Rush River BubbleJack India Pale Ale

Rush River BubbleJack India Pale Ale.

6.5 % ABV. 65 IBU. Rush River Brewing, River Falls, WI. 

Wait, Al, you're saying. This beer has been around for 15 years, what are you doing writing about it now? Well, let me explain...

Two years ago, I entered the Double IPA from Rush River, Double Bubble, into this blog, and spent a paragraph or so about how amazed I was that I had posted about it yet. At that time, for some reason, I never checked to see whether the original, this beer, was in the Nib. I've had it in the past 10 years, but did not take that opportunity to post my old notes. I discovered this after my curiosity was piqued after my last post about Rush River, concerning my visit to the brewery two weeks ago. 

So, I bought a 6-pack, and I will now have a bottle and share those original notes with you, originally published on BeerAdvocate, and some after-thoughts. 

12 ounce bottle.

Thoroughly hazy, pale orange color, adequate pure white sliver of foam above.

Aroma: nice and hoppy, plenty of fruits, orange and apricot, lemon, a little piney, plenty sweet, and very creamy. 

taste: Mmmm, big, bristling bite of hops all over the palate, jumping happily all along the tongue, fading off assuredly, yet lingering long. Medium to full bodied, yeast is very evident in the flavor (never asked whether they filtered or not, but this feels very un-)...not as intense as those West Coast hop-bombs, but more like them than anything else brewed around here, save Bitter Woman. I'm curious about this beer, the hops used, the abv...the name...but it is very satisfying. Wouldn't replace Two Hearted Ale's slot in my fridge, but is really worth drinking. Hops never quite quit and remain at play in the mouth, long after the last swallow. 

Note: Although this brewery does not yet produce bottled beer for commercial consumption, this was a bottled sample filled from a counter-pressure filler at the brewery, by the brewer. That's why I felt confident to list it as being served as a bottle.

........

So, those were notes from March, 2005. The brewery had been around for about a year, and hadn't started packaging yet, draft only so far. This is nearly a year away from the arrival of Surly, so the closest "local" comparison I had to it was Tyranena Bitter Woman. That is so hard to reconcile in this current climate, with so many local, Minnesota breweries and all of them making some kind of IPA. Whoa, man. Just, whoa....

The name, I learned, was a reference to a strain of cannabis, and the single hop employed was Centennial, making it kind of a Two Hearted clone. It never really replaced that Bell's IPA, but it's still hanging on. 

I would like to see these guys change with the times. Put out more product. Maybe can, perhaps release a sampler pack. Something. Come on, guys...let's stir up some of that dust. 

Incredibly smooth, this ale is truly a phenomenon in taste. This American Style IPA is brewed with a lighter grain bill which allows the various Yakima Valley hops to shine. Bubblejack IPA is also dry-hopped prior to packaging for an added hop aroma.