Sierra Nevada “Estate Homegrown Ale” Review (#142)

Sierra Nevada "Estate Homegrown Ale"

 

Sierra Nevada
“Estate Homegrown Ale”
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

Here in the sun-drenched fields of California’s North Valley, the black soil is rich with promise.
In winter, rows of barley seed are laid in the freshly tilled dirt. In spring, trellises are set for hops.
From our fields comes a remarkable homegrown ale, made with organic wet hops and barley grown at our brewery here in Chico and one of the few estate-made ales produced anywhere in the world!
This Estate Ale is rich with the flavors of the valley—featuring hops with earthy, grapefruit-like flavors and layered spicy aromas and barley with mild sweetness and smooth, toasted flavors. Together, these crops grow alongside the brewery to make a truly unique brew.
Enjoy!

ABV:6.7%

Review

Appearance: The beer pours to a copper brown with a thick, long lasting eggshell white head.

Smell: Distinctive west coast citrus hoppiness.  Sweet, mild and hoppy.

Taste:Hops up front: citrus and pine – lots of orange and lemon peel – with a sweet and unique malt sweetness. Very interesting and complex. It has an earthy, almost peat funk to it; not a bad thing, just different. Very big, bold, and balanced – lots of hops, but the finish is a lingering caramel sweetness with floral orange hops in the background.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied – I usually would like it a little fuller and creamier, but I think the thinner beer leads to increased drinkability.

Drinkability: Large – the glasses were not full for long.

Notes: I very unique and interesting beer, not only in flavor profile, but also due to the brewery growing all of the ingredients used on site. It is an amazing feat, and very well executed. I would love to see more Estate beers from not only Sierra Nevada, but other breweries as well.

Sierra Nevada “Hoptimum Imperial IPA” Review (#137)

Sierra Nevada "Hoptimium Imperial IPA"

 

Sierra Nevada
“Hoptimium Imperial IPA”
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put —Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped, AND torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.
Resinous “new-school” and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar, and tropical fruit—all culminating in a dry and lasting finish

ABV: 10.4%
IBUs: 100
Malts: Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat
Bittering Hops: German Magnum
Aroma Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Dry Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Torpedo Hops: Citra & Chinook
Yeast: Ale
Original Gravity: 22.8 Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5 Plato

Review

Appearance: It pours a beautiful glowing copper orange with a solid, half inch thick off white head, that is easily brought back, and left massive lacing.

Smell: HOPS! Huge citrus orange and grapefruit hops on the nose. Very pungent with a bit of sweet toasty malt on the back end.

Taste: Complex hops all over the place – pineapple with grapefruit, tangerines, and orange zest – with mild malt in the middle, with a yeast ester/heat finish. It leaves a very citrus forward sweet finish that lasts forever.  It is a big beer – 10.4% – which comes forward with warming. Very, very tasty and west coast.

Mouthfeel: Lower full bodied, creamy across the palate, with a sweet lingering finish.

Drinkability: High – the finishing flavor is awesome and makes you want more and more.

Notes: A very, very citrus forward, complex IIPA. This is not an entry level beer. I hope they make this one at least annually. Quite different from their Torpedo Extra IPA, which I also highly recommend (review found here).

Sierra Nevada “Kellerweis” Review (#133)

Sierra Nevada "Kellerweis"

Sierra Nevada
“Kellerweis”
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

Kellerweis is one of the only American Hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation. This difficult and labor-intensive technique adds uncommon depth and flavor complexity. Our hazy-golden hefeweizen is deeply flavorful, refreshing and perfect for a sunny day. To serve, pour two-thirds into a glass, swirl and pour the rest.

Starting Gravity: 12.3 Plato
Final Gravity: 3.5 Plato
Bittering Hops: Perle or Sterling
Malts: Two-row Pale, Wheat, Munich
Yeast: Ale
ABV:4.8%
IBUs:15

Review

Appearance: Per the directions on the bottle, and something I have done many times, I poured the first two thirds of the bottle, swirled around the remaining third, and poured it hard in the middle.  It is a hazy opaque golden yellow beer with a white airy but solid cap on top.

Smell: Sweet and earthy with clove and banana with a nice amount of hops mixed in.

