

We first learned of Ninkasi Brewing when some of Beer Robot's Twitter followers suggested that because his goal is World Domination, he should be serving Total Domination IPA. This seemed appropriate and last month when Ninkasi, based in Eugene, began distributing kegs in San Francisco, Beer Robot was the first to receive Total Domination.

So Wired staffers had a head start for enjoying this brewery's excellent beers, but we were joined by a good sized crowd at The Hotel Utah Wednesday night where the IPA attempted to dominate Ninkasi's Believer Double Red Ale. The Utah is a popular drinking establishment among the Wired staffers, and not just because it is right around the corner from our headquarters. The bar has character, its bartenders have character, its jukebox has character and its regulars are characters. All these attributes made it the perfect location to give Ninkasi's beers a try.

But if you didn't make it to the event last night, look for Ninkasi at Bay Area BevMo stores and around 25 bars (and counting) in San Francisco.

The Location: The Hotel Utah, 4th and Bryant, San Francisco

The Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene, Oregon

The Beer: Total Domination IPA and Believer Double Red Ale

__The Method of Dispense: __Half draft pints of each poured into chilled pint glasses by Hotel Utah superstars, Cat and Laura.

__How They Fared: __It stands to reason that a beer called Total Domination would stand up well in any competition. And tasting this IPA definitely supports that idea. It's big, hoppy and very, very drinkable. For an IPA, the hops are relatively smooth without giving up any flavor and consequently the beer appeals to IPA lovers as well as those who might usually shy away from a beer that sounds like it might clobber you.

Many of our tasters were definitely into being dominated. "It dominated my taste buds, " one taster said. Another told us that "a little domination goes a long way." As home brewer Bryan Hermannsson put it, the beer is "hoppy, balanced, crisp, amazing!"

But the Total Domination came up against a worthy opponent last night, Believer Double Red Ale. This deep-red colored beer has it all: hops, malt, complexity, character, body and drinkability. This beer surprised a lot of people who hadn't tasted it before. It's a really solid beer from start to finish.

Some tasters called it "full bodied" and Kishore Hari said he "loved the finish on the red. Highly drinkable." It may have been this strong combo that ultimately allowed the Believer to triumph and move on in the competition. Once again, as we have seen over and over during October Madness, the darker beer won.

Coming up: October 14, we'll be at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park to kick off the second round of October Madness and celebrate Sharktoberfest.

Images: Dave Mosher/Wired.com

Stay tuned to @wiredplaybook and @beerrobot for updates on attending future October Madness events in the Bay Area. Follow us on Twitter at @betsymason and @wiredplaybook and on Facebook.

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