Sierra Nevada "Celebration" Ale

5 out of 5 Hops

So I decided to close out my short Sierra Nevada fixation with the 2010 Seasonal IPA " Celebration" featuring fresh hops. I sampled these 3 beers in, what I felt, hop strength and flavor order. Celebration is the same IBU's,65, as Torpedo, but yet the hop flavor seems stronger and hangs in the mouth afterwards. No complaints on the lingering flavor of Cascade and Centennial hops in my mouth; both were used at the end of the boil for finishing and then dry-hopped after fermentation. This beer has a toasted,toffee, and citrus festival aroma and is followed up by a brief malty sweet taste, and then engulfed in hops. The hop flavorings are powerful and leave a light oily resin finish. This ale is great to sip and then sit back and enjoy the flavor. The bittering hop for this elixir is Chinook. (For reference, if you have had a Stone Brewing "Arrogant Bastard", they use all Chinook hops for bittering and flavor in that one.) Ok, back on track. Alcohol content is 6.8%, which is very manageable to enjoy a few in one sitting. And again I love the bottle conditioning with bits of yeast in the bottom. I like to leave a tablespoon or so of beer in the bottom, swirl around the yeast to mix and then savor that flavor. Yeah. Thank you Sierra Nevada. Celebration ale is a Fall release beer, so look for it later this year. I do believe the Spring Seasonal "Glissade" Bock style lager is on the shelf now. To your health!!

Sierra Nevada "Torpedo" Extra IPA

5 out of 5 Hops


The joy of Sierra Nevada continues. I decided to build on my previous post for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale by enjoying their "Extra" IPA. Well, it is "Extra" Delicious. The aroma has a fresh, hoppy and herbal smell with a hint of the yeast. I love the bottle conditioning flavor of the extra yeast! Don't let the "Extra" part scare you away you light beer lovers. The IBU for this brew is only 65, which is solid for an IPA, but not too be confused with a Double IPA. Also, the alcohol is at 7.2% ABV, which is higher than the Pale, but not dramatically. The "Extra" term, I believe, refers to the extra hop flavor created by using a unique, stainless "Hop Torpedo" for dry hopping. Mmmm....hop oil resin. This beer delivers a sweet malt taste at first, then the bittering Magnum hops takeover, followed by the finishing hop flavors of Magnum again and Crystal. The dry-hopping is done with magnum, crystal, and citra hops. For me, the flavor of this beer is really complex and each drink brings a different taste to mind. I attribute the hop oils that have mingled after fermentation in the dry-hopping. Either way, this is an amazing IPA bar none. There are "monster hop"/"hop bombs" out there that boast 100+ IPAs, but I don't find myself really enjoying them the way I like Torpedo. So please, please, please try this year round IPA and let me know your thoughts. Prost!

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

5 out of 5 Hops



Ok. How could I not review this beer earlier..maybe even first? This, to me, is the granddaddy of allllllll US craft beers. I believe this may have been the very first ale I tasted back in 1993. Created in 1980 in Chico, CA this beer/brewery set a precedent in the beer world along with Anchor Steam Beer in San Francisco...but more about them later. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is widely distributed in the US and I am sure you have seen it on the shelf. If you have not tried it, please, please, please drop everything and get some! This ale is the flagship beer for Sierra Nevada and they have not stopped creating other amazing brews. I will review more of theirs' very soon. So..onto to the beer in hand. Incredible citrus and malt aromas followed by a crisp, balanced bitter flavor. IBU bitterness is a moderate 37, but there is more hop flavor than the number conveys. There is an aftertaste that is clean and bitter, but not overpowering. Hops used are Magnum and Perle for bittering flavor and Cascade for aroma. This beer is also bottle-conditioned which allows the yeast to add to the flavor profile as well. Alcohol is 5.6% and pricing is reasonable. This could easily be an everyday beer for me. Flawless! Cheers!

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

4 out of 5 Hops


What can I say, I am a sucker for IPA's. Iv'e seen this beer around for awhile and heard great things about but had not yet tried it. Glad I did. Its a great tasting, bottle-conditioned IPA. The nose is biscuit-y and citrus-y. Bear Republic uses Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus hops...a perfecta of citrus/piney hops. The quantity used are more than sufficient at 75+ IBU. Alcohol presence is a median 7.0%. The taste is hop happy but well balanced with malt sweetness and not overpowering. The mouthfeel was a little thin at first, but the finish is pleasantly oily from the hops and leaves a nice hop taste in the mouth. This beer has won several awards and is a real tasty IPA.I love the fact that this beer is conditioned in the bottle and contains live yeast. Bear Republic seems like a real down to earth brewery from California. I hope to try their Hop Rod Rye soon. I have seen their beers in Albertsons and several other places. Don't fear the yeast! I highly recommend picking up this beer in a 22oz or a 6pack. Cheers Dudes!

Stone Brewing "Oaked" Arrogant Bastard

4 out of 5 Hops


Another Great Brew from the folks at Stone Brewing (www.stonebrew.com). I've long been a fan of their many tasty beers. This of course is the oak barrel aged the Arrogant Bastard ale which falls somewhere between an Amber and an IPA...like an Anabolic Amber. Rumor has it the IBU is somewhere in the 100-102 range with all Chinook hops. This bad boy runs 7.2% ABV and has a smokey hopped aroma. Taste is smoother than regular Arrogant with a distilled liquor after taste. Careful chuggin these down, they are addicting. Its a sit and relax and sip kinda brew for me. Damn fine beer.