Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
ABV: 5.6%
IBUs: 38

During the first four years I was doing this blog, I reviewed many beers but there were some that I simply missed for reasons that are beyond me. I’m not speaking of rare beers but craft beers that are widely consumed. One of those beers is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a beer which I remember from my dad’s old company picnics from back in the mid-90’s as it was one of the beers of choice of my Dad’s younger co-workers who were fresh out of college.

Now I’ve reviewed quite a few beers from Sierra Nevada but never this one and my reason is because….well, I though I already reviewed it. That is, until, I dusted off the website and looked at the archives. Am I ashamed? No, but just a tad bit embarrassed.

Appearance – Dark orange with a mild amount of haze to it, along with some abundant carbonation. The head itself is pretty foamy and there's a healthy amount of lacing left behind.


Aroma – Caramel malts dominate the nose but behind that are some bitter and light piney hoppiness.


Taste – Much like the nose, the caramel malts hit you on the front of the palate. This gives away to the bitter and light piney hops in the back with the malts taking a back seat. The aftertaste has a lingering hop bitterness along and a light maltiness.


The balance of hops and malt is optimal here and while it’s nothing new, it’s a very easy drinking beer. As such, I can see why this is a standby for many beer drinkers everywhere; Myself included. As the old saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Sierra Nevada Narwhal Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Narwhal
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.2%

Sierra Nevada Narwhal: an Imperial Stout that I have seen continuously over the past couple of years but have never actually gone out of my way to try it out for reasons unbeknownst to myself. Today I'm changing that by trying out a bottle all the way back from 2014 as I've been sitting on this for a good while.

As for the name, I have no idea why they're named after the proclaimed Unicorns of the Seven Seas but I only hope that no actual narwhals were harmed or maimed in the brewing process. While we're at it, let's just get this out of the way as well...

Appearance - Pitch black with a small amount of carbonation near the top of the glass. The head takes on a creamy, thick-looking brown color that is about one-finger in width. The lacing is both sticky and abundant here.

Aroma - Strong chocolate maltiness followed by some vanilla and marshmallow notes. I'm also getting some light raspberry and cherry sweetness in the back of the nose, along with some very mild floral hoppiness and roastiness.

Flavor - Chocolate malts and marshmallows on the front of the palate. Following this are some moderate bitter hoppiness, light vanilla and some raspberries. The aftertaste is mainly a strong roasted barley notes and some equally strong bitter hoppiness.

Though it may not be in season at this very moment, it is certainly worth checking out when it becomes available in the future. It's got a nice malty, roasty, and fruity balance to it that makes it an easy recommendation for any seasoned Imperial Stout fanatic.

Sierra Nevada Narwhal - 9/10

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2014 Review - Part 3

Well, it's finally time to end the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Series for 2014. I have to say this was a very fun 12 pack filled with different types of beers from all across the country. However like they always say: all good things must come to an end.

Yvan The Great Belgian-Style Blonde (6.3% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Russian River Brewing Company. The flavor starts out with a solid Belgian yeast flavor before ending with a pale malt sweetness and some floral hoppiness. I've had some Belgian-style blonde ales before and this is one of the better ones I've had.

Verdict 8.5/10

Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout (7.6% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Ninkasi Brewing Company. This beer has a very strong coffee and milk chocolate start with a solid roasted barley profile and a strong lactose and bitter hop finish. Coffee beers have always been a hit-or-miss for me but I found this one to be pretty good and lactose finish really helps smooth things out.

Verdict - 8/10

*Sorry no picture here!*

Myron's Walk Belgian Style Pale Ale (5.3% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Allagash Brewing Company. The flavor has a very sweet citrus and floral hop start with some coriander notes that come from the coriander used in the brewing process. The finish is more Belgian yeast forward than anything else but is accented with a very nice floral hoppiness thrown in for good measure. It's a solid Belgian Pale Ale and the coriander used here really livens things up.

Verdict - 8.5/10

CANFusion Rye Bock (7.2% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Oskar Blues Brewery. A bock beer brewed with rye; I'll admit I was a bit skeptical but I found out it works very well! It starts out very malty with some caramel malt sweetness but then you're treated to a very robust citrus hop and rye spiciness. The best part is that the rye profile isn't too overwhelming and is balanced out quite nicely. If Oskar Blues or Sierra Nevada were to make this on a regular basis, I would definitely make this a regular purchase.

Verdict - 9.25/10

I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts about these beers as I have enjoyed drinking. I'm hoping Sierra Nevada does something like this next year because some of these were definitely interesting collaborations. 

Thank you all for reading, I will be posting again here hopefully by next week sometime, if not, the following week. Now I'm off to get married!

