Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

6.3% ABV as indicated by the keg cap. Clear, copper in color with a very creamy and dense, 1/4" tight-bubbled tan head that holds really well and leaves very nice lace throughout the glass. The aroma is like opening a bag of fresh whole leaf hops! Stunning. Slightly sweet Cascades. It's hard to find the malt through the hop aroma. The body is medium with a very fine carbonation, giving a zesty mouthfeel that becomes creamy as it warms. The flavor is of a rich, lightly sweet, somewhat biscuity and brightly caramel malt entwined with restrained, grassy & lightly citrusy hop flavors. The hops are all in the nose! And that's not easy to do - very well brewed! Nor is the bitterness overdone. Very well balanced allowing malt and hop flavors to come through unhindered! An extremely nice and incredibly enjoyable beer that is absolutely worth seeking out. Draft only.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2002 20:38:07 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a shaker pint glass at Durty Nellie's.

Been dancing around this one for years, figured it was time to finally take it down. It pours a clear brass-amber topped by a finger of lightly sandy cream-white foam. The nose comprises pine needles, caramel, sweet toffee, and a bit of lemon zest. This isn't to say that it smelled old or anything, but rather it smelled more balanced than I imagined a wet hop from SN to be. The taste holds notes of pine resin, light cedar, mild caramel, light menthol, and a kiss of spearmint. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a nice wet hop, one that maintains a healthy balance without disregarding or canceling out the wet hop addition. Still, it is a bit one-sided in terms of hop flavor, but this isn't a total negative, as it works well with it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2012 19:42:02 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear amber in color, the beer has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that quickly died down yet left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light aromas of citrus and pine resin hops in the nose along with some notes of caramel malts.
T: The overall taste is very well balanced between the malts and hops; the initial taste has some notes of caramel and hints of sweetness while the finish has a light amount of bitterness.
M: If feels medium-bodied, smooth and a bit crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is very easy to drink because it is well balanced and there isn't a trace of alcohol perceptible in the taste.

Note: 2010 vintage

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 23:11:08 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

appearance: clear and bronze, under a light, thin, creamy tannish head.
Aroma: now, we're getting somewhere, fresh, fruity, ...citrus, grapefruit, peach, apricot, ...piney, floral, complex, and arousing.
On the palate, brisk and bold, grabbing and dominating the senses,a great hoppy blast with every swallow. Warm and toasty on the tongue, palpable hoppiness, hops never stop popping!
Great tasting, full bodied, with a long, fresh, hoppy finish.
My first encounter with this brew that I thought I'd have to travel to California to try, and now I'll have to return to the pub to satisfy this hop-craving I've developed!
In fact, it reminds me of the time two years back when I bought a new acquaintance a beer, and he had no choice, offered that he'd have whatever I had. So, I bought him a SN Celebration. Before he was halfway done with the pint, it started gurgling out of his mouth, and he offered no explanation for why it fled his lips.
Next time I saw him, he was drinking Rolling Rock.
If I bought him a pint of this, I'm thinking he would've hurled when it first met his lips.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2004 02:38:09 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The beer pours a nice amber color with a thick, frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a very nice, malty scent that boasts of pale, crystal, and Carapils malts along with a fantastic hop nose. It's well balanced and the hops are incredibly fresh. The taste is great. It has a kick ass hop bitterness that's so damn fresh tasting. The malt bill is incredibly balanced adding just the right amount of body and sweetness. It goes down quick and clean and leaves a nice residual hop presence. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium/full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is one fantastic IPA. What a hop bomb!!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 20:48:42 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the 13th release, I'm not sure I should add just another release to the list so I will refrain this time. Beer released in 2009. Beer is poured from a bottle into a goblet. Beer is amber / copper in color and forms a thin white head that falls away leaving a little lacing on the glass. Minimal to no haze at all.

Beer has a mild aroma, really mild in fact. Almost nothing to note. A vague sense of hops, maybe some malts, a pretty clean smelling beer.

Beer is bitter on the back end but only slightly. The mouthfeel is a little thin. Not a lot happening in the midpalate or front mouth areas as far as this beer. Second taste time, some funk in there as well. Not a well balanced hoppy ale, sorry SN. A slight miss IMO. Drinkability is fine, although the bitterness builds on you. Its mediocre, I expect more from you SN.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 02:19:36 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

13th release.

Poured a copper color with a small, white head. Smell is hoppy, but not the pine and citrus I was expecting. Taste is very well balanced, with lots of caramel and biscuity malt to go with a strong hop flavor. I am once again not getting much pine or citrus in the taste. It is more of an earthy hop aroma. A very well put together IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 21:40:07 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.26/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

24oz bottle acquired via trade with dertbert

A - Poured out a cloudy, amber/orange with a very foamy, off-white, two-finger head. It left nice rings of lace.

