Celebrate in Style with Sierra Nevada
Written: Dec 24 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Big hoppy beer that will make you a hit with the ladies
Cons: Doesn't last long, in stores or storage
The Bottom Line: If you don't start in the morning, you can't drink all day.
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| davidmanning's Full Review: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale |
If you like hops, chances are you've drunk an awful lot of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. This hoppy seasonal ale from the brewers responsible for a wide range of classic beers (Pale Ale, Porter, Stout, Bigfoot Barleywine) is a classic, waited-for beer every November or so, and the 2004 batch fails to disappoint yet again.
Every year I wind up buying an absolute ton of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. While it doesn't change very much from year to year, it's not hard to find a beer geek who's willing to venture that "It's not as good as last year." (This is patently untrue; it's always better than the year before, of course.)
So, on to the 2004. Normally around 6.8% alcohol by volume, this beer isn't going to be available in some of those annoying southern states, but for the majority of us, it's a time of, uh, joy?
Basics
The color of the beer, poured into a logoed shaker pint (Sierra Nevada glassware is everywhere), is a deep orange-rust, topped with a long-lasting ivory head that sticks around most of the glass.
The aroma of grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit, pine, and grapefruit fills the airspace, along with a mild counteracting grainy malt. There's the lightest touch of fruity esters mixed in as well.
It's brewed with three of the big four C hops: Chinook, a high-alpha hop, for bittering, and Cascades and Centennials for aroma. They're all used in the dry-hopping process too. No Columbus, but maybe some year they'll throw those in for completeness.
The taste, then: just a big blast of hops ripping through the mouth. It's rough, it's potent, and it's beautiful. It's heavy on the citrus, but the mild spiciness of the hops help nearly drown out the malt at this point. Some peachlike malt sweetness comes through, and as it warms, it's got a slight caramel note as well.
Strangely, Celebration finishes dry, spicy, and with nary a hint of sweetness.
If we just assume we're looking at an India Pale Ale (it pretty much is, except that Sierra Nevada doesn't ever seem to call it one, even on its website), it's all clear. Big hops floating on a decent malt backbone, high alcohol that's well-masked, and a dry finish. Yep, IPA as late-fall seasonal. It's even won several awards as an IPA. Their actual IPA, more of an English-style IPA and considered a "specialty draft," hasn't done that.
Final Thoughts
A lot of beers are quite a bit different from bottle to draft. Celebration loses nothing in the bottle - I've somehow managed to drink a couple of gallons of draft Celebration along with the bottles this year. I'm not much of a fan of vintage Celebration bottles as they seem to lose way too much character over time. It's a shame having to drink my yearly allotment before February, but it's a burden I'll bear.
But don't take my word for it. Kegs of Celebration tend to pop up in good beer bars all year, and if only for scientific research purposes, one must attempt to sample this beer whenever one sees it.
Recommended:
Yes
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davidmanning
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Location: New York City
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