Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Pours out orange with a frothy white head. Good retention from a nicely sized cap. Nice ring leaves rings of lace wherever I stop from taking a sip.

S- Big and hoppy. Mostly pine and citrus zest coming off of it. Pretty much like a big pile of alcoholic pine needles with some fruit. Just a bit of malt/grain.

T- Once again very pine-heavy and alcoholic. I feel like I am drinking a forest or something. The whole cone hops seem to give off an oak feel as well. Some notes of citrus fruit and zest. Some caramel malt since it is such a big beer.

MF- Very oily body that feels like you are just drinking hop oil. Body itself is creamy and moderate in thickness. Carbonation is on hte lower end and allows the hop flavor to really come out.

DB- Another beer that just feels like a kitchen sink of hops, like Hop Dam and Devil Dancer. There should be a limit/tasteful higher end amount of hop flavor. The huge flavor and alcohol just feel messy.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 23:51:25 | More by cbutova

CASK1

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip. Deep gold color with brilliant clarity. Impressive clarity for the level of hops. Large off-white heads fades somewhat, but leaves a nice layer of foam to the bottom of the glass. Sweet orange aroma dominates, with a background piney, Earthy hop contribution. Light alcohol sweetness, and a very low but detectable malt sweetness in the background. The flavor is dominated by a complex hop character, featuring citrus, tropical fruit and wood. Hop bitterness is high, but surprisingly balanced by a low, complex malty sweetness. The medium-full body dries out very nicely in the finish, thanks to the hop bitterness and alcohol. I know I should take my time and perhaps sip this DIPA, but the drinkability keeps me reaching for another big mouthfull. Hope SN brews this again!

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 21:58:42 | More by CASK1

bunnyhustle

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have to say when i poured this beer I was in love until i tasted it...i still thought it was great, just wasnt in love anymore. Pours golden in color with rocky white head with great retention and lacing. Smell is amazing, I came so close to giving it a 5 but i always hesitate with the 5's. Amazing fresh hops, seriously has that smell of a hop leaf in your hand. Some alcohol and malt but mainly just those fresh citrusy hops. Taste I felt was a little heavy on the malt side. A little sweet. I know you need to up the malt and sugar to achieve something of this ABV but it just seems as though there are some DIPA that are a little more balanced. Mouthfeel was fuller and had a very velvety feel. Overall a great beer and the ABV is hidden pretty well. I would revisit.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 07:11:29 | More by bunnyhustle

flexabull

California

4.22/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright and clear gold color with a fine white head.

Aromas are wonderful. Very green, resiny, and dank. There are hints of sweet oranges, and hints of pine. But wow, this mostly smells like a plant that is closely related to hops.

Taste is bitter, but with some balance. Starts out with pine, citrus, and hints of resin. Beer then settles into a nice backdrop of malts, caramel, and hard candies. Finish is crisp and quite dry with strong bitter pine and grapefruit.

Mouthfeel is good. Full, with prickly carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. This is a very good DIPA, and a solid offering from Sierra. It is definitely on the hoppy side, but it does have a malt component that helps balance this one.

While this is a nice beer, I can't help but wonder what the Hopsichord would taste like bottled. I still think that one was better.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 05:33:01 | More by flexabull

trubeernick

California

4.72/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I saw this beer today in the store and had not heard of it. I went to school in Chico so I have a special place in my heart for SN. I love IPA's and this imperial is awesome. Not to hold bias, but It is great. I drank half the bottle and didn't realize that it was 10% alc until I went back for a refil. The aroma of the hops is perfect and combined with the sweetness of the flavor makes for a beer I will stock up on.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 04:49:21 | More by trubeernick

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

24oz bottled Dec 17, 2010.

$10 bottle here in Georgia, way too expensive compared to other markets, either distributor pricing error or pure greed. Pretty expensive so I hope it's good.

Pours hazy copper/amber with a large foamy white head that leaves some clumpy lacing and holds an island and foamy ring.