Cheers!

- Nick

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2014 Reviews - Part 1

Last week, I came into possession of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 12-pack, with each beer being a collaboration from different breweries all over the country. This 3-part series will cover each beer included in the said 12-pack with my score underneath each beer.

Now the reason why I'm not giving each beer it's own separate review is because each beer is a one-off collaboration, meaning that it won't be brewed again; With the exception of Hoptimum which was originally a "Beer Camp" beer. Since these are twelve beers that will never be brewed again, I figured it would be more efficient this way.

Electric Ray India Pale Lager (8.5 % ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing. The flavor is very citrus hop forward but with a solid pale malt sweetness as opposed to a caramel/toffee maltiness. The aftertaste is quite bitter with some grapefruit and citrus hop notes. IPLs tend to be around the 5-6% ABV range so this is definitely strong for it's category. However the alcohol content is masked quite well and the flavor, while not complex, is quite robust and tasty. I could see this being a regular visitor in my fridge if it weren't a one-time only offering.

Verdict - 8.5/10

Alt Route Altbier (6.6% ABV) - Brewed in Collaboration with Victory Brewing Company. Pours a solid ruby red color. This is a very malt forward beer in terms of flavor with caramel malts, roasted barley, a bit of dark fruitiness and a surprisingly bitter hoppy finish. Nothing terribly special in terms of flavor when it comes to the style, but it's quite good nonetheless.

Verdict - 8/10

Tater Ridge Scottish Ale (7.0% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with the Asheville Brewers Alliance. This ruby red colored beer has a distinct bitter hoppiness on the front of the palate with a roasted barley & chocolate taste. There is also some light grassiness and another type of bitterness that isn't of the hoppy variety which I'm assuming is the potatoes used in the brewing process. My only exposure to potato based beers is from Indeed Brewing with their Sweet Mama Jamma, which I found to be very good. As for this beer, it's balanced in terms of flavor but I'm not really a fan of it at the same time. I'd rather just have a regular Scottish Ale instead.

Verdict - 6/10

There and Back English Style Bitter (5.6 % ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with New Glarus Brewing. Pouring a hazy orange color. The front of the taste has a maramalade-like sweetness to it, some pale malts and a bitter finish. Like the Altbier, it's a pretty standard English Bitter that tastes good and is drinkable. The only thing that makes this beer stand out is the higher-than-normal ABV level (most English Bitters fall into the <5% range.)

Verdict - 8/10


I hope you all enjoyed the first part of this series. Stay tuned for the next part which'll be posted tomorrow night. If you are still able to get "Beer Camp" in your area, I would highly recommend checking this out!

Cheers!

- Nick

Sierra Nevada Harvest Single Hop IPA Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Harvest Single Hop IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%

Sierra Nevada Brewing has been releasing quite a few beers lately which focus on specific types of hops; Usually in the form of a 22oz. bomber bottle. Their latest creation utilizes a brand new experimental hop called ” Yakima” and is the sole hop style used in this single hop IPA. On the label, it calls itself a "100-Day IPA" and advises the drinker not to store it but drink it now, which leads me to believe that this is a fresh-hop IPA; 'Tis the season I suppose!

Harvest Single Hop pours a clear golden color with a thin foamy head. The visible carbonation is pretty mild and the lacing is abundant and sticky.

The aroma starts off with some strong cracked peppers & an earthy pale maltiness. On the back end are some fairly fruity notes which consist of blueberries, orange peel and citrus. The nose.....is interesting to say the least.

The flavor is very pepper forward with notes of bitter notes, blueberry fruitiness, orange peel and pale/earthy malts. The aftertaste is also quite bitter but not overwhelmingly so. The palate is more on the heavier side and the carbonation is more or less at a moderate level.

It's always fun and interesting to see what kind of hops can be developed and how they can be profiled to the general public. With that said, though, Yakima would not be my first choice for a single hop IPA. It's got an interesting flavor profile that would go great if paired with Cascade and/or Centennial Hops but I feel that it really needs other hops to help balance out the overall taste.

Still, it tastes decent and it's well-priced. I say try a bottle out (I only paid $4 for this) and decide for yourself.

Sierra Nevada Harvest Single Hop IPA - 7/10

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.6%

It's time to confront my biggest demon in terms of craft beer. It's s story that began 2 years ago during the earlier half of 2012 when I first encountered Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye IPA. It was a simpler time back then: Working feverishly on my senior year projects, studying for weekly exam(s) and playing some Skyrim when the time permitted.

