Ninkasi's Total Domination

The story of Ninkasi has been told elsewhere, but this is one success story that shows no sign of stopping. This upstart brewery out of Eugene, Oregon has taken the brewing world by storm, and has become a favored bottler for the connoisseur set. My taste for their IPA was whetted on a recent trip to Bend, where I enjoyed a Tricerahops Double IPA on draft at a downtown pub.

Today, I found myself back in Bend, and sampling yet another Ninkasi IPA - their Total Domination. This time it was prelude to a Walkfast show at Mountain's Edge. The Total Domination is actually a pretty straight up IPA, just super hoppy and very flavorful. It's a very drinkable, very Eugene response to the Mirror Pond that is ubiquitous in the area.

The Tricerahops is another animal entirely, and totally deserving of the huge amount of praise it receives. It is a fabulous double IPA - it has slightly less bite than most, while exhibiting no lack of character, and awesomely complex hoppy flavors.