Posted By kkozlen on Oct 4, 2012 | 2 comments

It’s been a long day in Seattle, Washington, where I am for work.  I’ve been at a conference all day and a networking event afterward (where I had Mac & Jack’s African Amber).  Then I stopped at Red Mill Burgers, which came recommended on the Travel Channel.  Finally, I stopped at Hale’s Ales for a few quick samples, where I had their Red Manace Big Amber, Cream ESB, and Mongoose IPA.  When I got back to my hotel, I still had some work to do, so I stopped at the gas station across the street and picked up this one.  The bottle says, “Multiple hops collide in balanced perfection, dominating the senses, achieving total satisfaction. From the Pacific Northwest, birthplace of the modern IPA, comes a beer whose name says it all.”

Location: Poured into a small sample glass from the 22oz bottle at my hotel in Seattle, WA.

Numbers: 6.7% ABV, 65 IBUs, 1.067 OG, 222 Calories

Ingredients: Malt: 2 Row Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Carahell Malt; Hops: Summit, Amarillo, Crystal

Appearance & Aroma: It’s hazy and golden in color with almost no head – just a thin ring of bubbles around the glass.  However, there appears to be a decent amount of carbonation in it.  There’s a honey maltiness and citrusy hop aroma

Taste & Feel: The body is light-medium, and the carbonation gives it a crisp mouthfeel.  There’s a bit of a bready malt flavor up front, followed by a citrusy hop flavor which comes in the middle.  The hop flavor and bitterness grows through the dry finish, and the citrusy hop flavors last for a minute or two in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: This beer had a good amount of bready malt and citrusy hop flavors.  I think the mix would pair very nicely with a slightly spicy Mexican food dish.  The breadiness in the beer would help to knock down the spiciness a bit, and the citrusy hop flavor would mix nicely with the flavors in the food.

Overall Impression: With the name “Total Domination” I was expecting an over the top, hoppy IPA.  I’d say that, instead, it was a fairly blanaced, solid IPA, with a good dose of west coast hops.  While the flavors were pretty good, I felt it could have used a little more body.  Overall, I thought it was a pretty good, flavorful, drinkable, IPA.

My Rating: