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

cooler4life

Quebec (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a hazelnut colored two finger head with large bubbles. Beer is a cloudy copper swamp color. Some carbonation can be seen racing to the top. Lacing and retention are standout.

S: Great balance of malt and hops. Lemongrass, burnt sugar, slight essences of tropical fruit.

T: Really good! The New Zealand hops offer something delicate. Bitter with an underlying sweetness provides great drinkability. Roasted malt, herbs, lemon zest and pine come to the surface.

M: Great carbonation, very smooth with only slight stickiness.

O: I think this beer has a lot going for it. I kept drinking waiting for that "ah ha" moment however. I'm torn.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 22:13:18 | More by cooler4life

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

4.9/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A - Cloudy (most likely chill haze) copper hue with a three-finger meringue-like head of off-white foam. Tiny bubbled lacing coats every inch of the glass when sipped.

S - Good strong aroma of fresh cut grass, caramel malt, with a hint of spice.

T - Oh my goodness, this is one phenominal tasting beer. Descriptions such as big, lush, juicy, and rich all fit here. Malts are big and bready, with an almost toasted sourdough like quality. Hops are earthy and spicy with a hint of onion, but also with some fruit zest (hints of white grape and grapefruit). A touch of lemon pepper spice in the finish. So well balanced, it's hard to tell where the malts begin and the hops end. Balance carries right through the finish.

M - Big and chewy, with lively carbonation. Slightly creamy, moreso as it warms. Finishes dry. Nice.

O - A masterpiece by Sierra Nevada. I prefer this to the Northern Harvest, which is itself a tremendous beer. This one was very close to being my first "all 5's" beer. If you haven't tried it, I can't recommend it enough.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 03:58:59 | More by TempeBeerMan

facundoCNB

New Jersey

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

pours a beautiful clean amber with 2 fingers of white fluffy head causing a ton of lacing. smells of grassy and pine hops mainly, very much like fresh cut grass! initial taste is a cross of spicy herbs and burnt caramel. sweet taste of malts is blanket wrapped by a ton of nutty/grassy hops. medium body with a medium amount of carbonation, slight creamy feel on lips.

overall, this is like a light version of hoptimum, heavy version of celebration. needless to say, a very tasty ipa.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 07:01:33 | More by facundoCNB

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

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

A-dark amber color with a large off-white head with excellent retention and lacing

S-malt, citrus, floral notes

T-solid malt backbone with caramel, tropical fruit, pine and nice bitter hop presence

F-medium to full body with moderate carbonation, smooth

O-a good IPA with rich full flavor

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 14:26:51 | More by MDDMD

dmadsen

Minnesota

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

Great beer. Had on tap at Grumpy's Northeast. Asked the bartender what it was as I hadn't heard of it like a champ he offered a sample and it was all over. Had a pint. Floral, complex, dark and bitter, but a great balance. Nice finish. Copper color. Great head. Expected more for the nose but frankly, with the taste who cares?
Highly recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2012 03:07:26 | More by dmadsen

omokoro

New York

3.43/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an a clear amber with a rich, two finger off white head. There many bubbles rising. On the nose I am picking up pine, a little lemon, pepper and a lot of malt. This is a very malty beer, not what I expected, although I have never had a beer focusing on fresh hops. I can imagine that the fact that the fact that the hops are fresh may effect the bitterness. There is little hop flavor, the malt overpowers all. It is refreshing and it does have a good mouth feel, but it tastes a bit much like a barleywine. This is one of the least bitter ales I have had from Sierra Nevada, not what I expected. Perhaps this bottle may be old or mishandled, I did by it off of a dry self from my local grocery store. Too bad Sierra Nevada obfuscates their bottle dates, I'm not in the mood to decipher their code.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 00:57:39 | More by omokoro

danieelol

Australia

3.25/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance is apricot with nice head and lacing.

Smell is intense citrus with a secondary pine characteristic. Very lemony. Nice. Bit of piney malt.

Taste falls back to a more generic SN profile. Still get the hops here though.

Mouthfeel is fine.

A fine, fairly enjoyable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 09:09:51 | More by danieelol

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

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

2012 version

Appearance. Pours a deep amber-orange with a little haze and a finger+ of thick off-white head that leaves some good lacing.

Smell. caramel malts and floral, citrus hops.

Taste. Lots of lightly toasted malts, spicy bitter hops, oranges and yellow grapefruit rinds.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, medium carbonation.

