Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

mnphish

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

09-29-2012 22:39:37 | More by mnphish

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From: Friar Tuck, Savoy, IL
Date: None, "2013" on bottle label (showed up in stores last week)
Glass: Tulip

I had high hopes for Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum, but the overall beer is a mess of ethanol heat and hop bitterness, malt character and hop/yeast fruit esters oftentimes being lost in these major two players. To me, the ethanol obviousness during tasting detracts from this beer, as it takes up "flavor real estate" that should be devoted to hops and hop-associated flavors. In the end, this comes across as a fairly run-of-the-mill DIPA: high in bitterness with moderate fruit flavors, and far too pronounced and obvious in ethanol that ravages and withers the complex malt profile used.

Pours a 1.5cm tall head of slightly off-white colored foam, made up of small bubbles, creating a fairly dense-looking froth. Retention is for about one-and-a-half minutes, somewhat above average for the style, eventually leaving a thin ring around the perimeter of the glass and a fairly large, wispy island of foam sitting atop the body of the beer. The lacing that's left is thick and heavy, a nearly complete wall of foam adhering to the walls of the glass. The body is a transparent copper-brown color, with bringing out bright orange-copper hues. Carbonation is visible in the beer, it being moderate in number, but frantic in movement.

Aroma of candied orange peel, grapefruit sections, slight honey, and enough pale malts to create a caramel-like sweetness. Good, but not as bold or dank as I was expecting, given the IBUs and, well, name of the beer.

The major flavors are strong hop bitterness, pine resin, grapefruit, a surprising amount of spicy ethanol, and a moderate caramel malt sweetness in the background. Tasting opens with bright fruit flavors including peach, guava, and orange, hints of oncoming hop bitterness, and spicy, peppery ethanol. Mid-palate of strong hop bitterness, pine resin, spicy ethanol, grapefruit, orange peel, minor guava and pale malt sweetness. Back of palate features strong ethanol, hop bitterness, grapefruit, and slight pine resin; most flavors are obscured by the ethanol at this point. Aftertaste of ethanol, long-lingering hop bitterness, and sweet pale malts giving the overall impression of an alcoholic hop candy.

Beer is medium to medium-heavy in body with carbonation of medium intensity. The result is a slightly foamy, somewhat smooth mouthfeel, with an unfortunate heat and burn brought on by ethanol. Ethanol is easily and quickly felt on the tongue, throat, and in the nostrils for most of each sip, again detracting from enjoyment of this beer. Closes semi-dry, with astringency around the sides of the mouth, and substantial stickiness lingering on the lips and across the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 06:10:28 | More by falloutsnow

PaleZombie

Arizona

4.23/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a wine glass.

A - Nice copper/tangerine color with about 1 finger of foamy white head that quickly dissipated.

S - Big grapefruit, pine, some citrus, slight note of some sweet malts. Only a mild alcohol sent as it warmed.

T - Very bitter grapefruit followed by pine then the slight slight citrus and malt to clean up the pallet. Bitter in the finish though which lasts quite long. Surprisingly I barely detect the alcohol it seems more like a 6-7% as opposed to a 10.4.

M - Fairly slick oily feel with a medium body and perfect carbonation.

O - The more I drank this and let it warm the more I liked it. The flavor and aromas were awesome and for a 10.4% beer I could hardly detect the alcohol. This beer is extremely well crafted and another great beer from Sierra Nevada. Cheers!!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 04:29:23 | More by PaleZombie

Ish1

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-24-2013 02:43:18 | More by Ish1

tmaestro

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-24-2013 00:41:36 | More by tmaestro

bostonryan

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-24-2013 00:28:51 | More by bostonryan

CHILLINDYLAN

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Clear pale orange. Big frothy oily beige head. Thick tight lacing.

Very hop pungent. Pine, resin, spicy, Grapefruit pith, ganja, floral. Light sweetness of malt is hidden below the hops dominance.

Big resinous pine, ganja, and grapefruit. rounded out a bit by some toasty sweetness and alcohol. big bitterness with piney resinous aftertaste.

big sticky resinous and oily medium body. astringent. drying. good carbonation that just gets through the oils.

hoppy beast. drinks very well. great piney resinous profile.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 23:06:43 | More by CHILLINDYLAN

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

4.39/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

$12.99/4-pack. 2013 vintage. Bottled March 26, 2013. Poured into a chalice

A very nice beer! A unique taste profile that I cannot completely describe, but which I totally love. One of the top SN products out there today. Drink this one fresh. I previously had a 2012 vintage, which I just drank in March 2013. I gave that beer a 3.75 "had." Age definitely affects hops and definitely affects this beer.

