Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Ri0

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into my Duvel tulip from a 24oz bottle. It was about a month old when I drank it.

A - A reddish brown color with a big dirty white two and a half finger head. It dissipates slowly and leaves behind a bunch of lacing. Frothy bubbles remain floating until I finish the beer.

S - Slightly floral hops with earth and pine scents.

T - More malt upfront, with a earthy floral hop mix and some pine on the finish. Not as hoppy as I would expect from a fresh hop ale.

M - Medium body and light carbonation. Oil and pine residue linger on my tongue.

O - Decent fresh IPA, but I prefer the Northern version a bit more. The 2 hop profiles are noticeable different between the N and S. The north has a bigger grapefruit taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 23:40:04 | More by Ri0

Greywulfken

New York

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: medium-to-deep amber color, with orange highlights in my nonic pint; many fingers of head slimmed into a persistent cap and left lace drapes down the sides

S: earthy, musky hops and hearty malt grains

T: lots of pine and resin atop a chewy husky malt base; bitter and crisp, wholesome grains come through strong

M: touch of tack, slight coat, medium-light, clean across the palate

O: presents well and tastes nice - very satisfying and easy-drinking, but with some heartiness to it - lots of good hop and malt mixing, well-balanced and enjoyable. I'd buy this every season.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 21:08:11 | More by Greywulfken

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

24 oz bottle split two ways into a pint glass

A: Pours a clear golden/amber color with two fingers of very dense off white head. Great retention and lacing. Sierra Nevada knows how to make a pretty IPA.

S: The aroma starts out with a very fruity hop profile - peaches and mango mostly. I get a nice bready malt profile with a hint of caramel sweetness.

T: Sweeter than I expected, I get a caramel sweetness balanced by a mild breadiness and a mixture of fruity and spicy hops.

M: On the thick side with slightly more than average carbonation.

O: Another win from Sierra Nevada. I did expect more given how much I typically like their IPAs and how much I generally love New Zealand hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 00:15:27 | More by coreyfmcdonald

dheacck11

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2013 batch

Pour is a lovely orange amber color, nice a clear. Finger of just off white head fading quickly, nice amount of lacing remaining.

Nose is dry hops with a soft hint of grapefruit. Not too potent.

Taste is lots of bitter, wet hops. Very soft hint of lemon and grapefruit, but minimal. Strong malt backbone, with lots of nuttiness. Hops are strong, but not overpowering.

Feel is medium thick and fits well with the flavors, though is maybe a bit more than needed.

A nice beer overall. Not mind blowing, and certainly not the hoppiest beer around. But a very pleasant and drinkable IPA, especially for the price point.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 23:25:37 | More by dheacck11

arfenhouse

California

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Clear amber with off-white head. Good retention with decent lacing.

S: Aroma is not very impressive. Orange, lemon, and sweet malt.

T: Sweet malt present at all stages of the taste. Small amount grapefruit and peach upfront. Pine comes in halfway through all the way into the aftertaste. Grassy (in a good way) in the aftertaste. Well balanced.

M: Full bodied with medium carbonation. Very fine carbonation with a creamy feel. Wet.

O: One of the best single IPAs that I've had in a while. Very interesting mouthfeel that I don't see in many IPAs. Not very hoppy, but just enough hop on the taste to keep me interested.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 01:21:13 | More by arfenhouse

rangerred

Tennessee

4.23/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass out of a 24oz bottle.

Pours a clear deep copper with a two finger white billowy head. Amazing head retention that sticks around for a long time and when it does fade, there is abundant lacing on the sides of the glass.

A really amazing hop aroma that just explodes with citrus and earth. There is a definite dank component as well along with pine resin. I can detect a bit of a toasty backbone but hops really rule and rightly so. A definite wet-hopped character.

