Sierra Nevada Celebration 2009

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA
2009 Celebration Ale

As usual, from Sierra, the signature golden color, like the rind of a perfectly ripe navel orange, and an angelic white halo of head form from the pour. Not that I’m biased or anything. The beer also has a slight haze, slightly more than the pale ale which also has sediment floating in the bottom. The carbonation is slow and fine.

It's a celebration, bitches. A Celebration, indeed.

The nose is certainly another Sierra trademark – rich citrus notes and cannabis. This brew has a sweeter texture, perhaps indicative of a maltier offering. There are sugary qualities to the aroma that remind me of pixi-stix or Sweet Tarts, but there is a breadiness of malt that comes across as sweet rolls.

The mouthfeel is very full, and starts off sweet and subtle with an orange-candy softness that rolls like a gathering wave into a full on smack of slightly floral hops that cascade into a slightly vinous aftertaste. There are fewer warming notes than I was expecting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This beer is drinkable, and at nearly 7% ABV, maybe dangerously so.

The beer continues to open up as you drink, yielding slightly more resinous qualities that bring out touches of pine and ginger spice that indicate the more alcoholic nature of this brew. Elegant and heavy lacing hangs onto the chalice sides. Hops abound, as only Sierra can make them, and they are reasonably subtle here in that they don’t dry out your mouth as you sip. The florals do a lot to temper what might be an aggressive glassful for those not hooked on the hop. There’s a reason that this brewery made me love beer. And just when I think I couldn’t possibly love Sierra Nevada any more than I already do, I drink one of their beers and become giddy as a schoolgirl. Of course, that could be the 6.8% talking.

Because this beer is a Sierra stalwart, and doesn’t feel like you’re drinking Christmas dinner in a bottle, it is clear that this brew has not forgotten the secret of steel.

Boulder Hazed and Infused

Boulder Beer Co.
Boulder, CO
Hazed & Infused

The pour yields a pillowy off-white head that froths and climbs the glass and makes no indication that it wants to leave. The color is a deep amber, initially more golden before pouring the bottom of the bottle in, which turns it hazy and caramel-colored.

The nose has grapefruit, pine, and our hops’ cousin and old pal, marijuana. There are hints of pine, damp like an English forest, and really pleasant mentholated quality that climbs from the back of those pine needles.

Good effervescence on the pour; the bubbles twist erratically up and around the glass.

The first sip is reasonably delightful. The mouthfeel is very good and far creamier than one might expect. This is thanks, in part to the good quarter-inch of head that is still nestled atop the beer, locking in what is a great deal of hoppiness.

Grapefruit comes across initially, but is softer and sweeter before yielding to a fantastically dry hop snap that leaves the back of the tongue with a damper and grassier finish than many hop slap-happy brews might. The dry-hopped quality of the beer really comes through both in the nose and the finish of this brew.

While some hoptastic beers leave you feeling almost parched with their dry bitterness, this beer leaves you sated and ready to take another ride on the hopstacle course. I apologize for all the puns, but this beer is making me happy. Another fine offer from the great beer state of Colorado.

The lacing is more of a wall than a pattern. It stretches in great swaths like a tapestry of foam down the back of the glass. Even at the bottom inch of beer, a silver dollar of head balances atop the tawny brew. Pick this one up, hopheads, for a nice, lower ABV sample.

Saint Arnold Elissa

Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
Houston, TX
Elissa IPA

Now that I’m in the Great State of Texas, I’m trying as many Texas beers as possible. Here’s one from Saint Arnold, a brewery with about ten selections, and which claims to be Texas’ oldest craft brewery. I’ve tried a couple of these while out at night and so far they’ve been good.

The pour immediately jumps up with a good inch of orange-tinged head that’s rocky and lively. The clarity is excellent and the carbonation is a steady string of pearls feeding the now slightly dissipated but still frothy head. The color is copper and orange, like a setting sun, but with les retinal burn.

The nose is very sticky and floral – this beer smells like West Coast hops all the way. Grapefruit and a fragrant and resinous sweetness out of what is sure to be a great hop bite. The mouthfeel is excellent. The malt kicks in at first but is quickly swept to the back of the palate by a wash of crisp hops that snaps but doesn’t sting. Those hops really impart a luscious citrus body that is complex and full but still refreshing and not overwhelming (at least not for a hophead like me).

This is as close to Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale as any bottle I can think of offhand. Perhaps it lacks some of the heavyweight punch that Sierra carries (I’m biased), but this is a truly wonderful example of American IPA. A thick trellis-work of lacing hangs around the glass, too. This beer is a must for hop lovers.

Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale

Southern Star Brewing Co.
Conroe, TX
Pine Belt Pale Ale

From a can and from Texas, this beer was just asking to get consumed by the ol’ Brew Yorker in Dallas. I tried Southern Star’s Bombshell Blonde the other night and enjoyed it once I fumbled the name on the first try and finally ordered it. This can of Pinebelt is a 16oz, though. It’s like a normal can, but better.

The head billows up to a fine and active orange-hued inch and isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. The clarity is hazy, which is always exciting for a pale ale – I’m willing to bit at least a little bit of dry-hopping occurred. As I write, the head has started to subside a bit and leaves behind a tight webbing of lace.

The color is a deep amber orange – an almost tortoise-shell roan. This is a beautiful brew. The nose is smells like melted orange candy slices covered in crystallized sugar. The malt is very biscuity, not heavy and bready. There is a vinous quality to the nose – certainly not unpleasant – and may indicate a high ABV. Likewise, aroma of resin emerges, much like the beer’s name hints at.