A - Pours a clear golden color with a one-finger rocky off-white head. Average lacing.

S - Primarily citrusy/grapefruit notes, then some resininess and then finally some slight
malt sweetness. No alcohol.

T - Starts with a sharp resiny bitterness (100 IBU). Some slight sweetness creeps in along with grassiness and then a smooth finish. No lasting bitterness compared to some brews. A fairly well balanced beer for an Imperial IPA.

MF - A medium body beer. Starts sharp, ends smooth wth a bitterness. Not a palate killer.

This is a re-review. First review was a 3.75 Had on 3/30/2013.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 21:19:45 | More by Sludgeman

andysc83

South Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-23-2013 21:12:40 | More by andysc83

Brewphish

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-23-2013 18:18:53 | More by Brewphish

amcaleh

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-23-2013 18:07:08 | More by amcaleh

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-23-2013 13:08:47 | More by ipas-for-life

mmcnaughton

Michigan

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-23-2013 11:42:42 | More by mmcnaughton

arfenhouse

California

4.34/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Hazy orange-copper with off-white head. Good retention and some lace.

S: Spicy hops and tangerine. Pine needles and a bit of floral hops. Very light on the malt and a just noticeable alcohol. The aroma is small compared to the taste, about 2 mo. so maybe that's the problem.

T: Upfront grapefruit, pine needles, and some pineapple. Decent amount of malt sweetness and floral hop that reminds me of honey.. Pine, resin, and tangerine at the back end going into the aftertaste.

M: Medium-full mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Coats the mouth and has a dry bite.

O: Bitter, hoppy, and high ABV. Great if you're looking for something with a a big hop kick.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 07:36:07 | More by arfenhouse

JesseMurdock

Hawaii

3.74/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

this was my first DIPA so take this review with a grain of salt. when i popped open the bottle, a wave of hops hit me. the smell was pungent and delicious. the first taste is pretty good, lots of pine and grapefruit. however, there is a strong lingering bitterness that stays with you long after you swallow. there is also an astringent alcohol taste. when i swallow, i'd wince a tiny bit as if i was drinking hard liquor. the initial flavor and aroma is great, but the bitterness and booziness did not make for an enjoyable drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 06:52:12 | More by JesseMurdock

rhizomatic

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-23-2013 05:01:01 | More by rhizomatic

Dave_Treat

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -22.4%

05-23-2013 02:29:38 | More by Dave_Treat

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-23-2013 01:51:26 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

J10Jordan

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-23-2013 01:19:09 | More by J10Jordan

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle > Pint Glass

A - Pours a nice orange yellow color, shy of a finger of head that fades quick, medium lacing.
S - Orange preserves, toffee, hop oil, earthy and herbal hop scents, sweet caramel malt.
T - A bigger and strong assault against your palate, orange candy, light pine, syrupy malt, and a tad boozey.
M - Overly sticky feel, and very very heavy. Not something you'd want more than one of.
O - There's wayyy too much of everything in this beer, too much IBU, malt sweetness and over the top alcohol flavor. I cant remember what I thought when I had it last year, but I'm not really a fan. Its not god awful, but if you're looking for a full forced palate-obliterating beer, this would be one.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 00:31:49 | More by Omnium

morefackinghops

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-22-2013 21:37:37 | More by morefackinghops

hodak1172

Michigan

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-22-2013 21:17:00 | More by hodak1172

hoptualBrew

Florida

4.71/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Light copper in color near glowing shade of orange. Clear without any sediment or cloudiness. Cream white head with active carbonation rising. Sticky lacing.

Aroma of wet pungent piney grapefruit hop varietals. Very perfume forward hops with a complimentary floral bouquet and caramel malt sweetness to balance out. Clean, no yeast esters.

Bitter floral, pine and sweet citrus. Sticky hop oils, sweet caramel malt and building astringency. Bitterness stays around for a long time, balanced by character of the malt bill. Very easy to drink, the 10.4% abv is not transparent with the exception of a very mild heat in the back.

Carbonation is perfect, lets the hop oils stick while also allowing it to be easily drinkable. Medium full mouthfeel with lasting bitterness and hop flavors.

Great IIPA, by one of the best in the business. Sierra Nevada nails just about every beer they put out, with this being the epitome of their style.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 20:36:08 | More by hoptualBrew

Heretic42

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-22-2013 18:41:35 | More by Heretic42

KVNBGRY

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-22-2013 15:14:40 | More by KVNBGRY