Taste: Classic wheat up front, moving to  banana yeast middle finishing with a very balanced citrus hop ending in a southern California style of presence. Really opens up nicely over the glass; full flavored.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy – nice head retention played a major role in that.

Drinkability: High

Notes: A very solid member of Sierra Nevada’s regular portfolio. I searched all over Orlando the week this debuted, with no luck. Finally, after giving up, I ran into it a few days later in a smaller store with a usually limited selection. This is my go to American hefeweizen.

Sierra Nevada “Torpedo Extra IPA” Review (#132)

Sierra Nevada "Torpedo Extra IPA"

 

Sierra Nevada
“Torpedo Extra IPA”
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

Sierra Nevada Torpedo is a big American IPA; bold, assertive, and full of flavor highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.

Around here, we take hops pretty seriously, which is why we weren’t satisfied with the standard method of dry hopping for our first year-round IPA. We spent years tinkering, tasting, and tweaking ways to get the biggest and best hop flavors and aromas into our beer.

Our persistence has paid off. Our obsession with harnessing huge hop flavor led to the development of what we call the hop torpedo, a revolutionary method of dry-hopping designed, built, and debuted here at the brewery. Our torpedo is a sleek, stainless-steel piece of hardware that delivers more pure hop aroma than any method of dry-hopping we’ve ever seen. Like all our beers, Torpedo Extra IPA uses only the best whole-cone hops possible making this delicious ale worth the wait.

ABV: 7.2%
IBUs:65
Beginning Gravity: 17.3 Plato
Ending Gravity: 4.2 Plato
Malts: Two-row Pale, & Crystal
Bittering Hops: Magnum
Finishing Hops: Magnum & Crystal
Dry Hopping: Magnum, Crystal & Citra
Yeast: Ale Yeast

Review

Appearance: It pours a glowing, golden orange with thick white head and lacing that holds on strong. It is lively and clear, with the cap was made up of dense fine bubbles, as well as some long lasting large ones.

Smell: Pungent smelling, in a good way. Big citrus and pine hops with malt sweetness in the background. Slight toasty smell behind layers and layers of hops.

Taste: Very balanced hop forward beer. Huge does of citrus and slight earthy pine hops, finishing with a sweet malt and more hop ending. With all the hops though, it never is astringent or overbearing. As it warms, yeast esters come through a little, as it is a bigger beer at 7.2%.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and leaves your mouth coated completely. The head is a perfect addition that lasts all the way down.

Drinkability:Dangerously drinkable with a nicely elevated ABV.

Notes: One of the best American beers by America’s best brewery.  The bigger cousin to my ever favorite Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It is very approachable, especially if you have tried the Pale Ale.  This is a fantastic beer that I believe is everything the brewers set out for it to be. The hop torpedoes that they designed and built are amazing and add a huge complex layer of hops to this potent beer. It is readily available almost everywhere. Buy it.

Sierra Nevada “Celebration 2010” Review (#113)

"Sierra Nevada Celebration (2010)"

Sierra Nevada
Celebration 2010
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration® Ale. Wonderfully robust and rich, Celebration® Ale is dry-hopped for a lively, intense aroma. Brewed especially for the holidays, it is perfect for a festive gathering or for a quiet evening at home.

ABV: 6.8%
Bittering Hops: Chinook
Dry Hopping: Cascade & Centennial
Finishing Hops: Cascade & Centennial
IBUs:65
OG: 16.0 Plato
FG:4.0 Plato
Malts:Two-row Pale & English Caramel
Yeast: Top-fermenting Ale Yeast

Review

Appearance: I poured this bright golden yellow amber beer into my tulip glass. It has a beautiful lasting head that left ridiculous lacing all the way down.

Smell: A big and bold smelling beer – you know its there the second you pry the cap off. Starts off with citrus and pine, then mellows out to sweet malt.

Taste: Bold and bright hops with a balanced smooth toasted malt sweet finish. This is loaded full of fresh hops right from harvest and its citrus and pine combo is awesome. The caramel malt comes through along with yeast and a litte heat as the brew warms.

Mouthfeel:Smooth, medium bodied and creamy. A nice amount of carbonation keeps the aroma flowing, bit is very smooth.

