Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Chico, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Wow. Cloudy, orange 12oz bottle (4 pk) poured into a pint glass with a thick, sticky head. Smells like pine, grapefruit, and honey. Taste is bold, bitter bitter hops (in a good way), citrus, peaches and honey. This goes from alcohol taste, to hoppy, to a slightly sweet effect with no bad aftertaste even though a lot of resin persists. Medium-heavy, smooth and creamy, definitely a Sierra. Great for a mass-produced 10.4%. Hard not to drink more than one. Big, bold, must-try west coast DIPA.

fresh 2013 bottle. pours a dark golden copper with light carbonation and minimal head. to my taste this is basically a sierra nevada pale ale on ’roids. too much syrupy maltiness for my taste which leads to a bit of a confused and somewhat muddled flavor profile. definitely tons of hops in there but curiously there is a lack of depth and complexity to their flavor profile the hops asserting themselves predominantly as simple bitterness. disappointing there. this would fall under the ’triple IPA’ category given the characteristics in my book. **ah hang on. ok, so im on #3 and maybe it’s the 10% talkin but this shit is growing on me .. may have to re-rate 8)**

Look: Honey orange, 2 1/2 finger head. Smell: Mild citrus, floral, earth, tropical fruits (pineapples, mango) herbal tea, honey sweetness. Taste: Floral, tea, grapefruit rind, heat, dry bitter finish. Feel: Medium body, above par carbonation. Overall: The flavor isn’t as outstanding as the aroma (atleast for me anyway). Flavor profile doesn’t last long before the bitter bite comes in and screams "Here’s Johnny!". I was hoping for more pineapple and mango as the nose tells me.. but I do get a nice long tobacco aftertaste. This brew is worthy.

Awesomeness. Pours a clear gold with a moderate cream-colored head. Aromas of tropical fruits and flowers, and amazing flavors - it’s like candy. Sweet but still uber hoppy. Heavy bodied, very high in alcohol. One of my favorite beers, I just wish it were lower in alcohol.

Pours orange amber with exceptional clarity. Thin head that fell fast, no real retention. Left some fine, soapy wet lace. Nose is spicy with some citrus. First thing you smell is yeast and it smells like a pils. Dank. I even thought to myself "Ooh this is gonna be good." Light caramel malt, tropical fruit. Oranges and grapefruit. Lots of alcohol on the nose. Earthy and a little grass. Taste is the definition of hop bomb. I have been saving the phrase and I choose to spend for the first time on this beer. Resiny, oily and bitter. The tropical qualities of the fruits are lost in the background. Piney, boozy, lots of alcohol on the palate. Not subtle, not hidden not masked. There is plenty of malt in this. Goes from light caramel to bread and honey as it warms and some sugar to top it off. Mouthfeel is sticky , heavy, chewy, plenty of alcohol and alcohol dryness with just a touch of sweetness from the malt and from the fruits to remind you that they were there. The malt saves this beer but the fact that so much of it is needed to balance all the hops means that it adds to the heaviness. It felt like the hops were thrown in for the mere sake of hops and there was no real complexity or fruity flavor. The bitter was tolerable but combined with the heaviness and the alcohol it was altogether unpleasant. It drank hard. Short on actual flavor.

Tap pour - @ RHP. Pours orange with minimal head. Nice aromas of oranges, citrus, and goody hops. Creamy palate, nice and smooth, balanced palate and loooong finish. Awesome.

12 oz bottle from Whole Foods This was new experience. The IPA poured a very clear golden color with a HUGE head. There was lacing. this is good looking ale. The aroma was moderately sweet with grapefruit and citrus. The higher alcohol may contribute to the sweeetness and pineapple like flavors. The Imperial IPA has a nice medium body and aveage carbonation. The finish has sweetness and a slight burn on the lips. It is excting that Sierra Nevada is coming East to Asheville , NC.

Nice bright gold translucent color with small off-white head and little lacing. Aroma and flavor are just all bitter hops with a light malty finish. Grapefruit and bitterness- not much else going on. Pretty simple hop bomb with a lot of alcohol.

Pours an amber orange color with a creamy white head. Strong hop and citrus aromas. Strong hop flavor with hints of citrus. Bitter finish. Lots of flavor.

Tried out of Bottle. Aroma was OK. Not exciting. Mouth feel was a little Heavy. I was hoping for a clean crisp beer. Taste was a bit malty but for a 10.4 I can’t complain. Hops seem to get lost. I would buy it again...mostly because I like the label.