Got my hands on another brew from the Eugene, Oregon based Ninkasi Brewery. This one is called Maiden The Shade and is what Ninkasi calls a Summer Style IPA. Nice label showing the goddess Ninkasi enjoying a bit of shade on a hot summer day. Ninkasi is the Sumerian Goddess of Brewing. Yes, the Sumerians had a Goddess of Brewing - they were part of the Cradle of Civilization and you don't get much more civilized that a fermented beverage. And what a fermented beverage this one is.
Seven types of hops that leave a foor wide area of aroma when you pour this one. The brewmaster at Ninkasi was supposedly going for the aroma of Ganga when he concocted the mix, but I don't get that. What I get is a wonderfully dank spiciness with threads of citrus pine and some type of nut (Almond? Walnut? Brazil Nut?). Maybe I'm just nuts, but this one is very fragrant and it only registers 72 on the IBU scale. The taste is wonderful and it finishes very smooth with some nice sweetness from the malt - no biting bitterness that I expected with the IPA title. I'll be going back for more of this.
Ninkasi Website -----> the playful side of summer
Beer Advocate -----> very good
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