Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Bottle, pours a nice clear amber color, with a fluffy tan head, Nice pine hops, medium malts, some spice. Nice malts and bitter hops but very well balanced. Not as much natural herb and greenness to it as the North American version, but still very tasty and easily drinkable.

Pours deep copper, rich cream-colored head with good retention. Smells like wort! A ton of fresh hops on the nose, extraordinarily leafy but sweet. Flavor is noticeably malty but balanced by a good hit of bittering hops, spicy and slightly smoky. Quite pleasant. Body is full enough and carbo is not invasive. I think the aroma is the great hit here, though. Really nifty.

UPDATED: JUN 17, 2008 24 oz fat boy bomber. Medium amber pour with nice head. Refreshing fresh hops taste, but also a decent amount of malt. Overall balance had some notes of English ales, but still too hoppy to truly feel that way. Some breadiness that was surprising in addition to the expected citrus and floral hops. Yum.

Hazy, deep amber appearance with a medium size beige head and very good lacing. Penetrating citrus and resin hop aroma. Pine and citrus hop flavors are also intense. Some balance emerges from the caramel malts as it warms to room temp. Medium-to-full bodied, well carbonated mouthfeel. Seems stronger than the posted abv, which may be why it appears to push the limit of an IPA. Long lasting, spicy finish.

2008, 1st release. An interesting IPA. Marshmellowy fluffy head. Not sure if I would consider it having thick lacing or if the head was just that strong. Crisp, malty smell which was surprising coming from Sierra Nevada. Bready/fruity yeast and a strong, citrus (grapefruity) hoppiness. I was concerned about the 24oz bottle size at first, but it was a very easy drinking (and almost refreshing) beer.

A very strong IPA, borderline Imperial. Pours clear and oily gold with a puffy white head. Thick lacing. Crisp, clean aroma of pine, mango, pineapple, and oranges. Taste is very citrus, with more grapefruit. Some soapy hop flavors, as well as pepper and wood. Loved it.

2008 shared with a buddy. Appearance- nice rich honey brown with a big puffy white head that lingers and provides good lacing. Aroma - not much on the nose here: faint hops, but not as hoppy and fresh as last years Harvest; there seems to be more malt aroma here than hops which is unfortunate (given the name and style). Flavor is bitter, but not really flavorful, hops; faint malt finish - very one dimensional and base flavor. Palate - medium to light bodied with lots of tingling carbonation. Overall: not as good this as the other Harvest Fresh ho ale from last year, but still a very descent IPA.

There appears to be some enthusiasm for this beer. I thought it had some nice elements, and there was a quite evident Sierra Nevada house character running through it--a bit more bitter than other IPAs, malt that adds complexity, etc. It was also complex, with some hop elements I did not always expect--peppery and woody flavors, rather than the normal citrus. Worth checking out, as all SN beers are.

Bottle, shared. Crazy tough head on the pour, I got it well over an inch over the top of the pint glass. Big cheesy hops, malt vinegar, pickles. Very bitter, lemony, salty flavor. Not the best.

24oz bottle. Labeled 1st release, 2008 vintage. Pours clear amber in color with off white head. Aroma sweet and floral hops. Taste citrus hops, hops and hops with bitter finish. Another outstanding IPA from Sierra Nevada.