The mouthfeel is great, the beer is full, but even. Bitter spices dry the top of the mouth quickly, followed by a roundhouse of hops that don’t hit a citrus note so much as a pine note, but you are not overwhelmed as is the case with many American Pale Ales.. The result is a woody finish that is supremely dry, like a desiccated pinecone, but one that is not unpleasant. The lacing hangs about the glass like snow drifting on the boughs of those same evergreens.

This is not a typical thrashing of hops, but most hopheads will be intrigued by it, if not impressed. The beer is like Gregory Peck – dry, but with character.

So far, Texas beers are kicking ass and taking names.

New Belgium Hoptober

New Belgium Brewing
Ft. Collins, CO
Hoptober Golden Ale

New Belgium could stand up tall with Fat Tire alone, however it goes out of its way to try some really interesting styles, ranging from Trippels to Dunkelweiss to this beautiful seasonal concoction.

The pour is truly golden straw with perhaps a touch of orange, but barely. A very white, cloudy head puffs up the straight-sided glass (perhaps the wrong choice for this beer) and starts to stick as it descends.

The nose is a really pleasant mix of sticky hops – pine resin, citrus, and damp flowers – and a slight bitter grassiness which melds nicely to create an earthy yet somewhat sweet aroma.

The mouthfeel is excellent, light but full, with steady and lively effervescence. Those West Coast hops are more present as aroma hops than flavoring hops. They appear slightly at the beginning of the sip, giving way to a tarter, Noble hop bitterness, and eventually reappearing at the end.

There is a slight sweetness – citric, perhaps orange – along the palate. That resin-y, marijuana-like taste persists as an aftertaste and is not unpleasant. This brew seems to be undecided, but is remarkably balanced and interesting.

At 6%, it’s not quite a session, and at 40IBU, it’s not quite a hophead’s dream. However, it is rich and complex and drinkable, and is a great offer from a great house.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Petaluma, CA
Hop Stoopid Ale

Lagunitas makes some of the finer US brews, I think. Their IPA, Pils, and Censored are all some stellar go-tos whenever I see them and I have been hanging onto this bottle of Hop Stoopid for a couple of months, eager to crack it open and enjoy the 22oz hopportunity.

Pours up with a very rocky, lively, and slightly orange head, over an inch thick and very sticky. The beer steadies and the head caves in on itself, but continues to leave a tight webbing of fine lace.

The color is a deep honey-amber – truly orange and burnished gold. It’s not quite coppery as there is no brown in the mix.

The nose has a strong wafting grapefruit aroma with a touch of bitter lemon solvent – no doubt a result of the nearly 8% ABV. There are some pine notes and faint phenolic odor as well as a deep, almost prune-like richness that lasts through the nose. This beer will undoubtedly have bite.

There is a great deal of very bitter grapefruit in the sip, along with some peppery pine and mint; it’s not cleansing but nor is it too heavy. The mouthfeel is very good, and the over-ripe stone fruit textures cling at the end of the swallow.

By no means is this a session beer, nor is it meant to be at 7.7%ABV served in a double-deuce. It is an excellent example of Lagunitas’ ability and of West Coast hops, but could be a bit aggressive (at 102 IBU) for the non-hopheads among us. I recommend this though for anyone looking for a big beer with body and who is not afraid to dip a toe in the hop end.

Sierra Nevada ESB 2008

Sierra Nevada
Chico, CA
Early Spring Beer (ESB 2008)

I have been saving this beer for a while and figure that, as a Sierra, it will be sufficiently hoppy and more of an IPA than anything, so it probably shouldn’t sit around too long.

The pour is lively and pretty with swirling effervescence that stirs up a yellowy-orange head above a hazy, rich amber that has plenty of dark pumpkin orange and a hint of garnet.
Light passes through the glass, but not a lot, it is translucent but certainly not transparent.

The nose is lemon soap and orange rind with a malty, sweet tobacco back. There are more esters than there are flowers in the nose. The ABV is almost 6%, so I’m sure there will be some kick.

The mouthfeel is, of course, splendid and full. It fills the mouth with a malty coating which refrains from masking the rest of the flavors. Citrus and pepper on the tongue with a dry and slightly rusty finish that gives just a modicum of chewy breadiness. The lacing is better than decent; nice drapery zagging around the glass.

As always, Sierra really delivers. I am definitely biased, but this is outstanding. Everything from the coppery haze to the mild spiciness really make this beer stand out. Certainly, it’s not a session beer at 6%, but a few of these will show you that Sierra can make a complex beer for those non-hopheads among us. This beer lacks the same bitter floral grapefruit flavor that I love about the Pale Ale but is smooth enough to hide some of the heavier alcohol notes of that light green label.

Hail to the Maharaja

I’m trying Avery’s Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale. Purchased at the Houston Whole Foods (along with a Chelsea B.C. Oatmeal Stout growler), the IIPA is pretty unique. It’s a pale ale for sure, with an aggressively hopped aroma (102 IBUs!) and a deep cloudy color like marigold. The head pours clean white and is not heavy–and doesn’t last as long as it should–but the brew leaves a really nice lace all the way down the glass. The ABV is high (9.65) and there is a certain amount of alcohol in the mouth but there are still some noticeable citrus notes throughout. Slight hints of caramel persist through the finish but, overall, I think the high ABV overpowers a bit. I like the creaminess of this nearly opaque ale, though there are more than enough IPA options that won’t leave you feeling as though your teeth are being dissolved. Worth trying for hopheads, but one bottle is probably enough.

The End is Nigh?

Chaos.

Famine.

Armageddon?