Drinkability: Higher than high

Notes: This is one of those seasonal beers I have to look forward to as the Oktoberfests fade away. This is the Pale Ales cousin who only comes around for Winter holiday; but damn is he a welcomed guest. A dangerously drinkable, flavorful beer that goes too fast.

Bear Republic “Racer 5 India Pale Ale” Review (#110)

Bear Republic
Racer 5 India Pale Ale
Healdsburg, CA

From The Brewery

This hoppy American IPA is a full bodied beer brewed American pale and crystal malts, and heavily hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial. There’s a trophy in every glass

Style:American India Pale Ale
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 75+
Color: Golden

Review

Appearance: I poured this strong into my tulip glass; its a nice golden haze yellow to orange with a thin solid inch thick white cap that dissipated . Decent lacing on the way down with small active carbonation.

Smell: A whole bunch of hops coming at you in a number of ways; citrus – mostly lime and lemon rind – followed by a dose of alcohol.

Taste: Big hop flavor followed by a nice, mild toasty malt balance. This one brings a whole bunch of hops; the cascade coming through nicely to me. There is a nice toasty buscuit finish.

Mouthfeel: Nice medium creamy bodied with a drying finish.

Drinkability: High; potent but very smooth.

Notes: An amazingly good beer that lives up to its hype. A balanced hop bomb that is quite drinkable with perfect mouthfeel.

Sierra Nevada “30th Anniversary Grand Cru” Review (#109)

"30th Anniversary Grand Cru"

Sierra Nevada
“30th Anniversary Grand Cru”
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

Brewers Reserve is a special ale highlighting our pioneering history and the innovative spirit that has carried us through all these years. Is is a marriage of our three most acclaimed ales: Oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry-hopped. Come join us in celebrating thirty years with this most special brew. Drink it now, or save it for a future anniversary of your own.

ABV: 9.2%

Review

Appearance: It pours a beautiful orange amber with a thick creamy white head. It is lively with a beautiful amount of carbonation – bottle conditioned perfectly. The thick head left a gracious amount of lacing up and down the glass.

Smell: Bold; sweetness of crystal malts, big citrus and fruit hops that came through strong when fresh – orange zest and rind. A bit of esters comes through as it warms – hides the ABV well.

Taste: Sweetness from the Bigfoot up front with a mouth coating hop ending – sweet hops of the Celebration followed up by that classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ending. A rich complex blending of the best of the hoppy offerings of the brewery.

Mouthfeel: Perfect – I LOVE nice, creamy bottle conditioned Pale Ales – which this one is mostly made up of, along with the Bigfoot bringing some nice weight to the party.

Drinkability: Very high.

Notes: The four Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary beers were perfect – this one was the last of the four that I tried. This bottle was enjoyed on November 15th, 2010 – the 30th anniversary of Sierra Nevada’s first batch of beer. The best parts of this one are it’s complex flavors and smooth, creamy, well rounded mouthfeel. Reminded me of Dogfish Head’s Squall IPA – which is the bottle conditioned version of their 90 minute – which I also loved.

Sierra Nevada “30th Anniversary – Fritz And Ken’s Ale” Review (#108)

Sierra Nevada
30th Anniversary – Fritz And Ken’s Ale
Chico, CA

From The Brewery

Fritz Maytag, owner of San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company, is regarded as the founding father of the craft brewing movement. Frtiz agreed to guest brew this very special ale with us in honor of our 30th anniversary. As a nod to the dark ales and stouts that seduced both Fritz and Ken in the early years, we bring you this pioneering stout, a rich and roasted ale, perfect for aging, and worthy of your finest snifter. Enjoy!

ABV: 9.2%

Review

Appearance: I poured this dense viscous black beer into my Spiegelau tulip; it is opaque with a capped nicely at the top with a thick chunky head that came back strong and dense with the swirl of a glass.  It left large thick legged lacing on the glass all the way down.

Smell: Big roast up front – malts and fresh ground coffee – with a health dose of hops shining through.

Taste: As full flavored as can be; roast bomb on the front with dark chocolate and coffee beans, followed by a surprising amount of hops – although it is indicative to the Sierra Nevada style. The finish starts off with drying bakers chocolate, and progresses to a black coffee ending.