Then one February evening while I was browsing the selection at Haskell's, a store associate recommended I try out Ruthless Rye and he convinced me to buy a six-pack of it. Upon getting home and trying it out, I found myself reeling in disgust and ended up doing a drain pour. I wasn't used to rye beers at the time and lamented the $8 I had wasted on it. Now it's a couple years later, and I have a more refined palate, particularly towards rye beers. I say it's high time that I re-evaluate this beer

Ruthless Rye pours a darker gold color with a very clear look. The head takes on a filmy appearance and leaves behind some good lacing.

A citrus hoppiness and spiciness are fairly prominent at the front of the nose; The spiciness no doubt coming from the rye. Mixed in with those are notes of cracked peppers and caramel malts.

The flavor is equally strong with both the rye and citrus hops. Much like the aroma, the caramel malts and cracked peppers take a backseat but provide a good foundation. Strangely enough, the aftertaste has an odd pils-malt/earthy flavor.

The body is very lightweight but the carbonation is rather intense. This paired with the rye creates a very stingly and unpleasent texture.

Looking back, Ruthless Rye does possess a great flavor but the palate is comparable to that of sulfuric acid, which is probably why I poured it down the drain before. If the carbonation were more subdued, it would be another solid IPA from Sierra Nevada. However right now, this is only for the most dedicated of rye beer fans


Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA - 7.5/10

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.8%

Every winter, Sierra Nevada Brewing likes to get in the holiday spirit by releasing Celebration Ale, their winter seasonal IPA. As you can see in the picture above, it depicts a cottage covered by snow, which is ironic considering that the brewery's location does not get any snow at all.

As I mentioned in my previous review, not every winter release is necessarily a darker/heavier beer and this certainly isn't a darker beer by any means. In fact, it's one of the most highly anticipated widespread winter releases I have ever seen around here.

Celebration Ale pours a hazy orange-brown color with a fairly thin foamy head. The lacing left behind is quite good and the carbonation takes on more of a mild appearance.

The nose starts out as fairly caramel malt forward followed up with some hefe-clove notes, citrus & piney hops and a slight yeastiness.

Likewise, the flavor is also fairly malty with stronger hefe-cloves, spiciness, citrus hops, and yeasts with a bittersweet piney-resin aftertaste. Highly unusual to see cloves in an IPA, but it works pretty well.

The body is pretty light and the carbonation comes off as more moderate than what it's mild appearance lets you believe.

Some beer drinkers may not like the cloviness in this beer, but I feel it helps give a wintery feel to the IPA style without making it too different. Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable IPA and worth checking out if you're in need of a good seasonal IPA.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - 8.5/10

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Style: India Pale Ale

ABV: 7.2%

It's been a fairly hectic week on my end so I'll try to make this one nice and quick. Tonight I will be having Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Extra IPA.

With many of Sierra Nevada's labels, the name usually coincides with the portrait in the center. So why does the artwork in the center show off a prairie landscape and yet calls itself "Torpedo?" Instead it should be a picture of Marko Ramius in his snappy outfit; Just saying!

Torpedo pours a mildly hazy orange color with a slightly orange tinted foamy head. The carbonation visible is fairly mild.

The nose gives off a fairly strong piney and citrus hops aroma with some mild mango-grapefruit notes with some slight caramel maltiness.

Flavor-wise it's pretty much with piney & citrus hops, grapefruit, caramel, and a slight resiny aftertaste that comes off as surprisingly dry.

The body has a moderate weight to it but the carbonation is very mild, giving it an almost creamy feel. With that said, it goes down pretty easy.

Despite the lack of Marko Ramius, this is a great IPA! It doesn't have all the bells and whistle of other IPAs out there, but each flavor is very robust which makes for an enjoyable IPA!

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA - 8.5/10

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 4.8%

Even though fall started a couple weeks ago, it was still a relatively warm day here in Duluth. Since I have a couple summer beers still sitting around in the fridge, I figured now would be a good time to review and besides, I need a break from Oktoberfest beers for once a little bit. This one comes courtesy of Sierra Nevada with their summer seasonal Kellerweis, which is their own Hefeweizen style ale.

Kellerweis pours a hazy yellow color with a pillowy yet soapy head. There really isn't any carbonation to speak of nor is there lacing to be seen.

The nose has a clove & bubblegum like quality to it upfront with some light caramel and banana notes in the back. Pretty vibrant nose overall.

However the same cannot be said about the flavor. Sure it has clove, bubblegum, yeasts, wheat, banana and pale malt notes and even a bit of floral hoppiness... but none of them really jump out at you. It all seems fairly mild in comparison to the nose which gives me the impression of something more......robust! As for the aftertaste...there is none, it's pretty dry.

