Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Draft @ Winking Lizard: This pours a bright orange with a thick white head, no surprises here. The surprise, though, was how incredibly smooth this was compared to what I was expecting. Aroma is major citrus hop with underlying pine. A tinge of astringency creeps into the nose as this beer warms, but it is not distracting. Mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth and dry. The beer is noticeably more bitter than its SN Pale Ale cousin, but is balanced so nicely with toasty malts that it doesn’t sting the palate. Lingering bitterness picks up on the tongue after a few seconds. Definitely a go-to beer for August!!

Had on tap at the Winking Lizard. Dark golden pour, creamy white head. Aroma of pine and grapefruit. Flavor was a bit sweet up front, citrus, and hoppy and bitter on the end. NOt a fan of IPA’s, but this one was fairly drinkable. Not outstanding.

Bottle of the 2008. Beautiful dark copper pour with a creamy, persistent head. This is a well made, satisfying beer to drink. Aromas of apricot, dried flowers and herbs with a hint of leather. Bready rich flavor with hints of banana peel.

2008 version, bottle poured into English pint glass. Good, but didn’t stand out in any way. Hops aroma noted, but not overly so. Noted some hops bite in the taste, but not really much else. The malt was pretty much hidden, no other spice flavors evident. Definitely enjoyable, but at the same time, somewhat disappointing.

Certainly pretty and certainly cascade all the way. Not my style but it held its own against the humboldt fog i paired it with. wont get it again.