Like other wet-hopped beers I have had, the depth of the aroma doesn't quite carry over into the flavor. There is still an extremely resiny character with a bit of tropical fruit but it is not on the same level as the aroma and the dankness is almost non-existant. Some more maltyness shows up along with a touch of alcohol along with a mild sweetness. Bitterness is on the high side and lingers for a long time.

Overall, a very impressive beer, especially in the aroma. While the flavor falls a bit short, this is quite enjoyable and one I am glad I picked up.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 01:49:20 | More by rangerred

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.69/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

We pour a beer the color of terra cotta. It holds an off-white head of chunky bubbles. This retains nicely, leaving thick sheets and patterns of lacing as it eventually goes. There is a thick haze, with no sediment noted. Carbonation appears mild. The aroma gives sickly sweet nectary hops, light grapefruit citrus, mild metallic adjuncts, baked apple sugars, buttery diacetyls, brown sugar sweets, and brown and caramel malts. With warmth comes light but fusel booze and warm vinyl plastics. Our first impression is that the hops are nicely bitter, standing hard against the darker background of malts. As we sip, heavy pale and caramel malts hit first, with citric and herbal hops, moderate soapy bitterness, flashes of brown sugar, and burnt butter. The malts continue their strength to the peak, with light leathers, bittered pales, sweet caramels, toast and roast, and dark cherry fruitiness. The end comes with phenolic plastics, black pepper booze, more of an adjuncty and metallic malt, brown apple sweetness, and those same bright, herbal and grapefruit hops. The aftertaste breathes of those same bitter hops, grassy malts, chalky yeast, chalky pale grains, cooked brown sugars, and big metallics. The body is medium to full, and the carbonation is medium to full. There is nice slurp, smack, cream, froth, and pop to the sip, with a coating left all around the mouth. This gives way to a light pucker, and chalky astringency far down on the hard palate. The abv is fine, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, the best thing about this beer was richness of flavoring, and full, hearty glug to the feel. From the start of things, the look is inviting, but the aroma tapers off into metallics, adjuncts, and overpowering maltiness. This actually plays well into the flavoring, as the strong grain base is enough to balance the dark, bittering Pacific hop varietals. Thus, the flavoring remains robust and interesting throughout, helping in large part to make this guy a success.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 02:12:36 | More by TheBrewo

JPlo

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Copper color, hazy, slightly above avg head retention. Lacing is long lasting.

Aroma/taste: strong smell. Floral, citrus, spicy, bitter, fruit, slightly herbal.

Feel: Smooth, light-creamy, medium body, average lasting finish and slightly wet.

Balanced hop bitterness, sweeet hops. Hop flavour a little more interesting than Northern Hemisphere, but lacks the great "fresh" taste of the hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 23:06:16 | More by JPlo

BierStein711

Illinois

4.24/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Draught into Guinness pint, four finger off-white head.

Cloudy straw gold body!

Smells of wet hops and hemp!

Tastes of pine, resin, wet hops, herbs, cloves, and much more in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Thick and dry

Overall, this is a beer that is very delicious and rewarding. I would not get a six pack though.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2013 05:07:46 | More by BierStein711

ckollias

Maryland

3.74/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Enjoyed this large bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours an orangish hue with a thin 2-finger white head that slowly dissipates leaving a generous trail.

S: Mild hoppy aroma – not as strong as I would have expected or liked. There are scents of caramel and orange peel in here too.

T: Starts out more hoppy than I expected from the smell. Grassy hops followed by some caramelized malts and citrus fruits.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Decent American IPA – but nothing I would grab again.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 00:27:25 | More by ckollias

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: This beer pours a light, hazy orange color with a solid 2 inch, soapy, white head that leaves some significant lacing.

S: I get some orange citrus and hops in the initial aroma. From there I sense a little bit of pine and some honey.

T: Tastes of fresh hops with a piney resin and apricots. The flavor finished with a hint of pepper and honey sweetness.

M: Very hoppy and sweet with a slight tartness on the mouth. Very drinkable as the abv allowes this to be a sessionable beer opposed to a slow sipper.