Aroma is that Simcoe goodness that I love, serious grapefruit, cat spray and lots of marijuana, some pine, grass, touch of caramel. Very good strength.

Flavor is grapefruit rind, resinous hops, good dose of caramel malt, touch of sweetness but great bitterness especially on the finish. Some alcohol but it is integrated well.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, sticky, medium carbonation.

Damn good stuff, I love me some Simcoe hops and this delivers. Price is too high though (we got screwed here in GA), and for a Simcoe kick I'll go with the cheaper and equally as good (if not better) Double Simcoe from Weyerbacher.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 03:33:01 | More by elgiacomo

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a orangish copper color with good carbonation and a nice white cap.

S: Nice fresh hops with a good hoppy aroma. Very green, fresh, citrus, floral notes

T: Some caramel, booze sting, good amount of hopoils and sitrus, floral notes. The bottle tasted more hop forward then the draft version to me

M: Medium bodied with a biting feel with a boozey, hop bite

D: Pretty good but after i fnished the bottle I diod not want another

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 03:25:21 | More by barleywinefiend

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.58/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

While visiting the in-laws in Kirkland, stopped in at the Malt and Vine and found the lovely bartender updating the draft list with this gem. What timing!!!

Appearance. Glowing deep amber-orange with a 1/4 finger head that quickly disappears into foamy whips and islands.

Smell. Massive piney hops. A little orange and grapefruit with a hint of alcohol.

Taste. Instant bitter hops along with a slightly understated caramel malt hit. Pine sap, slightly sweet malt and a bitter citrus peel finish. Strong hop presence from begining to end with enough malty goodness to keep those hops in check.

Mouthfeel. Medium carbonation with oily hop bitterness. Awesome.

Drinkability. I'm probably a little biased due to my hop fixation, but I'm on my third and could drink this baby all night long. Considering the abv, this is an exceptional drinker.

I've been a big fan of Torpedo and had great expectations for this one. Better than expected which is saying alot. I suspected cleaning out the Bellevue Whole food of their last 4 bottles was a wise choice. Those suspicions were confirmed tonight.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2011 02:15:27 | More by Rutager

obrike

Texas

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wow...just wow. Actually saw this at HEB, not Specs...scooped it up on sight.

Beautiful light orange hue, nice sticky lacing in my chimay goblet.

Quite a strong pine scent,...reminds me of picking up a fresh pine cone that dropped off one of the pine trees in my front yard growing up in Houston. Citrus hints as well, but pine overwhelms.

Man, DIPA lovers will certainly appreciate this effort. The strong pine and spiciness is mouthwatering. Exactly what I was craving when I first heard about this beer. Very hop forward...just a bit of sweet malt, but hopheads won't mind. For an over 10% beer, this one goes down quite easy.

(new notes from 4/15/12)

Now that this is in 4 packs at 9.99, I'm much more likely to pick it up. The original bomber I bought about a year ago was about 9 bucks on it's own.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 00:38:58 | More by obrike

SolomonGrundy

California

4.28/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This might be a "Holy Crap!" moment...They dub this a "Whole Cone Imperial IPA". Neat...Sierra has been stepping up their game recently, it would seem. I like the results so far, but this MIGHT be the topper...

Pours a glorious, clear orange-amber. The edges tint more towards straw and lemon up against the light. Well carbonated, unusually nice looking. The head though? Whoa!!! It pours immense, creamy, smooth, super persistent. Carbonation is super slow rising, also. No idea why (because I am neither a brewer nor an established taster) they rise so slow, but it's cool. It's so cool, like slow motion. Lacing is like a snow drift. Fabulous looking beer, maybe best I've ever seen.

Aromas are loaded with Humboldt green - no lie. That must hearken to the whole cone aspect. Some spicy pepper notes, some pine in the background. Mostly it's that THC laden wonder herb, though. A little bit of cedar wood also. Really cool and unique.

