Hogwild IPA - Aviator Brewing Company

    Hogwild IPA is an American India Pale Ale created by Aviator Brewing Company which is located in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. After writing my previous beer review (Caged Alpha Monkey), I've come to fear beers with psychotic animals and lots of hops flowers on the label. You might say that I'm once bitten by a rabid hops animal, twice shy.

    I received this beer as part of my beer club's all cans month. I have mentioned before that I really like canned beers.

    The IPA pours a light golden orange with a large, thick head. I very lightly poured the beer and still ended up with the head nearly overflowing the glass.

    The beer smells like sweet citrus fruits, mainly grapefruit. Light malts can also be smelled.

    Hogwild is medium-light bodied with a medium-high level of carbonation. I was expecting there to be even more carbonation the way the beer exploded in my cup, so this is somewhat of a relief. There is no alcohol harshness to the beer which has an alcohol content of 6.7% ABV.

I've never really thought of pigs as "wild"...

    Aviator's IPA is actually quite well balanced. Sweet malts keep the piney bitterness from becoming unpleasant. While I would have liked more of a flowery hops profile to the beer, I have to admit that the more classic IPA flavors are very well done in this beer.

    Apparently when you feed hops flowers to pigs they become muscly ex-military slavering beasts! I can't believe that this isn't taught to us at an earlier age. I mean, imagine how easily a farmer could plant his hops near to his pig sty. All it would take would be one loose gate screw and BAM! ARMY OF CRAZED WILD HOGS! Terrifying.

    I was very relieved to find that this IPA was much better balanced than my previous experience. I have to keep in mind that I am rating this beer as itself, rather than rating it in comparison to other beers. Hogwild is a well done IPA, but doesn't add anything to the tried and true formula.

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