O: I have had the Northern hemisphere before and this is a lot like it, but has a little more hop character. Very nice beer and well worth the buy.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 05:41:39 | More by SouljaSaia17

AmitC

Indiana

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the 1pt 8 fl oz bottle into my large snifter glass.

About three fingers thick head of off white color with top notch persistence. Super awesome lacing. Some bubbles. Golden amber color. Hazy looks and translucent.

Aroma: Quite subdued may be due to the fact that it is old or something. I could not find the bottling date. Or may be it is fresh hopping. I don't know. Orange peel, grape fruits and some earthy hop smell. A lot of malt in the nose that forecasts some sweetness.

Taste: A good mix of malt and hops. Front part is more malt heavy with the tail end leaving some bitterness. Very slight bitter aftertaste. Dry finish. Not that sweet as the nose suggests. More balanced taste than expected.

Mouth feel: Very well medium bodied feel. Higher than moderate carbonation coupled with bitter hops contribute to mild astringency. Easy on palate especially for an AIPA.

Style Rate: 4.25
Personal Rate: 4.25

Compared to Northern Hemisphere, this is certainly a lower status brother. Taste and everything confirms that. Worth trying nonetheless. Some may like it for its mild hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 00:22:54 | More by AmitC

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 650ml bottle into a pint glass and topped up.

Pours a clear light amber colour with a pretty decent head.

Smells fresh and hoppy, not as fresh as it could have been due to being several months after the 'Southern Hemisphere Harvest'.

Taste reflects that freshness as well as the dulled down qualities of an old IPA. However this does not bring the beer down too much. It is still very well hopped, with nice fruity and bitter flavours from the new world hops. Some light malts there too, making sure the hop taste isn't too overpowering.

Overall quite a nice beer, though I probably wouldn't drink it again due to being expensive and definitely not representative of what it should have been, i.e. when fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 01:59:47 | More by CwrwAmByth

Chas58

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Firestone Walker Nonic Pint Glass

A. Burnt Orange with a very persistent thick head that clings to the glass and remains for a very long time. 

S. Piney and Resiny but not as floral as I remember from past years. A really pleasant and inviting aroma though

T. A nice pale ale lightness with a good hop bite. Very pleasant and so drinkable. Small bubble carbonation with a moderate amount. The Wet Hop does distinguish itself in the second taste, as the freshness does come through. 

M. Clean and Surprisingly Crispness. Initially it provides little resiny remains on the palette, but after multiple sips the IPA/pale ale resin remains with a moderate level. Not a palette wrecker. 

O. I look forward to wet hop ales and the Sierra Nevada is one of he best. Balanced , drinkable and refreshing. Would love a more floral nose, but the taste makes up for it. 

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 01:59:19 | More by Chas58

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.58/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is an oddly dry IPA. The malt presence isn't too strong - I couldn't really detect any sort of sweetness. Hops weren't pungent & and it was noticeably a wet-hopped beer. The hope profile was definitely unique, likely due to the hop selections. All in all I wasn't overly thrilled with it, but it's unique and worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2012 02:32:12 | More by TheRealBigC

SaisonFest

Washington

2.9/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Fresh bottle served at 55f in a samual adams perfect pint glass, paired with a tombstone veggie pizza that i added pepperocini peppers from a jar onto, and some Gouda cheese. no crackers.

Visually i would say the color lies in the middle range for an IPA, a deep sunburst orange throughout. Plenty of sticky lacing, the cap fades after a few mins. This could go either way.

nose is a mixture of mellow orange citrus and floral notes, nothing abrasive on the nose and nothing overpowering.

flavors are approachable, nothing astringent, just rounded orange, flowers, and everything is mellowed out by a backbone of caramel. This one borders the line of Pale ale and IPA.