If the pour and aroma weren't just the set up, here we go....Flavor is incredible. Unique notes of cedar and Humboldt's finest line up, kind of in lock step with each other. Perfectly balanced nuances in this beer. They carry into the middle which is equal parts malt and hops. Nice crashing bitterness is complemented so well by the caramel and two row malts used (I think. As I said, I'm a novice). The hop character is long, deep and inviting rather than extract-like dominating. This beer is fabulous and incredible. It's also a whopping 10.4% ABV and is expensive as hell at $7.99/500ml bottle. There are many more expensive out there, but few will match this beer's wonderful robustness and balance. High alcohol is almost completely masked, but noticeable in the finish as the ale warms up. I could see people getting painfully ill off this beer because it's so drinkable. After a few sips, the alcohol is warming. When this beer starts to warm up, even more complexities come out. Might be the best beer ever brewed by landmark brewers SN. Must find and try folks. Absolutely astonishing.

What I like most: Almost everything is perfect. I can almost not find fault in it.

What I like least: The price, and only just barely.

Verdict: An elite and World Class effort from America's landmark brewer. Almost flawless and a must try for any beer enthusiast. Close to the best beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 00:11:47 | More by SolomonGrundy

KJH

Washington

2.6/5  rDev -37.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

This beer looks great in the glass but the aroma does not have the normal hop notes that i expect from a double IPA.

This beer is HOT! The 10% ABV is present in every part of the taste. Reasonably bitter with some malt presence. My impression is that this is more like an imperial Amber with some extra hops.

And did I mention the hot alcohol tones! That really made this beer almost undrinkable. And certainly not enjoyable.

Save your money and buy 2 bottles of Hop Stoopid or your other favorite double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 23:53:20 | More by KJH

kingcrowing

Vermont

3/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

24oz bottle poured into a sampling glass.

Pours a really nice clear bright golden amber with a small white head, really nice. The aroma is grassy, pretty bitter and a bit fruity.

Taste goes down hill, it's very boozy and a bit harsh, a hot and hard to drink. Mouthfeel is a bit light and astringent. Worth skipping.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 21:13:35 | More by kingcrowing

beerhan

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Swig. Poured into a pint glass with a reddish brown color, lots of carbonation and no head. Smells like bitter green onions. There is little to no taste here. I understand that IPAs are supposed to be bitter and there are many beers with a higher IBU count than this but they all have flavor. This is nothing but bitterness and no real flavor. It was like grinding my tongue against a rock. The hops are there but so bitter. For what its worth, this was somewhat easy to drink but that's it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 18:21:49 | More by beerhan

quindog

Colorado

4.72/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The liquor store in my town had been hyping the arrival of this beer weeks before the expected arrival date (which they claimed to be January 1). Needless to say, being the Imperial IPA fiend that I am, when it finally showed up on the shelves on January 20 I was foaming at the mouth.

I must admit I don't drink much Sierra Nevada these days, thought I think their Celebration and Torpedo are both solid. But I do give them credit for being part of, if not starting the west coast hoppy tradition that has since made its way across the country. Their pale ale is still classic IMO. That being said, I had high expectations for this DIPA and it did not disappoint.

Poured into a tulip glass and was immediately greeted with the smells of pine and grapefruit. A little bit of head and decent lacing, that faded relatively quickly. Color is a medium amber, on the darker side for the style compared to some but very good clarity. Taste was much like the smell but came with a combo of a sweet malty beginning and a powerful bitter hop backbone. Alcohol is definitely present, though not overpowering. It goes well with the onslaught of hops and IMO allows them to take the bitterness to a deeper level. As the beer warmed I could really taste the levels of flavors - the hops came more to the front. The most unique aspect of this beer was that the hop bitterness lingered longer than any other DIPA I can remember. Two hours after I finished the bottle my tongue was still tingling with the bitterness of the hops - even after I brushed my teeth. It was quite enjoyable.