As expected from what I saw earlier, the body is pretty lightweight and there's absolutely no carbonation to speak of here.

Even though it looked like I was ripping this beer a new one, it's by no means a terrible beer but it fails to capture the essence of what the nose had to offer. Those who read my posts regularly know that I consider Summit Brewing's Hefeweizen to be my benchmark and this beer fails match that quality. Yes I can see the appeal this could have on a scalding hot day but the flavor just lacks the passion that the aroma gave off.

Summit Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen - 6.5/10

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.4%

I'm going to be taking a break from reviewing New Glarus beers to focus on a beer that I have been wanting to try for a while. I'm of course talking about Hoptimum, Sierra Nevada's own Imperial IPA. Though it has nowhere near the amount of hype as say....Bell's Hopslam, it is still a very highly sought after beer and very well regarded in the craft beer community.

Though I will admit that the label, while very clever, tends to freak me out a little bit for one reason in particular. The hophead on the front of the label reminds me a "Clicker" from the video game "The Last of Us." I won't post a photo of the Clicker because I'm going to assume some of my readers are squeamish; Google it and you decide.

As for Hoptimum, according to the website, it was originally brewed as part of their Beer Camp Program. It's brewed with a variety of whole-cone hops as well as new experimental hops which aren't named. It also holds the world record for the most times the word "Hops" are mentioned on a single beer label. It's classified as an Imperial IPA with an ABV of 10.40%.

It pours a hazy orange color with a 1 finger width head. It sports some abundant lacing along the sides of the glass and has some mild carbonation activity visible.

The aroma consists mainly of citrus, piney, floral & dry hop notes, along with some grapefruit and caramel notes. If I didn't know better, I'd say the people who made this beer really enjoy their hops, but that's only speculation.

I'm finally tasting it.......aaaaaaaand it's hops. Lots and lots of............hops. Piney Hops, Citrus Hops, Floral Hops, Bitter Hops, Dry Hops! Oh and there are some caramel and orange notes in the back and the aftertaste is a bittersweet citrusy hoppiness., but who the hops cares, it's HOPS!!!

The body is heavy in weight with a moderate amount of carbonation which helps add to the flavor of DELICIOUS ALL-POWERFUL HOPS!!!!

Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops. Hops.

Oh, in case you were wondering, it's a great beer that exemplifies the Imperial IPA style and you really ought to drink it.

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum - 9.5/10

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale Review

Sierra Nevada is one of the first craft breweries I had ever heard of, along with Summit Brewing. I even recall running with my dad to the liquor store to pick up some of the aforementioned beer when I was only 8 years old. Now here I am drinking the same stuff my old man and his co-workers drank 18 years later.

I wanted to make my first Sierra Nevada review special, so I've decided to review their seasonal Barleywine: Bigfoot Ale. They classify it as a Winter Seasonal, but I usually don't start seeing these until the Spring time.

Speaking of Bigfoot when my cousin was around 12-13 years old, he claims that he saw Bigfoot while out snowmobiling near his farm in Northern Minnesota. According to him, he saw a Bigfoot about 8-9 feet tall with jet black hair and a human-like strut running across a snowfield into the woods near an abandoned farmhouse; and this all happened around 5 PM. Since digital cameras and cell phones were quite rare in the early 1990's, he had no proof to back up his claim and therefore no evidence to convince us otherwise. Today he's married with 3 kids, lives in the same area, and still swears that he saw Sasquatch that cold December evening.

Whether or not he's telling the truth remains to be seen, but it does add a dimension of intrigue and mystery to our world. There is one Bigfoot that we all know does exist, and that's this Barleywine.

To start, it pours a deep ruby red color with a mildly hazy appearance. The head is not large by any means but it does have some great lacing retention.

The aroma gives off a very rich scent of Citrus Hops. Caramel Malts, Spices, and Toffee. In terms of smell, this one has a nice balance between being hoppy and sweet.

When it comes to the flavor, you have the Citrus Hops, Malts, Toffee, and Figs. All of which are all good albeit a bit subdued compared to the aroma. However it also has a slight booziness to the overall flavor. It's minor but noticeable nonetheless.

It's light bodied and the carbonation is fairly mild so it feels quite creamy and smooth when it hits the palate. As usual with most barleywine styles, you'll want to take your time with this.

In terms of Barleywine styles, It's got a great aroma, a good flavor with some minor booziness, and a creamy body that makes it very easy to drink but I still enjoyed this quite a bit. If you see it on the shelf, pick it up and see what you think because you really can't go wrong with it. As for the existance of Bigfoot itself, the jury is still out on that one.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale - 8.5/10