Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

trevorwideman

Manitoba (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle of the 2006 edition courtesy of fisherman34, thanks! Poured into a pint glass.

Pours a filtered reddish-orange colour with a full inch of pillowy head. Carbonation is medium, and keeps the head very lively. Smell is wonderfully hoppy, leaning more towards an orange/grapefruit character, a bit resiny and a little floral. There's definitely a serious caramel malt backbone in there as well, but the hop monster within rules the day.

As the ale hits the tongue it goes through some stages, albeit very quickly. A quick burst of honeylike earthy sweetness that quickly gets replaced by a big grapefruit hop presence. This is just thick with oily and piney hop character. Dancing across the tongue, the light malt is completely overshadowed by a clinic in the flavour characteristics of hops. Not as flowery as some, but everything else is there in full force. Be warned, there's little in the way of a yin/yang balance in this one, it's just one hell of a hop wallop. This one dries the palate nicely, and I didn't find it to be overcarbonated, just enough to introduce you to the flavour profile. Drinkability comes down to your enjoyment of bitter beers, and for me, this could be a great session ale in the right mood. Some days I was a hop monster, some days I don't. That said, this is a hell of a brew, and I'm looking forward to next year's offering.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2006 04:42:42 | More by trevorwideman

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