Weird name, right? Nope, it's not a Black Sabbath reference; here's a history on the term "Pig War" from everybody's favorite source of knowledge, Wikipedia: ...and the connection to this beer? From the bottle notes: Aha! I had this on tap a few months ago at the Hopworks BikeBar and was confused by the "San Juan IPA" label next to it on the chalkboard. This is not an India Pale Ale as you probably know it, and it's definitely nothing like the incredibly hop-forward beers that are the typical for Oregon and the Pacific Northwest in general, so the new "NW Style Ale" is especially misleading. Pig War pours a murky copper color with very little head. The nose smells like caramel and light hops, which continue through to the body, which is mostly a sweet, medicinal toffee flavor. Very herbal. A really weird combination of flavors... both sweet and bitter, with a medium malt backbone. Bitter, herbal aftertaste which ends up stinging the tongue a little bit. This wasn't my favorite from Hopworks, but it was definitely interesting. If I were them, though, I'd lose the "NW Style" label and go back to "San Juan IPA", or something that lends itself more to the notion that, though this may be considers an IPA in some parts of the world, the majority of people who pick up this bottle are going to be very surprised.