Overall I thought this beer was amazing and one of the better Imperial IPAs I've tried in a while. A definite for any hophead though be prepared for a little alcohol. This one is definitely a sipper.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 17:14:10 | More by quindog

modernartblues

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from Notes

24oz bomber, bottled on 12.16.10, Served into Duvel Tulip

A: huge off white-ish head, amber golden body, minimal haze, quite clear, nice messy lacing

N: lots of C-hops, grassiness, grapefruit, some pine

T: some pine, sweet and then strong bitterness on the finish, good but not great, almost like a doubled version of SNPA, not a ton of fruit flavors and very balanced....I had this 5 week beer an hour after my 5 week old Pliny and Pliny was far and away superior, though I guess this would be expected

M: chewy & bubbly, not light, a little heavy for the style, which I will put up with if the hoppiness was a bit more aggressive

D: wouldn't buy again at this price, but may try it on draft to get a fresher sample, overall prefer Celebration to this in the normal course of things

Have to say I think this is a slightly better beer than my ratings will indicate, but was a disappointment from the usually hop heavy SN.

Note: Sampled again when second batch (12 oz bottles) came out and found the beer much improved. New ratings are from second batch (apx. 2 week old bottles).

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 15:40:44 | More by modernartblues

whatthehull

California

4.55/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured into a New Belgium snifter

A - Nice copper color with a decent head. Lace was present during pour only.

S - Reminds me of the estate grown IPA. Very floral and a bit sweet

T - Awesome. Big citrus sweet bitterness up front and malty bitterness at the end. Balanced if nothing else

M - Heavy up front medium finish. Exploding with bitterness and sweetness

D - May be undrinkable for the average IPA drinker. For anyone who is an IPA whore like me, very drinkable on at least an every week basis

Final thought - Sierra Nevada is a great brewery and while all their beers may not be top tier, they are always good for a bottle or 12

(2011 vintage)

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 09:49:31 | More by whatthehull

brotherloco

California

4.43/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Was looking forward to this one. Spotted it in my local bottle shop yesterday and had to grab a couple. (And c'mon, I know the label doesn't count in the score, but it rules)

Smells very piney with a mix of grapefruit citrus.

Taste is sweeter than I was expecting from the smell. Hop oils quickly take over and coat your tongue. This is my favorite part of the beer.

Mouthfeel is slightly thinner than expected, but about right to make this very drinkable. The alcohol isn't completely hidden either, but is buried enough to give this a good drinkability score.

Overall I'm really happy that SN brought this aggressive beer to the masses.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 06:01:12 | More by brotherloco

emmasdad

Colorado

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

Picked this one up at the liquor store next to the Whole Foods today. Poured a very dark golden color, with an inch and a half of beige foam on top. Huge citrusy hop aroma jumps out of the glass. On the palate, grapefruit and alcohol lead to a long bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 05:02:40 | More by emmasdad

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured 24 bottle into a 13 oz tulip glass. Bottled on 351 day of 2010, pretty fresh. A very attractive dark orange. Sticky two inch head, plenty of lacing. Very strong smell of grapefruit, pine, and orange. Taste is so pungent in the best way possible. Same as smell, but more balanced then expected. Good carbonation & the best mouthfeel of this style I have had. I love this beer and want to know if it will be around often or a limited once a year? My favorite DIPA now. So drinkable for 10% plus. A hop heads & maybe even a pot heads dream.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 02:11:04 | More by SawDog505

dciBA

Maine

4.63/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours amber from the oversized bomber into my SN hop leaf glass. Thin white head forms and lingers for the life of the beer.

Big hoppy smells in the nose. Spicy, piny, fruity, citrus, this runs the gambit of hop smells. Just the kind of smell I want in a DIPA

Taste is predictably hoppy. This one is kind of weird in that the sweet caramel malt is what you taste initially but quickly your palate is assaulted with hops. The fruity hops dominate the flavor, but plenty of citrus and pine as well.

Mouthfeel is amazing with this beer. Tons of hop resin coats your palate after each sip. A solid amount of bitterness leaves your tongue tingling as well. The ABV is very well hidden in the taste. Goes down really well for a 10 percenter but it becomes a sipper quite fast.

