Sierra Nevada Harvest

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Chico, California USA

Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale 10/10/08 (From bottle during a beer tasting. I was excited about this one. Poured a dark copper, with a small head. Aroma was lighter than I expected, though a nice citrusy hop aroma did come through. Personally, I think the product of the “wet” hopping is underwhelming. Yes, the flavors were well blended, with pine, flowers, and malt. A good concoction, but no, this beer was NOT head and shoulders better than their pale ale. In fact, for different reasons I think the two are about the same. And for nearly $5 a bottle, I’m not sure I’d get this again.

Sweet body with strong bittering hops to back it up. Very resinous heavy hopping, fresh tasting. Great color, thick head, smooth sticky mouthfeel. Pretty well balanced, very good overall.

2008. 12th release "wet hop ale". pours a clear brown amber under a large foamy beige head. aroma is bready and toasty, malty with light touches of citrus hops. flavor is well malted with bready, sugar cookie notes, toast, and bitter citrus hops. not as hoppy as expected(may not be the intended focus point anyway) but the malts in this beer are awesome and it has great balance. the bold toasty malts make this better suited for a fall seasonal than a "fresh" hop bomb.

2008 release. bomber poured into a 22oz glass. pours a clear, dark amber/copper with a thick eggshell head. aroma is very refreshing. the freshness of the hops dominate with a background of lemon, grapefruit, coriander, and other spices. unfortunately, as with the southern hemisphere harvest, the flavor does not keep up with the aroma. the hops are not as prominent as one would expect. caramel malt seems to dominate, with the bitterness of the hops in the background. albeit well balanced, this brew seems to have the hop/malt scale reversed. the palate is slightly thick, with a lingering malt aftertaste. overall, a quality brew that just doesn’t live up to it’s potential.

Pours a glowing amber from the bomber with a firm off-white head. Smells of mild hops and sweet malts with notes of caramel and various spices. An interesting brew, but a bit bland for a harvest in my opinion.

Bottle pours dark amber with a thin white head. Aroma is grass. Flavor is more grass with some sweet caramel, then finishes with a sharp hop bite. Overall this is just an ok brew.

Dark amber pour with a thin white head. Aroma is grassy hops. Flavor is more grass, plenty of caramel and grain to finish it off, just a bit of citrus. Finishes very bitter on the tongue yet not so much in the throat, more dirt. I dunno, this seemed a lot better last year and years before. Eh....

Nice looking amber beer with a thick long-lasting head on pour. Very hop-py scent and taste which make up for its average palate. All in all a must taste tester.