Ninkasi Brewing Tricerahops Double IPA

More goodness from Ninkasi Brewing... this time in the shape of the bold Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA.

Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA poured a mostly clear golden honey color into the glass, topped with a creamy white head.  The nose was dominated by stone fruits like peach and apricot with notes of caramelized sugar.

Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA hit my palette with a sweet start of stewed apples, oats, and brown sugar; sweet but still dry enough to not be cloying.  A rind bitterness sat in the background and became more dominant as the sweetness faded.  As sweet as it was, Tricerahops ended on a pretty dry note and stayed refreshing through the entire 22oz. bottle.

Similar to Ninkasi Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops is a big, bold beer that hides it's ABV well.  Also like Total Domination, for such a big version of the style it is a little bit lacking in nuance.  There really aren't stages to it, what you taste in the first sip is what you'll taste in the fade.  All of Ninkasi's beer has a "candy for adults" aesthetic; highly enjoyable, heavy but easy to drink, flavor bombs that deliver a fun drinking experience.

Ninkasi Brewing Co. Total Domination IPA

Day three of the hop-celebration led me to one of my tried-and-true IPAs... another outstanding offering from Ninkasi Brewing Co.  After an evening of birthday celebrations, I chose to hold off on the big guns and dive into a 22oz bottle of Ninkasi Brewing Co.'s Total Domination IPA.

Total Domination IPA poured a yellow auburn (I swore I saw shades of green) with what I've noticed is the typical sudsy foam of an IPA and continued light bubbling.  The nose was unadulterated hops, heavy on the pine with lemon essences playing a not-too-distant second. 

The first sip showed what this IPA was all about... big hops flavor.  An aggressive front assault of the pine and lemon previewed in the nose quickly overwhelmed (dare I say... dominated) my taste buds.  There really wasn't a malt backing of any substance to carry the beer forward, and it ended on a sustained, bitter note that lingered and thickened in my mouth. 

I love this IPA... probably because of it's somewhat two dimensional characteristics.  This is an IPA for people who like their coffee black, their hard alcohol neat, and their cigars bold.  It is certainly drinkable enough to be a session beer, and is by no means inapproachable for the casual beer drinker, but it's charm lies in it's uncompromising Pacific Northwest approach to the IPA.