Overall a great beer from Sierra Nevada. I hate making comparisons to other beers in my reviews but this tastes a lot like Celebration and Torpedo combined and then turbocharged.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 00:52:05 | More by dciBA

HopNuggets

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured 24oz bottle into Spiegelau stemmed pilsner glass.

A - Poured a nice clear light sunrise orange with a finger head that stuck around for a bit that could easily be agitated back up. Leaves a nice heavy lacing down the glass that is very impressive.

S - Major grapefruit upfront with some caramel / toffee backing it.

T - Citrus, citrus, citrus with caramel sweetness to follow. Bitterness is huge, probably one of the most bitter beers I have drank. The sweet smooth caramel comes out a bit in the late taste but aftertaste goes back to citrus and cheek puckering bitterness.

M - Moderate to higher carbonation on the tongue it's a bit thicker than the appearance makes it seem and leaves a coating around the mouth.

D - For 10.4% and well over 100 IBUs it is quite drinkable. I will have no issue finishing this entire super fresh 24oz.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 00:45:45 | More by HopNuggets

mbusster88

New York

4.83/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from 24oz bottle into perfect pint.

A: Pours with a good off white head and light copper colored body. Tons of carbonation off the bottom of the glass.

S: Smells like fruit juice. Tons of tangerine and grapefruit. Get tons of great hop aroma right up front in this one, really fresh smelling as well.

T/M: Right away get the drying hop flavors and the citrus. Very easy on the palate but also semi-dry. Good character throughout for the hops that are extremely fresh and very pungent. Great mouth feel that makes it an easy beer to drink. Love the overall palate and flavor as it is so well done.

D: This beer is well worth picking up. I think this is one of the better DIPA I have had to date. I will be returning to the store to get more of this as it is so dang good.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 00:11:53 | More by mbusster88

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Didn't want to shell out the $ for a bottle of this bad boy, so I was really excited to see this one on tap at City Bev in town. A full pint, poured out a clear dark orange with a finger-width white head on top. Minor lace. The nose is splendid, with bursts of fresh pine, grapefruit juice, orange zest, and light alcohol. Very nice for the style.

The mouth was crisp and clean. Alcohol was very apparent. Big boozy DIPA here. That's almost all I could notice at first, but the hops came through in the end. Crisp, sharp, and highly bitter. There we go. Still, this is one of the more boozy beers I've had in awhile. Much more so than Hopslam. Sweet sugary flavors meld in there, but the booze just takes over. This was decent, but I like my DIPAs a little less aggressive. Glad I tried it though.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2011 19:39:03 | More by Onenote81

breyton490

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

In Mass at Julios liquors I had to ask for this beer and was limited to purchasing 2 bottles per visit. They said they are only giving the beer out by request due to lack of inventory.
$10 / 24 oz bottle

Appearance: light, golden, tad lighter than SN PA. Comes in a 24 oz bomber.

Smell: Wonderful. Best aroma off of any SN beer I have had. Very floral, piney, perfume like.

Taste: Bitterness is there to support a 10.4% beer, nice balance. Definitely get a big taste/hit of alcohol but its not hot.

Mouthfeel. Similar to SN PA, but bigger

Drinkability: Very good for a beer this size, but at 10.4% Abv, I don't think i could down more than 2 bottles without taking a nap.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 19:29:05 | More by breyton490

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a stange. Beer is amber and clear with a small head of small and tiny bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation is moderate to low.

Earthy meets piny with a backdrop of some citrus hop character, smells like a Sierra Nevada IPA.

Beer is medium in body with only a mild malt backbone to begin with. The center palate has a nice hop forest on it with a complex mixture of flavors, pine and grapefruit with some earthy sulfur / resin. Beer is quite drinkable, about what I expected, it did not disappoint.

I will also say that this is a really cool label. It kind of makes me laugh.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 13:54:15 | More by drabmuh