Wild Ride Brewing Company - Hopperhead IPA

Bright copper in the glass and capped by a persistent head of foam that laces well as it drops, this bold IPA delivers plenty of big aroma notes. Look for lots of citrus with grapefruit and orange angles, along with pine and a prominent perfumed floral quality. We picked up some soft touches of passion fruit, stone fruit, and earthiness, as well. In the flavor, there's a nice blast of citrus in concert with floral and pine notes. The malt core provides plenty of structure with moderate caramel character, while the 75 IBU of hop bitterness provides plenty of contrasting bite (no wonder the name invokes a deadly snake!). Tasty and satisfying on its own, there are nevertheless lots of potential food pairing options. A spicy sausage and pepperoni pizza would go deliciously with this IPA, which has plenty of acidity to cut through the fat while complementing the spice. Spicy Indian dishes will work well too, along with sharp aged and blue cheeses. Cheers!

Situated in Deschutes County, in Oregon's high desert on the eastern side of the Cascades, sits the small city of Redmond. Just 15 miles north of Bend, Redmond is pretty much smack dab right in the center of Oregon, a state well-known for its exceptional beer. For a group of Redmond natives, who were lifelong friends and craft beer lovers, the idea of opening a brewery and tap room downtown turned from a dream into a reality when the first beers of Wild Ride started flowing in May of 2014.

Planning for the brewery began in late 2011. Joining the Redmond natives was Paul Bergeman who brought his 13 years of brewing experience to the team to serve as brewmaster (or Beer Maestro, as they like to say). Paul's brewing experience includes time at Portland's Laurelwood Brewing Co., as well as serving in the position of Brewing Manager at Hawaii's famous Kona Brewing Co. With the right people in place, the next step was finding the right location. In 2013, the team found an old lumber warehouse in downtown Redmond that would be perfect for a brewery, although a ton of work had to be done first. Full utilities were added, including running water and waste water pretreatment. A brand new 20-barrel brewing system was installed, giving them today a total production of just over 9000 barrels per year. Their on-site Tap Room is family friendly and served by multiple local food trucks, so visitors can enjoy good grub along with some awesome local beer. We're very much looking forward to seeing how this Wild Ride evolves over the next few years. In their short existence, they've already garnered a slew of medals and awards from numerous competitions including the North American Beer Awards, US Open Beer Championship, Oregon Beer Awards, Best of Craft Beer Awards, and more. For more info, call 541-516-8544 or visit www.wildridebrew.com.