Mouthfeel: Thick, creamy, and viscous. A nice level of carbonation keeps the aroma pouring out of the beer and lively on the palate.

Drinkability: For an imperial stout – HUGE. This bottle was very easy to champion and would have followed it up with another.

Notes: This is 1 of 4 specialty beers brewed for the 30th Anniversary of Sierra Nevada. I enjoyed this on the exact 30th anniversary of their first batch of beer brewed – 11/15/2010. It was perfect; in every way. Sierra Nevada’s love for hoppy beers comes through in well balanced offerings time and time again. I was just as impressed with their Tumbler Ale – a perfect dose of hops to a brown ale without being an Indian Brown Ale. I would not change one facet of this beer, and if there was only one stout I could drink for the rest of time, it would be this. I need to go get another bottle – or 3.

HUGE legs on the stout

Back of the bottle.

 

Sierra Nevada “30th Anniversary- Jack And Ken’s Ale” Review (#089)

Sierra Nevada
“30th Anniversary- Jack And Ken’s Ale”
Chico, California

From The Brewery

Jack McAuliffe was the first American “micro” brewer. His tiny New Albion Brewery in Sonoma, CA inspired countless dreamers to start small-scale breweries of their own. Jack agreed to brew this very special ale with us in honor of our 30th anniversary. This Black Barleywine Ale is a nod to the legendary ales of New Albion served at their summer solstice parties. Rich with bittersweet and roasted malt flavors, balanced with whole-cone American hops, this robust ale should age gracefully for years.

ABV: 10.2%

Review

Appearance: I poured this BLACK opaque beer into my Duvel tulip glass, leaving plenty of room for its thick, tan chunky head.

Smell: A rich and potent smelling beer; full of roast – barley and coffee – sweet notes of fruit and molasses, and finished with some heat and esters, all while Cascade hops mingle in and out.

Taste: Full flavored; sweetness up front – figs and molasses – followed by a hop bitterness, leaving your mouth full of bakers chocolate and alcohol. As it warms, it opens up more yeast esters with vanilla and raisins/figs. There is a good amount of floral hops mixed in, especially on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and smooth; creamy with nicely carbonated.

Drinkability: Lower to medium; this is a sipping beer. A 750 is a little tough to get through alone, but manageable. In cooler weather, it would have been even easier.

Notes: I bought this the second I saw it was for sale; I enjoyed the 30th Anniversary Bock, and was really looking forward to this beer. It was really good, a classic Sierra Nevada brew. Interesting barleywine; I would love to try this with 1-3 years on it. If I see another bottle for sale, I will have to snag it to age it – at 10.2% alcohol, it can stand up to the test of time. Now if I could just get my hands on their 30th Anniversary Stout…

Anchor Brewing Co. “Anchor Porter” Review (#087)

Anchor Brewing Co.
“Anchor Porter”
San Francisco

From The Brewery

Anchor Porter is a unique dark brew, which was introduced by Anchor in the early 1970s. Anchor Porter, like all of Anchor Brewing Company’s products, is brewed with only natural ingredients. Specially roasted dark malts are used, Now that’s dark beer! along with a top-fermenting yeast. The brew is hopped at a very high rate, and is naturally carbonated to produce an intensely rich flavor and thick creamy head.
The rich flavor of Anchor Porter has earned this delicious and unique brew a worldwide reputation for outstanding quality.
We use specially roasted malts, a top-fermenting yeast, and only fresh whole hops, which are added liberally. All this combines to produce a rich and intense flavor with subtle notes of chocolate, toffee, and coffee.

Malt: 2-Row Barley
ABV: 5.6%

Review

Appearance: Enjoyed in an imperial pint glass; this opaque black-with-a-hint-of-red beer was capped off nicely by a chunky tan head with nice lacing. The head lasted most of the way down and left nice lacing.

Smell: Sweet toffee and coffee; nice inviting level of roast. A little bit of dark fruit notes.

Taste: A nice balance between the roasted malts and the sweetness of baker’s chocolate. Starts off with a bunch of fruit and molasses up front, followed by roast, and a drying hop finish. Very deep.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, dense, and creamy without being too heavy. A nice drying finish.

Drinkability: Big.

Notes: This is everything an American porter should be. A perfect beer from one of my favorite breweries.