Overall. Nicely ballanced, big ipa.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 03:50:04 | More by Rutager

crewfan16

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from a bomber to a sam adams perfect pint - 2012 version

a- pours clear copper/orange color with thick ice cream like head. leaves great lacing as the head dies out

s- not a ton on the nose for a fresh hop. muted hop and malt. just not getting a ton there

t- piney resin hop flavor, grapefruit maybe. some sweet malty backbone and finishes bitter and hoppy. good solid flavor profile

m- nice texture. slightly oily and creamy, but enough carbonation to wash it away

ovreall, another solid beer from sierra nevada, but like most of their line, nothing that knocks my socks off. price is right at under $5 for the bottle and i would pick it up again if ever looking for a priced right fresh hop brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 03:22:09 | More by crewfan16

BlurryVisi0n

New York

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

Served in a snifter.

Appearance: This beauty pours a dark amber, still transparent with a head oh so thick, off-white rising to maybe 2/3" off the body.

Smell: Little bland but good, if you smell hops before little light hops.

Taste: Complex, little sweet with bitter. Believe it or not this brew is little more richer than you think. Robust with tangy flavors but bitter with its floral and piney feel.

Mouth: Hmmmm, very good actually great. Creamy after-taste and overwhelmingly sticking after-taste.

Overall: A delicate treat, and the best part didn't hit you in the pockets for a very super-premium brew. Drink up fellas (and ladies)....Salud!

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 07:10:58 | More by BlurryVisi0n

JCaweinstein

Ohio

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

This is a light amber colored beer that is crystal clear and has a lot of bubbles. The one finger, off white head stays with this one until the bitter end and leaves a beautiful lacing behind.
From the aromas I pick up a spice aroma that makes me think pepper. As the beer warms I also detect some floral aromas.
From the malts I taste a bit of caramel and a certain graininess that helps balance the hop flavors. From the hops I get citrus and spice, not so much pepper but something I can't quite put my finger on.
On the front end it's smooth and then finishes with a resinous, bitter finish.
I'm very pleased with this beer. The story behind the making of the beer is very interesting and it delivers on all accounts. It appeals to all my senses and is very cost affective.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 02:26:21 | More by JCaweinstein

MatthewWilde

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sample: 1 bottle 2012

A: Dark reddish orange, heavy internal carbonation, pours a small bone white head, slightly hazy

S: Quite fragrant, heavy citrus, lemon peel, tropical fruits, light coriander with some herbal and buttery elements as well

T: Much akin to the nose in terms of the citrus, tropical fruits, and herbal elements, well balanced, excellent bitter qualities, very flavorful

M: Very smooth, light in the mouth and refreshing, moderate citrus/bitter aftertaste, a bit lingering on the palate but not overly overpowering

O: A powerful and complex IPA, smooth, fragrant, and flavorful, definitely worth trying

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:13:56 | More by MatthewWilde

jsprain1

Minnesota

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

A- Solidly copper-red. Very clear, Head is two fingers, white, retains well and leaves good lacing.
S- The aroma is pleasant with bright citrus aromas with a hint of candy sugar in there. A bit of caramel as well.
T- Almost rounded this one up to 4.5. Citrus and a bit of tropical fruit, with a fairly sugary underpinning.
M- Pretty full bodied for the style. Carbonation is low. Dry finish.
O- A good IPA. Quite drinkable and very interesting with complex hop flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 01:13:00 | More by jsprain1

kylehay2004

Florida

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

A: large 4 finger head with excellent retention on a cloudy, amber and crimson body.

S: earthy and herbal hops with the mustiness of the fresh hops nicely represented. mild orange, pear and grapefruit citrus notes.

T: fairly bitter, mostly from pine, resin and earthy notes. caramel malts notes in the background. This one becomes thin in the finish with pine/grassy bitterness lingering late.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: I liked this one but the bitterness was a little much. Aroma was nice, borderline 4 to 4.5 rating. A nice one to try.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 23:28:10 | More by kylehay2004

Pintofbrown

Iowa

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

I traveled to opposite end of the world with a shaker pint.

Appearance- The bottle artwork is not the only good looking thing about this beer! A frothy and white finger-width cap covers completely and has real staying power. The lid is incredibly craggy and icing-like.

