Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Bottle: Hoppy with X-mas spices, raisins, nuts, berries, nice twist to the IPA. Worth a celebration!

Bottle to pint glass. Pours a brown amber with a light khaki head. The head produces larger bubbles, which, while producing a fine amount of lacing, caused the head to dissipate quickly. The aroma is of citrus, cinnamon, grass, and mild hops. The taste is floral and hoppy, with a light taste of soap and wood. An earthy and medium-bodied flavor, it is also medium on the palate, with a carbonated "acid" to the tongue. Over all, I give it a B.

Pours a deep orange with a foamy off-white head. Aroma is of bitter, earthy hops, caramel, spice, and citrus. Taste is of bitter hops, spice, caramel malt, with some nice floral notes. Very sweet underlying taste. Very drinkable, without being too bitter or too exceptional.

12oz bottle. Pours a clear red-orange with a finger-width, creamy, thick looking light beige head that dissipates slowly and remains decently laced. Aroma dominated by piney/earthy/straw hops. Good amount of caramel malts, toffee, and grass. Hints of citrus, but not very fruity at all. Some sugary notes. Taste is very grassy and piney. Lots of caramel malts balanced very nicely with the medium bitterness. Slightly sweet. Again, not very citrusy, but there is a slight amount of zest. Body is medium to full, resiny, and dry. Overall, a great beer full of rich grassy hops. I like.

Bottle. Pours a clear amber with a thick off white head that leaves nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and floral hops. Flavor of lots of light tropical fruits, caramel malt, more floral hops, and a bitter finish. This is good stuff! Pretty similar to Harvest Ale. Excellent session! Sierra Nevada IPAs do not disappoint.

I have to say I wasnt expecting and IPA when I bought a Christmas time seasonal, but I love IPAs so bonus! Pours a nice hazy dark orange-amber with a 3 finger straw colored, chunky head theat has great retention and leaves lacing. If you look closely you will notice small particulates. Aroma starts with plenty of pine and floral hops, with a really nice toast, caramel, and toffee malt background. The flavor has lots of caramel up front a little grainy and toasted white bread and a little yeasty spice. The hops really come into their own after a few seconds, plenty of pine, very little citrus, and a very fresh grassy hop note that makes summer seem a little closer. Citrus hops get a little stronger toward the finish with a nice orange zest and grapefruit bitter riding the sweet caramel covered toast malt notes that seem to go on forever. Body is medium, sticky, maybe a tad undercarbonated, though not enough to gripe, and pretty warm. I have only had a handful of Sierra Nevada brews but I have to say this is their mast impressive thus far.

Pours a lovely clear glowing orange amber with a nice medium thick rocky light beige head. Sweet sugary crystal malt and rich caramel aroma with lots of fresh piney hops, light citrus, some fruits, warm and inviting. First taste is well rounded, rich caramel without being cloying, slightly toasted and spicy, quickly followed by sharp wet hop attack, slightly green, lightly grassy, dried pine needles all the way. Super long bitter finish with a hint of grapefruit. Medium body, lighter mouthful, little stickiness, well carbonated fluffy without being annoying. Very well rounded, hides the 6.8% well.

Pours amber, tan head. Aroma is hoppy citrus, with caramel giving it a sugary Taste, is hoppy with some spices. Beer gets on the hoppy side and definitely has the Sierra signature. Drinkable, but just too much hops in there to make it not too enjoyable to me.