Body is moderate-heavy, not sticky though. I like them really light for pales and IPAs, so this is off my mark.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 01:11:00 | More by SaisonFest

aranheaney

New York

4.5/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this today at Wegmans in Henrietta, super psyched as this is newish/different from my favorite brewery.

Poured from a 24 oz bottle (thanks for the extra 2 oz guys). Into a stone nonfiction pint glass.

A-beautiful copper, head, lace everything on point

S-total Celebration

T-Celebration, but with even more

M-awesome

O-awesome, thanks again guys you continue to be the best

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 00:13:05 | More by aranheaney

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottling. Bought it 2 days ago and have stored it in the fridge ever since. Poured from a large bottle into a New Belgium snifter. Pours a hazy orange-apricot color with a mammoth frothy head that has some really good retention. Getting lots of piny, floral, and citrus notes on the nose.

Medium body and slick mouthfeel. The taste is much sweeter and the hops far less assertive than I anticipated. There are sweet flavors of toast and marmalade on the front of the tongue. The hops come in quickly and spice things up nicely to keep it from getting cloying. Flavors of grapefruit come in around mid-palate. It's pretty well-balanced and the sweetness never does die out completely. The finish is fairly dry and some nice flowery, citrus-like bitterness lingers, along with a little fruity sweetness.

Overall, an excellent beer, but not one I will buy again. By no means do I think this is a bad beer, but I have tried enough IPAs to realize that my personal preference is for those with very little detectable sweetness. I will have to try the Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. From what I've read, I think that one will suit my palate a bit better. Still, this one was a nice beer and by no means a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 23:47:11 | More by deadonhisfeet

Jamesthebrit

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Semi Hazy bold pumpkin color. Nice big head with small white bubbles.

S: NIce hops here. Really a nice balance where the hops aren't overwhelming .

T: Hops hit perfectly having just the perfect amount of kick without being too powerful. A little watery on the finish with the hops being the star taste note.

M: Bitterness develops a bit much. Sits with a medium to heavy body which is nice though. Paired this with some spicy bibimbop which probably wasn't the best pairing but.... I was hungry.

Overall a great IPA. It has a very nice balance of hops yet remains lighter and goes down smooth. Very much like it.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 19:34:32 | More by Jamesthebrit

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.5/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big long lasting light tan head just sits above a honey golden orange colored beer.

Citrus fruits, spring pine trees, and maybe a touch of caramel malts aroma.

Almost a bitter aspect with the citrus fruits and light pine taste, I taste just a
little bit of the malts still trying to make an appearance.

A somewhat dry aftertaste with just a bit of the citrus staying behind on this medium bodied beer.

Somewhat a decent tasting beer, although Sierra Nevada has a lot of beers that are better than this and cost less and in 12 ounce and not 24 ounce containers. My advice on this one is to grab a six of Pale Ale or Torpedo from these guys and leave this for someone else.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 21:59:54 | More by LXIXME

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 24oz bottle with no visible BB date. 2012 vintage; I presume this was bottled in Spring. Picked up recently from Trembling Madness in York. Described on the label as an ale hopped with freshly picked cones from the Southern hemisphere (New Zealand).

Poured (twice) into a Duvel tulip. A rich marmalade hue with decent carbonation. Plenty of fine sediment after the second pour. Produces a large head of creamy off-white foam with good retention; this slowly reduces to a surface layer. Aroma of sweet caramel malt with notes of pine resin, citrus, faint grain and dry yeast. A warming hint of booze in the background.

Tastes of caramel malt with an aromatic hop character and a strident bitter finish. Notes of pine resin, grapefruit, citrus, grain, stewed hops and earthy yeast. Plenty of spicy hop oils. An intense, dry bitterness upon swallowing, accompanied by a subtle hint of alcohol. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry, spicy and tingly, with great body. Highly astringent; dries the palate thoroughly. Aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops and sweet malt.