The body has a luminous, transparent bronze body. The highlights are almost amber in appearance. More carbonation in the glass than I expected, but it is not hurting anything!

Smell- There is less here than I would like. It is clean with some citrus undertones, mainly grapefruits. There is a little resin and some soapiness. Beyond that, not much else is going on.

Taste- The front of this one is all bitterness, resin, and a kiss of grapefruit. The back end has some bitterness and while I wait for the drink to fade, some cereal-like notes show for the malt.

I really wanted the flavor hops to stand out more. Without them, the soapy quality and the dull malts have to try to help out, and they do not.

Mouth feel- I like the feel of this one. It has nice heft for an IPA, a bigger medium body. It is pretty easy to drink as well. I was expecting more carbonation, I am glad it had the courtesy to hang back.

Overall- Despite the soft nature of all the flavors that should make this one stand out, this beer is still easy to drink. And it is good. The clean nature of the beer and the obvious signs a well-crafted beer are not lost on me.

The amount of effort they put into the bottle and artwork should translate a little better to the flavor side of things.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 01:52:00 | More by Pintofbrown

Steasy66

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bomber into 20oz glass
A- Amber with generous white head.
S- A bit lacking to be honest, not much here
T- Hint of citrus, a bit onion/garlic, very sweet, a bit of bitterness, nothing spectacular.
M- A bit thick given the ABV, decent carbonation.
O- Really lacking in the nose, weird hop flavors, not very good.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 04:46:32 | More by Steasy66

Dope

Massachusetts

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

Fresh 2012 bottle.

A: Clear reddish-amber pour. Enormous fluffy off-white head. Fades very, very slowly, almost refuses to disappear entirely. Leaves excellent lacework behind when it finally does.

S: Lots of pine and resin. A bit of grapefruit and just a hint of caramel follows.

T: Pine, resin and then some grapefruit. Fresh and bitter. Some caramel comes to the rescue, balancing it pretty decently. Lingering pine and resin bitterness in the finish and long into the aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied, good carbonation and almost astringent mouthfeel. Drying aftertaste.

O: Yum, great fresh hop beer. Good hop flavor and bitterness along with decent balance. Sierra Nevada never seems to disappoint. Another solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 04:01:53 | More by Dope

Darkmagus82

Montana

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

Served on-tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a very lightly hazed deep amber-orange color with an off-white/tan head of about one finger. The head had a medium level of retention, fading to give a good amount of lacing.

Smell – A citrus hop aroma was heavy and most prevalent. Mixed with this aroma there was some spice aromas as well as some sweeter aromas of caramel and tropical fruits. While the hop aroma was largely citrus of nature, there were some other lighter hop aromas of a floral and earthy nature as well.

Taste – Throughout the taste there was a good hop flavor base of citrus nature. With the citrus hop base, the taste began a bit on the sweeter side; a malty base with sweeter citrus and some brown sugar and caramel notes. Toward the middle of the taste the sweetness faded a bit, giving way to more hop flavors of an earthy nature. These flavors dried the beer’s taste out a bit and in the end when they were mixed with a floral hop flavor that came to the tongue, created a rather soothing hop flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of this beer was on the creamier side with the carbonation level being on the medium side. Both were fitting for the brew and created a good drinking feel.

Overall –This was a nice beer. While not quite as diverse and robust in the hop flavor as it’s Northern Hemisphere counterpart, it had nice characteristics with a good flavor blend.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 00:37:34 | More by Darkmagus82

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

At Tylers in Durham. I had high hopes after Northen Hemisphere which was fantastic, but this was a letdown. A big letdown. It doesnt smell like much. Alot of balanc. no real hops to be found. The dominant flavor was bitterness, but thats even a stretch. It just seemed a bit light compared to its northern counterpart.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2012 19:41:34 | More by VncentLIFE

TubaManJack

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2009
A large oddly shaped 24oz. bottle properly chilled. Poured into a pint glass. A large second batch addition to the label makes me wonder is this the second batch from the second year or just denoting that its the second time SN flew hops over from New Zealand?

Appearance- A nice cloudy amber into a typically nice APA. The body clears to reveal a clear body and yields a frothy head with some retention and a lot of lace.

Smell- The first smell I picked up was pine resin, a really surprise. Its like an typical West Coast style hopping. Then a musty hoppiness and then biscuit and caramel malts. No real citrus or floral/sweet fruit notes.

