Sierra Nevada India Pale Ale

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

Very confusing brew. With every sip it seemed like it jumped from malt to hop. Not really balanced. Had better... way better.

The malts are present, but not forefront. The Magnum and Golding hops take backseat to Cascade any day and the dry-hoppong isn’t evident. Loses flavor in the finish. A very mainstream IPA without the drinkability of the Pale. It’s definitely a decent all-around IPA, it’s just not a thirst quencher like it’s famous counterpart, and not as big and flavorful as a good Western IPA should be.

Hoppy, sharp nose with citrus and grapefruit. Flavour is dry, hoppy, gently balanced with some toffee-malt, and amazingly moreish. Sierra Nevada don’t make bad beers, and this is another good ’un. An absolutely perfect example of the style.

Bottle. Slightly cloudy chestnut colour with ah thin off-white head. Nose smells like hops, mixed with some off-cheese. Not great, not clean. Mouth is quite malty with alcohol immediately, some grassy bitter tones, ugh, next it tastes like baby oil and talcum powder. Then some hops, with a bit of a flimsy bitter attack. The baby oil and oiliness returns and carries to the palate. Shalln’t have this again.

Bottled. Dark golden coloured with a medium sized off-white head. Somewhat malty with notes of flowers, pines,fruit and hops. Nice tartness although it has a little bite in the after taste.

12 oz. bottle- color of reddish brown , with a small stark white head - nose of grapefruit , malts , some BO , and mild hops – taste of dirty hops , mild grapefruit , red fruit??, and malts - body is dry , and with medium high carbonation – aftertaste of hops , resin , dry , and slight malts

I found myself alone with a six pack of this on a Thursday night. And without the proper supervision, I drank them all. They were more enjoyable as I went on. Now is that a negative? Maybe not. Maybe the initial tasting rates the beer as shown in the score. But, it is very drinkable, and its flavor improved. And that helps define this as a session beer I would buy again and again. Or maybe it was just beer goggled taste buds.

Orangey gold with a light tan head which quickly fades to a moderate lace. Nose is hops and faint sweetness, quickly given over to dry hoppiness with a bread overlay. Hops last to a dry, abrupt finish and then to a pine resin aftertaste which isn’t unpleasant. Not a session beer as is their Pale Ale, but a nice change of pace for SN fans.