Lovely - tons of flavour and character. A robust malt backbone underpins an avalanche of hops. The aroma and flavour encompass a variety of hop notes, but the result is a fantastic balance with the malt. Smooth, juicy mouthfeel. I'm not sure when this was bottled or how old it is, but the character is superb. Fresh hops for everyone! Well worth sampling if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 01:21:48 | More by jazzyjeff13

doktorhops

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The boys (and quite possibly girls) at Sierra Nevada have concocted some fine brews finally available for purchase over Dan Murphy's counter here in Australia, this is one of those beers. I'm not of the opinion that everything they touches turns to gold (more like amber actually), however they have so far been a decent brewery and I'm looking forward to this Hop Ale.

Poured from a 710ml bottle into a Stein.

A: This fine ale presents with a cloudy burnt orange body and about 1cm of a creamy off-white head. Looks very appealing.

S: Full bouquet of pine needles, grapefruit, and cannabis fragrance hops... having trouble detecting malt grains as the hop aroma is overwhelming the senses... which is never a bad thing. Definitely a good score in this department.

T: Flavour is a mixed bag. Hops are dominant throughout, however they don't present anything different from what was expected - citrus; check, resin; check, herbaceous characters; check. There is a caramel malt base in the middle that adds a hint of sweetness to balance out the bitter but overall the taste is hops, with added dry hops. Missing some flavour complexity.

M: The body is medium, with a mid to low carbonation and a slight oil slickness as well.

D: Good? Yes. Great? No. It's got a classic American IPA vibe to it, the only thing that is missing is finesse in the hopping (the dry hopping feels a little overbearing), and a bit of sweetness. This doesn't taste like a classic IPA (which has stronger bitterness, more diacetyl and tea-like tannin hops), but it is an American IPA (which is more like a ramped up version of an APA). Don't be mistaken - it is quite drinkable, these are merely the quibbles of a deranged hop-lover.

Food match: Pad Thai would work well with this, balance between the resinous hops and coriander (or "Cilantro" for the Yanks) would agree greatly with my taste buds... just don't forget the fresh chilli.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 09:36:19 | More by doktorhops

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful light copper. Nice big head settles to a generous film. Lacings are thick and sticky. Looks pretty much perfect.

I can't nail down the fruits here. Tropical certainly. I could take the lacy way out and rhyme off the usual suspects, grapefruit, orange, pineapple, etc. But the aroma is a touch too complex for my nose.

Where the nose is almost delicate, the taste is for the hopheads. Blast of bitterness up front, lovely fruit mid palate, sticky resinous finish. Sweet caramel malt, almost like a barley wine without the heat.

A brilliant beer. I'm no hopheads, but I can certainly appreciate this for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 01:12:07 | More by CanuckRover

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

3.63/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a semi-hazy, deep golden color. One finger, slightly tan head. Mostly frothy with good retention and lacing.

S- Scent is not that dominant, almost somewhat under the radar. Mostly floral and pine hops, but an underlying malt base is slightly detectable as a sweet scent.

T- Drinks more like an APA, than an IPA. Lots of malty characteristics mixed in with a solid hop profile. Hops bitterness most present on the front and back ends of the drink, malts rule the middle.

M- Smooth and thick. A little on the high side for carbonation levels. Little to no alcohol burn, but slight heat on the back end. A very sessionable beer.

Overall, this is a solid beer that only lacks in the scent department. Nothing special in the taste category, but still not bad. Great value for a larger format bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 22:34:18 | More by boilermakerbrew

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy copper colour, nearly two fingers of white head, lots of lace here. Smell is hoppy, pine and citrus fruit, tangerine and pineapple with a little lemon, fairly big biscuity and malty presence as well. Taste is of bitter hop, drying tropical fruit and citrus flavours, grapefruit and pineapple, really big malt presence here as well that balances out the hop and never making it seem harshly bitter. Medium carbonation, medium body, fairly slick and resinous. Nice hoppy pale ale, never quite feels like an IPA though it makes an admirable APA, enjoyable stuff here.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 17:04:27 | More by peensteen