Hoptimum

Beer Name: Hoptimum
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
ABV: 10.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I couldn't find a date on this bottle, but I'm not too concerned. Sierra Nevada is reputable for bottle conditioning every single one of their beers, so this thing is probably going to be good to go for a long time. I asked the guy at Brewtopia for a beer that was so hoppy that when I drank it, Kate would be able to taste the hops.  This is what he recommended.

Hoptimum is an orangey beer with a copper color to it as well. It poured with a small amount of head, but I feel that I could probably modulate that based on how I poured the beer. Most of the head faded away after a couple minutes, but there was a ring that stayed throughout most of the pint and left some heavy spots of lacing. The aroma is very appropriate for the name Hoptimum, as the beer blasts the nostrils with hops. In a good way. There are some citrus notes, but it seems mostly to be floral and pine hops.

The aroma was a very good indicator of flavor, as this beer has a big hit of hops.  More like huge.  It's bitter hops from start to finish, with floral and pine flavors dominating and a little citrus in the back.  There's some malt in the background, but it's pretty hidden and mostly just shows up in the lingering aftertaste. This beer seems to warm up rather quickly, but that just allows to malt more of a chance to make its presence known. There's a pretty good carbonation to this beer, with a big mouthfeel.  For such a high ABV, the alcohol doesn't really come into the flavor.

Final thought - One of these beers is very nice. I think that drinking a couple of them in a single sitting might be a huge mistake though. It really sneaks up on you. This is a beer for dedicated hop lovers only. If you only like hops, you might not like this at all. And if you don't enjoy the delicious flavor contributions of humulus lupulus, get as far from this beer as you can. It is not for you.

-Jon

Torpedo

Beer Name: Torpedo Extra IPA
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
ABV: 7.2%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a footed pilsner glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Well, now I've learned something new, specifically what a footed pilsner glass is. I also learned that this particular glass is not the correct type of glass to use for an IPA. I'm proud of myself.

Torpedo calls itself an "Extra IPA," but I don't know if that means that it's in the double category or if it's just paler or more Indian or what. I'm guessing it's just stronger than an IPA. At any rate, it's a brownish-amber beer with about 3/4" of head. This head lasts an average amount of time, and leaves a light lacing on the glass. The aroma here is a nice citrusy hop scent.

This is a hoppy beer. A very hoppy beer. It's also very dry with a bitter finish. Pretty much everything you'd expect from an IPA. There is a very strong aftertaste of hops in this beer, so be prepared. The beer has a medium carbonation, and it works well with the hoppiness.

Final thought - While it's no Celebration Ale, Torpedo is still pretty good and will make a nice substitute when the Celebration Ale isn't available anymore. Which might actually be now. I haven't looked for it since it ran out at The Lighthouse. Either way, Torpedo is a fairly tasty IPA.

-Jon

Celebration Ale

Beer Name: Celebration Ale
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
ABV: 6.8%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

It's a celebration bitches! Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale is a winter seasonal beer that doesn't taste like a standard winter beer. This is an IPA, and it's a hoppy one!

I had this at a bar, and I had already had about 8 gin & tonics and a couple glasses of wine, so this may not be the most intelligent beer review on the site. So, um, the bottle is brown with a reddish label. I have no idea what the beer itself looks like, because the bottle is pretty dark. There is a major aroma of hops here, which should be preparing your tastebuds for the hop assault that is about to occur.

The Celebration Ale's flavor is dominated by the hops. This beer is intensely hoppy, and it's also seems very dry. Like most IPAs, there is a bitter finish, but it's not overly bitter. It's a bit carbonated, but nothing too strong. This is a beer that will wake you up when you drink it.

Final thought - I don't understand why this beer is only available in the "winter." It's delicious! I should be able to drink them whenever I want! Stupid Sierra Nevada jerks!! So obviously I like this beer, and I will be drinking many more of them during the next month or so.

-Jon