Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

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

Hops and honey on the nose. Slightly hazy amber, fluffy medium head. Malty with some citrusy bitterness, good balance. Big carbonation, medium body, malt cracker and hoppy finish. Very good beer, seems like a slightly maltier version of their Pale Ale, not sure about the holiday theme?

I love normal Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but the Celebration Ale just goes a bit overboard on the piney-grapefruit notes.

Clear amber, tiny head, hoppy fruity floral aroma of pines and grapefruit. Flavour is sweet with excellent bitter and dry finish.

As always Sierra Nevada does well. Very nice winter style ale. For me, a perfect balance of sweet malt, body, and hops.

2009, 32 ounce bottle. Copper color, foamy head with excellent perseverance. Hoppy aroma. Nice malt body, and relatively dry as these things go. Pine and floral hops. Not really all that bitter by today’s standards. And of course, not really a winter beer by traditional standards. Tasty, if you like ’C’ hops.

(bottle into pint glass) Pours a beautiful amber color with a foamy white head that lasted almost the entire glass, falling from about one finger to a half with strong lacing. The nose was of the bitter hops with a hint of citrus. Like other Sierra Nevada brews, the bitterness of the hops dominates at first, but does mellow into a crisp finish. Once a year is perfectly fine for this one, I am not a huge fan, but do enjoy that, unlike other winter seasonals, the sweetness does not dominate, giving a nice break.

slightly hazy golden color, big fluffy, rocky off white head, cathedral lacing. nose is light malt and light citric hops. taste follows the nose with a light malt flavor followed by a light bitter citric hop note. medium bodied, mildly bitter finish. as a seasonal, holiday ale, i am pleased that it bends toward the bitter rather than the usual spiced or sweet. mike and shar gave me a six-pack for christmas.