Ninkasi Total Domination IPA

Brewed by Ninkasi Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Eugene, Oregon USA

Total domination is a bit of exaggeration in this case. This IPA is very drinkable and I liked it’s deep copper color. Apparently this ale is very popular in town but it won’t go in my regular rotation.

Tap @ Cheerleaders: Clear, copper color with a small off-white head. Green aromas of hops with smooth flavors and a nice bitter, musty aftertaste. The body is quite thick and doesn’t dissipate in your mouth right away. Hangs around leaving a slightly perfumy, bitter taste. I think it is a great better than average IPA, but not blow me out of the water.

Bottle thanks to guy411. Hazy orange with a medium white head. Pungent, stinky hops with a garlic edge to them and a touch of caramel sweetness. The flavor has plenty of similar hop character to the aroma with lots of spice that borders on vegetal. Medium sweetness and light toasty malt flavors. Touch of astringency in the body with a medium thickness. The hops just rubbed me the wrong way in this one, though it was still decent.

Bottle courtesy Guy411. Chill hazed dark gold with a light beige wet filmy head. Aroma is grapefruity PNW hops basically. Flavor is piney and citrusy hops, somewhat muted, with a layered pale malty backbone. Pretty decent bitterness but this needs a rerate with a fresh bottle.

Cloudy unfiltered look. Nose is light pleasant crisp citrus notes. Taste is light hopy, pine, citrus. Not watery but still light. Interesting.

Ninkasi Brewing Company--Total Domination IPA--India Pale Ale--2008 Release--22 oz. Bottle. 6.70% ABV--65 IBU’s. (4.0 / 5.0) IPA--Mild head. Light lace. Sediment hint. Clear rich bright dark gold color. Mellow floral hop front. Earthy mild sweet cloying caramel mild bisquit body. Balanced hop spice crisp mild citrus smooth end. Malty with minimal pine grapefruit notes.OFF BUDS!--ReReview! Sampled 12/20/2008. $4.49 Each.

A very good value for a high quality Westcoast IPA. Picked up at Costco for $38 a case or about $3 a bottle (22 oz). Mild hop finish, a bit too sweet for me but robust taste. Certainly an IPA. But this is a great ale with food, with company, to sip rather than swig. Again, an exceptional value. Could become my regular IPA. Diamond Knot, Dogfish and Stone are a bit better, but this is of that same genre.

Bottle. Thanks to MOBE in Eugene for hooking this up. Back to back comparison with Ninkasi Tricerahops. Similar hop profile, very similar beer. Malt profile is caramel like and somewhat sweet, backed up by a heavy west coast citrus hop presence. Solid, but I prefer the Tricerahops slightly.