of sweet malt and citrusy hops.

Next up was the Rogue I2PA. Had an unfiltered appearance to it, and came out looking very similar to a hefeweizen. The taste didn't appeal to me either as the astringent hop character was not my cup of tea. Finally I ended with a Stone Ruination DIPA. I have had Ruination from the bottle before (22 oz) and thought it was so-so. My bottle must have been a bit old because now I see why people love this so much. Not only did I love the taste, the mouthfeel was one of the best I've seen for a DIPA being that it wasn't too slick/syrupy, but it had just a bit more body than a normal IPA.