Sierra Nevada India Pale Ale

Bottle. Clear light amber, small creamy head. Earthy toffee aroma with spicy, peppery citrus hops. Quite spicy in flavor with caramel, some fruitiness and a big bitter finish. Not bad but you’d expect something more stupendous from the outfit that gives us Celebration Ale.

12 oz bottle poured a nice amber color with a fluffy white head. Subtle hop aroma with a bit of a wet funk. Initially had a mild hop kick with an astringent, yet clean finish. Not very complex, and somewhat disappointing. I was expecting a hoppier flavor, nevertheless, still a decent beer from SN.

Bottle: Courtesy of notalush via trade. Aroma has some toasty caramel with moderate grassy hops and the some light fruit. Pours a transparent amber with a small white head that quickly diminishes to a ring around the edges of the glass. Flavor starts with a caramel and orange combination. Finish is rather hoppy with citrus and grassy bitterness along with some light spice.

Thoroughly enjoyed this nicely balanced English-style IPA. The aroma was filled with floral hops with hints of sweet fruits especially orange. The hop flavor, too, was predominantly floral, but the perfumey taste that oftens comes to the fore in this style beer was subdued. Instead, slightly sweet malts and flavors of dough and caramel rode on top. The mouthfeel was crisp and dry.

Bottled. Pours an reddish/orange color. Minimal head. Malty English type IPA hop aroma. Malty right up front. A touch of sweetness and a bitter finish.

On draught at Barley’s Smokehouse, a relatively new entry in the local market. Deep amber color with a thin and dense off-white head. Thin spotty lacing. Aroma of bready malt and mild hops. Medium, creamy body with honey and caramel flavor as well as toned-down hops. Citrus notes here and there as well. Decent enough but nothing really resonates. The finish is dry and mildly bitter citrusy hops. While not bad, Sierra Nevada can clearly do better than this.

Distributor Presale Released beer… I don’t get it.. Why was it pre-sold? Are they only going to bring it in once a year? –That’s fine by me if so!

Pours a bold bronze body and a fluffy ivory head, tons of lace. The aroma hints of ripened red fruits, cereals, and a placidly spicy but earthy English herb, hops. The flavor has a nice malty forwardness to it, caramel, a honey wheat muffin, but the finish arouses a tangy bitterness with hints of lemon zest and pine chips. The palate is lightly sticky and leaves a dry mildly bitter finish. Overall…. A nice English IPA… although, not so much a “session beer” at 6.9% abv.

12 oz. Bottle. Pours a clear medium copper color with a frothy light tan head and good lacing. Nice earth a grass nose. Very pleasing hop earthy flavor and bitterness with plenty of malt to back it up and the bitterness is lingering. Very good beer.