S - It smelled of fresh hops and grasses. It really had a nice floral aroma. There was also a roasted malt nose.

T - It had a great carmel roasted malt flavor. Good hop kick with hints of citrus.

M - It was crisp and very sharp. A medium-bodied beer.

D - Great APA. You can really tell how fresh hops make a difference in a beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 04:49:22 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 24oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep orange/amber color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of floral hops, fruity citrus and caramelized malt.

T: The taste is very well-balanced. There's a good, strong hops presence up front that is quickly followed by sweet flavors of citrus and caramel. Eventually, as the sweetness fades, the hops bitterness starts to take dominance. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Very tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style even though you could argue that this is an IPA rather than an APA. This is a very enjoyable beer that I could drink for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2007 05:17:12 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a nice looking copper color, the head was thick, foamy and white. The lacing was sticky on this brew. The smell of the beer has a big hop aroma to it along with some sweet malts in the background. The taste of the beer was pretty good, it's got the really nice bitter sweet bite that Sierra Nevada loves to do. The mouthfeel of the beer is lighter than a medium bodied brew, it's drinkable. Overall I enjoyed it, I thought this was a pretty good brew all around.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 15:29:55 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is the first time I've had this years, so I'm excited!

2007 offering pours a an effervescent copper/amber with 4+ fingers of fluffed up sand colored head.

S: Some piney hops & a little bit of caramel & breadyness as this warms. Very good lacing, loads of spots & clumps of bubbles stuck to the side & above average head retention

T: Breadyness with piney & grapefruitty hops up front. A bit of baker's chocolate as this warms along with leafy & piney hops. Finishes with grapefruitty & piney hops, plus some honey sweetness & a whisper of grainyness

MF: Medium bodied, a little oily with moderate carbonation & very good balance

Drinks very easy, a pretty good celebration of the hop, not perfect by any means. I recall this being better on draft, but I usually find that to be the case. Needs more aromatic hops to make me really happy. Just ecstatic to find it down here!

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2007 01:32:37 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.22/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap at the Hop Leaf, Chicago
This beer is a clear amber color, and it has a surprisingly long tasting tan head, at least for a draught beer. There is a fresh, herbal, hoppy character to this beer, and there is a hint of caramel to the nose as well. The taste is sharp and herbal, but there is perhaps a bit more malt character than is in the Celebration, I get note of caramel and biscuits. Of course this beer is about the hops, the hoppiness is quite sharp, definitely with an herbal quality to it, and it is just pungent. The sweet caramel like flavors of the malt mix with and, accentuate the orange-bergamot notes from the hops. The finish is fairly bitter, though this is a mix of traditional bitterness, and a contribution from the herbal hoppiness that is found in this beer. This is quite tasty, though it is perhaps a bit too green and herbal, though of course this is what this beer is all about.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2004 17:10:29 | More by Gueuzedude

emerge077

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep orange tone with good clarity. Cascading foam at first, a good 1" head that slowly simmers down. Lace that has a certain terraced effect, with stairstepped rings...pretty cool.

Citrusy grapefruit in the aroma, a little bit earthy and grassy, pure wet hops.

A nice toasted malt follows up the bitter yet juicy hop load. Lingering bitter pine with a hint of sweet. Malt has a round feel after the inital bitterness. Dry, tacky in the aftertaste. Very easy to finish the 24 oz. bottle. Reccommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2007 01:08:33 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

24 oz. big Sierra Nevada bomber bottle, excited to try this, it is finally out in bottles,

A: Pours a light amber colour, with a thick, off-white head, some generous lacing as well.

S: Smells generously of fresh hops, wet pine, grapefruit, some hay and earth, wet grass, lawn-mower clippings.

T: Taste is hop dominated, not as hoppy as I thought it be, but still quite tasty, nonetheless. Lots of pine and grapefruit, grass, tastes like a fresher version of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

M: Rich and creamy, not as resiny as I would have thought, good carbonation coats the tongue.

D: I'm still just getting into these harvest, wet hop ales, as they seem to be getting more available around here in Huntington and Orange County. A very good beer from Sierra Nevada, I will definitely be getting more of this while it is still available.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 05:42:41 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I grabbed a bomber of this while visiting a friend in Austin, Texas. This beer pours a medium copper, with a copius amount of foamy white head, with lots of lacing. The aroma is of citrus and pine hops, with a slight sweet malt presence. The taste has a moderate pine hop bite, and a smooth malt backbone, quite balanced. There is a mild carbonation, with no noticeable warming. This is very easy to drink, a decent offering from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2008 08:21:53 | More by biboergosum

Gavage

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2007 Harvest 11th Edition in a 24 oz bottle.

