Twelve Days of Christmas, A Twelve Pack of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Coincidence?
Written: Jan 17 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: As much balance as an IPA can stand...
Cons: Seasonal only -- get it NOW...
The Bottom Line: Lots of brewers make good IPAs. Few do them as specialties for the holiday season. Sierra Nevada does, and DOES IT RIGHT!
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale |
The best thing about the Christmas season being over and done with is that I know I won't have to listen to any more chants of "Deck the Halls" or "Twelve Days of Christmas". What's up with that song anyway? Lords a leapin'? Maids a milkin'? Screw that nonsense! I just want a chilly brew in my hand and I'll start wishing for goodwill towards mankind (and very good will towards the womankind...)
Aside from leftover tur-duc-hen slices, some cranberry sauce, and a few slices of Grandma's bourbon nut bread, I've also got a few leftovers in the fridge of a more liquid variety. Star among these: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale -- one of America's finest winter time brews.
About This Brew...
I'm not going to waste words here telling you the long, glorious, and utterly fascinating story of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (which once used retired milk vats for fermenting). Suffice it to say that Sierra Nevada has more than earned the respect of pretty much every knowledgable beer drinker in America. They've done it with extraordinary craftsmanship, and with love and respect for long-time brewing traditions.
Around this time of year, you can't walk through a good beer retailer's shop without spotting a dozen examples of one of the most enduring and endearing traditions of the zymurgical trade. Of course I'm talking the tradition of creating a special beer for the holiday seasons.
I've always loved holiday beers because they're not like specialty brews for other seasons. As a matter of fact, they're not even much like each other. Christmas seasonal beers aren't a style, per se. There's no magic formula that will get you to quaffing nirvana (as there are with seasonal styles like oktoberfest or mai-bocks). Christmas seasonals beers are just beers that the brewers regard as "special". While a fair number of brewers follow the thinking behind brews like Anchor's Our Special Ale, and create beers spiced with special blends of mulling or baking spices, a fair number do things more like Sierra Nevada does with this beer -- they brew a mainline style, but with special attention to the details, and a little dash of Christmas spirit.
I honestly have no idea how long Sierra Nevada has been making Celebration Ale. I know I've been picking it up every winter since at least the mid 1980s -- so it's got some history behind it. Celebration Ale is basically an India pale ale, but the specialness of this brew is that it varies every year, and its the hop character that is the fundamental aspect of it that changes. Sierra Nevada never hops the beer the same way twice. Different hops in different quantities at different times -- it's enough to keep a hop-head hoppin...
The hops may change, but the greatness stays the same. So let's get down to some great drinking with a bottle of the 2003 vintage Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale...
Cheers to All!!
I normally use a standard pint glass for an IPA, but this being the holiday season and all, I think I'll pull down one of the cut crystal mugs.
Appearance:
Like a perfectly wrapped gift on Christmas morning, this glass of beer is a welcoming sight! With its brilliant clarity and robustly healthy looking amber color, rich with deep golden orange hues, its truly a thing of brilliance. The thick layer of dense foam blankets the beer in softness, looking like a newly fallen snow on Christmas morning.
Aroma:
Fascinating! The guys at Sierra Nevada are really keeping me on my toes this year. I expected the usual citric blast of Cascades on this, but that's not really what I'm picking up. I'm getting a light earthiness with the unmistakable but light scent of pineapple coupled with just a hint of fresh grapefruit. An appetizing aroma, and I hope the harbinger of good flavors to come...
Flavor:
Hops? Yeah sure, ya betcha! But malt balance is the thing that impresses me no end on this classic IPA. Right from the start, I'm getting a rich, malty sweetness with lots of chewy soft caramel depth. Or is that depth coming from the hops? Could be, you see, unlike some beers that either blast you out with hops from top to bottom, this beer is more subtle. The hops are huge, but that lusciously bitter sensation dances across the palate from first sip to last noble swallow.
This beer really shows off the way that hops character can change its colors like a chameleon. As the beer first crosses your tongue, there's just the tingly suggestion of bitterness, then the richly bitter hop flavor that comingles its way around the sugars, the hops start to really dominate as you swallow, by which time it's too late to back out! You've got that layer of hop bitterness coating your tongue and throat leaving a gloriously loooonnnngggg lingering bitter aftertaste. You can practically feel the yellowish green residue inside you, even if you know that's a physical impossibility. A great hop character is a wonderful thing.
It's funny how I have such a wonderful opinion about the hops on this beer -- it's really not a hugely hoppy brew. I'm sure the guys at Stones laugh about the low hopping rates used by their compadres over in Chico. Pero no importe. Sierra Nevada wins the taste off because they accomplish with finesse what some brewers do with brute IBUs.
Overall Impression:
Great brew! Beautiful to behold, better to drink!
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale has been a holiday classic in my house for at least the past decade. Not a Christmas goes by that I don't buy at least a six-pack (usually more). The beer changes a bit from year to year, and you can't really count on ever experiencing the exact same sensation next season, but what you can count on is that the beer will be an India Pale Ale that showcases exceptional craftsmanship and adherence to stylistic traditions. It's sheer quality, and in my opinion, 'tis the reason to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la la. Oh screw it. I can stand to hear it once more....
Until next time, see you in the beer fridge. I think I got a couple more of these leftovers tucked away behind the pumpkin pie...
Recommended:
Yes
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