Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

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

had heard from many Baers that this was quite worth a try. I wanted to believe in my brethren so I gave it a try. Color: Orange, Red, somewhat brown with a off white head. Very foamy and crisp. Smell: Spicy, has a smell not unlike a Christmas cookie. Maybe somewhat like a Christmas tree. Piney, and very sweet. It made me a bit hungry for Christmas dinner. Taste: The is a bitterness to it at first but celebration brings out the best the season has to offer with a earthy taste sweet, and yet a great tasty feel to it that it really feels like the best Christmas beer. Celebration is a beer that really feels like someone is striving to capture the essence of Christmas, and just wanted to make a great beer as well. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this beer at first but I feel now that this beer is really one of the best beer experiences I’ve ever had. It’s like someone has bottled the Christmas season. Serving type: bottle

Smells very spicy with a faint citrus aroma. Taste is initially bitter, lots of hops, lots of spice, orange rind. Very good, much better than their original pale ale.

Smell--Predominate hop aroma that is more flowery than bitter. Very inviting. Appearance--Gorgeous rich bronze color; pleasant slightly off-white head that collapsed quickly. Extremely small carbonation bubbles providing for a long lasting lace on the glass Taste--Very short malt flavor up front which quickly becomes overwhelmed by the bitterness from the hop. The aftertaste is entirely bitter hop. Mouthfeel--Consistant with the style, bitterness lingers long, long after the swallow. Drinkability--I consider this to be one of the superior American IPA’s. While I wouldn’t quaff this, if I could only have one beer for an entire evening, this would be one of my top choices.

Sure candy canes, Santa Claus, snow, Christmas trees and all that are nice. But THIS is Christmas and this is what winter is all about. Maybe a little of place as a winter seasonal, but IPAs are the way to my heart. Sitting by the fire drinking 1 or 5 of these is the way to chase away the winter blues. A fantastic brew, with some of the more complex hop flavors aromas. Not quite to shimmering heights of Two Hearted, damn close.

(Bottle from Fat Cat, Norwich. 2008 Bottle) Brown red with medium white head - pretty.Very hoppy nose - hints of pine, citrus, grass and sweet malt. Taste was brilliantly hoppy with initial sweet caramel immediately followed by bitter drying hops. Not overly complex, a little spiciness, but mostly a gorgeous hoppy beer that gives a very alternative kind of beer for the winter. Lovely.

Extreme grassy hop aroma with a bit of spicy caramel. It pours orange/amber with a small orange head. Very bitter floral, earthy hops with a touch of spicy caramel malt. Thick bodied and a little out of balance with almost no sweetness. Unusual hop character for an IPA, very earthy and spicy. I guess thats why this is a winter IPA.

2008 Vintage

3/25/2009: Celebration Ale is a fine example of why Sierra Nevada has been and still is a very popular brewery. This coppery-colored IPA is moderately hopped just enough to keep beer geeks interested, but not so much so as to drive other more casual beer drinkers away. The grapefruit and pine hoppiness are present in both the aroma and flavor accented by floral notes. The bitterness sticks around on the palate for a good while after the beer slips down the throat. I bit of sweet toffee maltiness peeks out in the finish. I haven’t had this beer in awhile, but I was expecting a bit more vibrant citrus presence. Overall this is a very respectable beer that can be easily enjoyed in large quantities.

12 fl. oz. bottle (Alc 6.8% by Vol) from 6-pack purchased and Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio (only $4.99+tax!). Rating #1935 for this beer.

12 oz bottle to pint glass. Copper color with a light tan frothy head. Aroma is grapefruity cascade hops with some grass/spiciness. Flavor is dull semisweet caramel maltiness with generic cascade character. Astringent with moderate bitterness, slightly acrid. Overrated.