Taste- A real shocker, a lot of mustiness and sour resin. Not at all what I was expecting. The malt profile was just as states in the smell. However the hops are all over the place. A strong sheer bitterness akin to chewing on a toothpick.

Mouthfeel- Moderate with an appropriate carbonation. Very dry, almost parching feel.

Drinkability- Okay so I had the privileged of drinking beer for 6 months in New Zealand and I can tell you that something was lost in the translation and the hops. ---> Sweet and Succulent Hops were traded for something sour and piney. If your after NZ hops, this isn't your beer.

2012 vintage

I must apologize for my saddened inner Kiwi hop lover. I was able to get a much fresher bottle and I must say it does take me back. The scores have now been corrected.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 03:19:53 | More by TubaManJack

acevenom

Louisiana

4.78/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a brandy snifter. Pours golden orange with a thick, biege white head. The head dissipates very slowly. Lacing is left behind on the glass as the head dissipates. Some bubbles can be seen rising along the side of the glass and up from the bottom. Fresh citrus, piney, and floral hops as well as sweet malts hit the nose up front. It smells resinous and grassy. Bright hops are forward in the taste and are balanced by the just as forward sweet malts. Juicy citrus and resinous pine are well balanced here. It has a mild spiciness as well. The flavors are very bold and pleasing. The body is medium to full with adequate carbonation. The beer is smooth. The drinkability is very high. Overall, this is an excellent beer with great flavor and drinkability. Sierra Nevada once again has another winner with this IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 01:09:40 | More by acevenom

McStagger

California

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a tawdry copper with moderate carbonation. Moderate to high clarity. Two and a half fingers of ever so slight brown head. Retention is stellar. Lacing superb.

S: Sweetened malt bill in the nose. Toffee, vanilla, roasted sugars. Resinous, woody like hops presence.

T: Malt presence dominates. Definite hit of pineapple with tangerine rind. Milder and less powering hop presence in general compared to the Northern Hemisphere harvest. Finishes fairly dry, with the bitterness really holding on.

M: Good body on this. If anything, maybe a touch on the thin side. But just a touch.

O: Great beer that really opened up for me as I let it breathe and warm a little. I am remarkably surprised at how much this beer changed evolved over the course of thirty minutes. Definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 07:23:56 | More by McStagger

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

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

24 oz. bottle poured into standard pint. Julian code on the neck indicates it was bottled April 26, so it's about 6 weeks old.

A - Pours a cloudy, dirty golden amber color. A thin layer of off beige carbonation retains and leaves tiered lacing.

S - Smells of juicy citrus hops, biscuit malt, and tropical fruits. Very sweet, but the hops shine through.

T - Very similar to the aroma with citrus and hops dominating. There is a definite caramel malt presence, although it takes a back seat to the resinous hop flavors. I enjoy the finish which gives a quick burst of bitter followed by cleansing citrus. Easy drinking and delicious.

M - Good carbonation and medium body.

O - Sierra Nevada never disappoints with their hoppy beers. This one emphasizes tropical fruits and hops while maintaining balance. For about 6 bucks for 24 oz, this is a pretty good value. Not exceptional, but very good.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 03:17:11 | More by NoLeafClover44

ummswimmin

New Jersey

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

I've been pursuing this beer for quite a while to knock off the top 100 beers of fame. I just happened to run across this at my local bar as part of a Chouffe event. They listed it as just Harvest, and I was excited to learn that it was Sourthern.

I've never had New Zealand hops to my knowledge. But, they add a lot of complexity to the IPA style. You get peppery, and almost savory quality to the beer. I like how this beer works. It is different from the normal IPA.

I think it is great that a different offering would get such great reviews by other BA's.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 02:30:53 | More by ummswimmin

gtermi

Texas

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This pours a very nice clear amber color with a thick white head that quickly fades and leaves a lot of lace on the side of the glass. After a while it leaves a thin cloudy like head.

S: This has a very nice spicy hoppy scent. It has some pepper, some citrus and a tiny bit of alcohol.

T: The hops in this beer are intense, They have a sort of spice flavor to them and they linger for a long time. I am also picking up a bit of sweet malt.

M: There is a little bit of crispness on the back of the throat and quickly fades. There is just nothing special about this mouthfeel though.

O: This is a very tasty beer that I wish was year round. It has so much flavor and the hops used in this beer are very intense. Just an all around great beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 05:49:55 | More by gtermi