Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Our Brewers Reserve - Grand Cru

Formerly brewed at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Chico, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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I was a little disappointed by this one. The aftertaste (probably from the oak) was simply offputting.

Sampled at Lithy’s Tennessee/Ole Miss tasting. Definitely dry hopped. Sweet and malty and big sweet hops. Not sure if this is all that good actually.... Maybe it will get better with age...

Ahhh, this beer is especially delicious on a cool, Autumn Saturday…Picked this rarity up and couldn’t wait to crack it. The Grand Cru pours a medium ruby color with creme colored head that seemingly lasts forever and gives rise to a citrussy sweet nose. Love the lacing on this beer but the flavor is undoubtedly what shines here. If you know your Sierra Nevada, then you can literally taste the different flavors from the Bigfoot, Celebration, and Pale Ale. The sweetness from the Celebration is offset by the oaked Bigfoot, while the Pale Ale smoothes out the palate and hides the ABV. This is just a really enjoyable blend of pale ales, IPAs, and Barleywines, wish I had more. Though not the most bitter or striking ASA, there is little doubt this offering is a top notch beer.

Served on draft at Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a clear red color with a medium creamy head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of leafy, citrus and resiny hops with some toffee notes. The taste is intense bitter citrus and peppery hop notes with toffee and caramel. Creamy mouthfeel, full bodied.

750 c&c from Rays Liquor in Chico, CA. (cork broke) Pours darkly ruddy with a foamy beige/tan head. Aroma seems citrus/resin mix. Full bodied/creamy carb. There’s some roasted malt flavor. With a lot of hop. Citrus/resin. And there seems to be some Belgian yeast/spice. Maybe that’s just from the overwhelming hoppiness. It’s not a harsh burning bitter, just a lot of hop over very smooth roast malt. Definitely some wood/oak. Seems astringent with time. But there’s underlying sweet, and bitter along the tongue. It’s a really solid tasty treat.

On cask. Clear dark gold/amber, with off-white head. Sweet malts, caramel, fruit, and citrusy bitter hops. I was looking forward to more from this, it is really not that great. I wonder how this will age. I need t try a bottle and update the rating.

25.4 oz ceremonial bottle enjoyed in a 10oz Harpoon Levaithan Glass. Wow, alot going on here people. Head is of a meshed sponge with barely room to breathe, full of hopped goodness ready to be enjoyed. The thickness lasted a good and solid 8,7 mintues before a beer beard could be skipped. Color is a mesmerizing pale copper red with higlights of purple and magenta splashing over in the background. Taste is heaven it a bottle with dried cloves, nutmeg, some risdual herbage and a ton of hops. At first is the IPA in Celebration that greets the nose then a well blanced attack of the bigfoot is the effective aftertaste while this brew slides down so thoughtlessly and a well hopped pale ale. What a marvel for these 3 distinct brew to be so welled paried together. What a great brew. A great gift for a beer lover.

750ml bottle 11/10/10 (Binny’s Downers Grove)56° in Snifter-Pours a clear rubyish amber with a nice tan head. Aroma of hops, malt, caramel, toffee, and slight oak. Taste of hops, citrus, malt, and oak. It seems like the hops over take the brew. This medium to full bodied brew is still easy to drink and quite tasty. Nice job but will age make this better or destroy the beer?

Bottle. Copepr colored beer with a big light tan head. Grapefruit and light pine aroma with light caramel. Caramel and vanilla flavor with grapefruit and light oak. Medium bodied. Caramel and vanilla linger with grapefruit.

Bottle. Pours amber orange with a big off-white head. Flavor is tons of fresh pine hops with grapefruit and caramel. A bit boozy but mellows with the oak aging. Just a well thought out and throughly delicious beer.