Kool & The Gang couldn't have said it better
Written: Dec 21 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great mix of hops and citrus
Cons: May be too hoppy for some
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| andaryl's Full Review: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale |
Having spent over 2 years living in California, it is only in the past few months that I have come to recognize the quality of Sierra Nevada’s ales. I tried the pale ale when I first moved here, but was not a big fan due to the carbonation, and bitterness. I was forced to seek out English ales wherever I could which are much smoother, especially in the draft flow can, and in most cases sweeter. When I talk of English ales here, the better known Bass and Newcastle are not typical examples.
It was only recently that I tried the pale ale again and realized that not only did I like it, there was also a new found appreciation for the bitterness. This later discovery was certainly over 100, maybe even 200 different beers after my first impression. So it seems that my taste buds have traveled a little in this time.
The bitterness of which I speak is the hops, which are strongly noticeable in all the Sierra’s I have tried, the pale ale, porter, and more recently the Celebration. The hops were certainly a beneficiary to the porter. I have now come to realize that Sierra Nevada is one of the USA’s finest breweries, a macro which actually produces micro-styles.
At the same time as being new to Sierra Nevada, I’m even newer to winter ales. They’re typified as stronger, darker and spicier than average in order to supply a little winter warmth. Of the 4 I have tried and reviewed so far, Portland, Sam Adams, Sam Smith’s and Sierra, all have been completely different. So I’m still at a loss to put an all-encompassing definition on winter ales.
In the case of the Sierra Celebration, this was my second tasting. I’d had a shot glass last week, and while I found it very interesting I was actually having a stout and porter night. So last night I wanted to try the Red Hook ESB as well as this one, so I was given a half pint of each. The Celebration is an orange to red color. It’s actually so red that I had to double-check it wasn’t the Red Hook. The smell and taste told me I hadn’t confused the two.
I watched as the bartender pulled this one and it did pour very foamy, so much so that it took a while to pour. The carbonation, however, was fairly light.
In the aroma, as is typical with Sierra ales, you’ll get a good nose of hops, and right before it hits your mouth you get a good nose of citrus grapefruit. When I discussed this with the bartender he told me he couldn’t stand hoppy beers and couldn’t get past that part to notice anything else.
The taste has a lot of the aromatic qualities in it. It is a very hoppy flavor, and you also get the grapefruit again. This does make the beer a great quencher, and fairly easy to drink. There’s also some malt in there that gives this beer a little more robustness. Although lighter than the other winter ales, at 6.8% it’s certainly no lightweight.
I’ve read a few other reviews that refer to this as an IPA style, and while no expert on IPA’s, this certainly is a little lighter than the other Christmas brews. It seems to me more of a winter afternoon than a winter nighttime drink. It would probably work well with any meat dish; so stock a few of these up to go with your turkey.
While this is the best winter ale I’ve tasted so far, I think Stan Sesser’s (San Francisco Chronicle) assessment, as the best beer in America is a little less thought out. Rogue for one have something that’s better in their stout.
My only complaint here, is the general availability of winter ales in the desert. I’ve never seen this one at the grocery store, although I know that it is widely available. I’d like to pick some up sometime but have yet to come across it. The seasonal ale thing as a whole hasn’t really seemed to hit here. Maybe it’s just a little too warm.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: California via Yorkshire
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