IPA
Wild River Brewery & Pizza Company

On tap at the brewery. They served it way too cold. Much better when it warmed up a bit.

Nice IPA, west coast style with a gentle malt profile and fresh bitter hop assault. Very refreshing. A beautiful light copper color, right in the middle of the IPA scale. Screams cascades; smells like flowers and bites with bitterness.

A good find, and right off the highway if you're driving through Grant's Pass. I'd drink it again just for a change of pace, not to mention the rest stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at the brewpub in Grants Pass OR. High ABV seems apparent from the taste and warm feel.

Pour was clear dark, red-amber with little visible carbonation, a decent head and minimal lacing..

Aroma: appropriate strong hop aroma is both fruity and herbal.

Flavor: brandied bread; a bit too bitter dispite an apparent (color) bit of darker sweet malts Alcohol esters.

Feel: low-medium carbonation seems too low; a medium body. Some warming.

O: a boozy, bitter, herbal IPA.

 

 

 

 

On-tap at the Wild River Restaurant in Grants Pass, OR.

Pours a hazy golden colour, with a fine white head. Sheeting lace formed by lots of fine carbonation. It's not all that exciting, but it's canonically on-style for an IPA.

Nose is sharp and slightly herbal, with more pine than citrus. It's a detailed aroma though, with nuance, rather than being simple and down-the-line. It's not bad. I note they use the Falconer's Flight blend, which may explain some of the complexity.

Taste, however, is more generic. Nice balance of hops, giving just the bit required without going overboard. But the flavours are only what you expect: pine resin, and a spicy, rindy citrus character. Clean bitterness on the back—just enough to give you a jolt and make you realise this is an IPA. Smooth feel, with enough carbonation, but more zested by the hop bite on the back.

Not bad, but generic. I've had it before. Maybe not from this brewery, but it's sure like a lot of other IPAs. It has a touch more punch and aggression, at least, but it's the only thing which really makes it stand out all that much.

 

 

12 oz. shaker glass on draught at their Grant's Pass location, Wild River's IPA is a crystal clear dark gold with a very dense ivory head that leaves thick lace. Listed as 1.070 OG, using Marris Otter and Crystal malts, with Cascade and Chinook hops.

Smell is very malty, and though it was served ice cold, it never really opened up as it warmed. Hop wise, I get some resin from the chinook and bright citrus from the cascades, but nothing too exciting.

Taste is very malty, although they restrained themselves with the crystal, and it's only bittersweet. Moderate hop flavor but a very firm bitterness, with no noticeable alcohol, it's a pretty average IPA.

MF is creamy, with a medium body.

Drinkability fine, a decent if forgettable IPA...not enough hop flavor, but the bitterness hides the alcohol well. Not my taste for the style though.

From a 22 oz bottle puchased in Ashland, Oregon, this poured a clear amber with a medium white head that leff almost no lacing. Nose was mild for an IPA, and what there was was mostly citrus and piney hops. Mouthfeel was medium and was nice and creamy. Flavor is strongly hops with a little touch of fruit to go with the citrus. Finish slighty bitter. A very decent IPA. My only complaint was the medium head and lack of lacing, which kept the ratings out of the 4's.

A: Light golden color with very, very thin head. Kind of disapointing, I was hoping for a bigger show like other IPA's give. None the less, it still looks tasty.

S: Smell makes up for the disapointing appearence. Big smell of fresh hops. There are really no other noticable smells, it's all hops and I LOVE it!

T: This is a very highly hopped beer. There is absolutly no sweetness, alcohol, anything except hops noticable. Taste starts out small then grows and grows and grows. There are some citrusy notes midtaste, but hops still overpower it. Aftertaste is very bitter and lingers for a long, long time! This could even be considered a Double IPA!

M: Light and pretty carbonated, but very easy to drink. It's one I could chug and chug and chug.

D: May be a little too hoppy for those who aren't as in to bitter beers. But for those of us who can't get enough hops, this is for you. Right on par with Stone IPA.

Wild River was a thoroughly pleasant surprise for me. An unexpected business excursion took me to Cave Junction just in time for pizza and a pint. The pizza was forgettable. The IPA was not.

Wild River assigns no particular name to their IPA. It’s not even listed on some of their menus or their website and they don’t bottle it as they do with many of their other beers. Given the profound character of this brew and the overall popularity of the style, I find these oversights somewhat odd. The total effect of this conspiratorial obscurity is to make this beer even more of a treasure to those whose good fortune provides it.

Sure, they serve it too cold. Everyplace I go they serve beer too cold. (I’ve accustomed myself to this breech of beer etiquette but I still feel compelled to comment upon it.) Wild River’s IPA is a soft copper / gold, modestly clouded, with a thin pencil-line head of white suds. The aroma is crisp and floral and speaks of a compelling freshness. The taste is clean and abundantly satisfying with a huge cannabis profile. (Hmmm…. maybe that’s why they aren’t advertising this one.)

This is an all around damn fine beer. The aroma is immediate and unrelenting to the bottom of the glass. The taste is brisk and finely tuned. It even tastes good when you belch – a sterling hallmark of a fine crafted brew.