Sierra Nevada DevESTATEtion

[Beer-lord]

Anyone try this yet? Gonna give this one a try tonite (along with a few other specialty brews).
It gets good ratings online.

When the going gets bad, we make great beer.

It’s a shame when good barley goes bad. This spring, the combined effect of double digit sustained winds and concentrated rainfall created major stress on the normal course of our barley maturation — our crop went down for the count. Instead of crying in our beer—or lack thereof—we decided to do one better and make something new. Featuring organic malts and our estate-grown wet hops, this black IPA is the evil twin of our legendary Estate Ale. Black in color with a mild roasty flavor and moderate body, this beer has a bold citrusy and earthy hop flavor and aroma from the use of our own wet hops. We’d never let one bad harvest get in the way of a great beer, so join us in a toast to the memory of our devastating season.

Wet Hop versus Fresh Hop

Over recent years, there has been some confusion about the difference between fresh and wet hops. While it may seem like semantics, to us it’s an important distinction.
Wet Hops are un-dried hops, picked and shipped from the growing fields within 24 hours.
Fresh Hops are the freshest dried hops to come from the fields, typically within seven days of harvest.

Over 90% of the world’s hop harvest happens between August 31 and October 31, and these hops are used throughout the calendar year. Can hops possibly be the same on November 1, one day after harvest, as they are on July 25, nearly one year after growing in the fields? The answer is no. We think of hops like dry kitchen spices—the flavor of thyme or rosemary right after the jar is opened is far more intense than it is six months later. The same can be said for hops. There are ways to control the way hops age and to reformulate and readjust as some of the aromas fade, but there’s nothing like the magic of the first bales of hops as fresh as can be. That is the stuff dreams are made of!
The American Style

Worldwide, Americans have something of an outsized reputation. Bold, brash and brazen. To some, that boldness is perceived as arrogance, but for us it’s just daring spirit and a thirst for adventure. The term “American” in brewing is not necessarily a sign of origin, but rather a brewing ethos and homage to that daring nature we love so much. In the early days of the craft brewing movement, there were far fewer beer styles and what was on record largely comprised the historical ales of the UK and the lagers of Germany. As American brewers began experimenting with homegrown ingredients and their own techniques, they inadvertently created beer so unique it defied conventional categories. Instead of a traditional pale ale, there all of a sudden was American pale ale—a new, rowdy hybrid of the older beer, intense with hop flavor and aroma. American-style beer is shorthand for the kind of brewing we do at Sierra Nevada—a reference to the use of a clean, crisp and neutral yeast and a healthy dose of hops quite appropriate for the adventurer in us all.

Alcohol Content 6.7% by volume
Beginning gravity 16.6° plato
Ending Gravity 4.0° plato
Bitterness Units 67

Ingredients

Yeast Ale yeast
Bittering Hops Estate-Grown Chinook, Cascade
Finishing Hops Estate-Grown Chinook, Cascade, Citra
Malts Organic Two-row Pale, Organic Caramel, Organic Carafa

Food Pairing

Cuisine Salad with Citrus based dressing, Smokey Barbeque, Tamales, Cilantro-focused Salsa
Cheese Smoked Gouda
Dessert Spice cake, Sweet carrot cake

[Beer-lord]

Easily, the best beer I've ever had from Sierra Nevada! Love this beer. It's a black IPA but has a slight, porter tendency. Poured not quite solid black, almost like a deep, dark red or maybe, mahogany. I got some roasted notes up front then a slight bit of chocolate and caramel at the end. Semi sweet aroma at first sip followed by small pine nose. Not a strong aroma but what you'd expect from a black ale. Mild bitterness.
Worth a shot. I think my friend got it for $5.99 a bomber...actually, I think this was 750ml which would make it a few ounces more than a bomber but I can't remember....sorry, just get one and try it.

[BlackDuck]

Thanks...I'll have to see if the LHBS has any. I hop to make a trip there this weekend to pick up some stuff for my Red Stag IPA.

[Kealia]

[Beer-lord]

Guess I'll have to buy a bottle and send a picture. But, I did include a picture of the bottle above.
Boy, what ever happen to brewers' imagination?

[Rebel_B]

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to seek some out.