Appearance: pours a nice amber color with a 3"+ head that last a while before slowly falling to a thick surface foam. Thick lacing paints the glass.

Smell: big hop bitterness leaps out of the glass. Some caramels and fruity sweetness round it out.

Taste: the bold hop flavors are up front but not offensive. The oily bitterness is well balanced with the caramel sweetness. Pears and ripe green grapes provide some fruitiness and there is a definite dryness lingering around.

Mouthfeel: crisp and dry from start to finish. Medium bodied. Long aftertaste as the dryness and bitterness stick around for several minutes.

Drinkability: phenominal is all I can say. I think this is my favorite Sierra Nevada beer. Easy to drink, great tasting, and one everyone should get there hands on.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2007 23:11:30 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2007 Edition:

Pours bright orange amber. A fairly thick head settles to a foamy cover.

The smell is citric, floral with graininess and the tasty SN yeast-strain stamp on it.

This one is hoppy, spicy, citric fruitiness with a firm malt backbone. Caramelish/toffeeish (almost towards cocoa-ish?) sweetness intermingles with the bitter hoppiness. Fresh, slightly oily hop texture and malty texture intermingle magnificently. Finishes long and dry. Full, rich and pretty chewy.

This has a basic taste that reminds me of this brewery's pale ale, anniversary ale and something similar to the celebration. If you like those beers (which I do), then you will like this one, too! Complexities give it an enjoyability, as does the intermingling of the malty sweetness and hop bitterness. Well-done!

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2007 16:12:16 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Oh my, I think I'm in love. The hops are big, but are so perfectly balanced that I could drink this all night. I mean damn, lots of beers can throw tons of hops at you without making a great beer (I'm thinking of Weyerbacher's Hops Infusion). Other hoppy beers just don't feel right on the tongue, being too sticky or oily or sharp. But the 2007 Harvest is right on the money with big, complex citrus flavors rolling all over your mouth, all while being wonderfully drinkable.

2008 UPDATE: There's an intense citrus and pine hops hit at firsy, but it quickly fades to mellower grapefruit flavors. Still a great beer, but I found last year's beer to have a fuller hop flavor. Still worth a try. Very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2007 19:27:16 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 24 oz bottle from a recent trade with PBRstreetgang.

A: The ale is a brilliant copper color, deeper burnt siena color at the wider sections of the glass and orange at the narrower parts. The head on pour was huge, and luckily the Troegenator mug was more than able to handle the 4 fingers of foam. As a result of the foam explosion, lace clings to the side of the glass.

S: The ale has a well-balanced profile of maltiness and fresh hops. While both are in balance, neither one stands out and gets me fired up.

T: The bitterness of the hops is evident from the first sip. The piney and citrusy flavors grip the tongue and don't let go. The hops are not overwhelmingly strong but they do manage to block out any maltiness. Only as the ale warms does the finish reveal some cereal graininess. I like the hops up front but they lack a certain oomph.

M: The mouthfeel is nicely built on the hops. The bitterness that they convey is nice but a little to strong to be a great harvest ale.

D: As an APA, this is a nice drink. I'd like to see a little more wet hop flavor, as the uniqueness of the flavor makes for a great drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 03:04:46 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.63/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sierra Nevada 13th Release Harvest Wet Hop Ale

Appears a deep amber copper hue with a bright khaki off white head that forms thick and billows with cloudy texture above the rim of my imperial pint glass. I love these big 24 ounce Sierra Nevada offerings even the pale ale tastes great out of them. Lacing leaves behind big chunks of beautifully patterned head that clings to the class with each sip. This beer is a class act and at $3.49 a bottle it can't be beat, I bought three whilst shopping at the new Giant Eagle Market District this past Saturday.

Aroma is full of big raw herbaceous, resinous pine cone, citrus peel, and earthy bitterness from the fresh hop additions. Full on malt balance is achieved with a sweet caramelized glaze across the hop profile. There's nothing like fresh hopped beer, the hop nose is popping with character, each sniff makes you want to dive in.

The flavor draws you in even deeper with waves of hop flavor hitting you from every angle, any where from a slight vegetable freshness quality to floral, pine, earthy, and citric hop qualities slugging it out with one another. Amazingly complex and well constructed the value factor that this beer offers up is unbelievable, an OMG gold standard of fresh hopped ales. Sugar sprinkled grapefruit with some harsh fresh cut pine needle qualities, with herbaceous kind bud and earthy dirty hop oils. The malt balance is amazing sugar coated hops are awesome, caramelized brown sugar slightly toasted biscuits. Balanced flavorful wet hopped ale, they invented the wheel according to this beer label.

Mouthfeel is oily textured with resins that glide with each sip across the palate. Carbonation levels are so moderate and natural it's a smooth drinking experience for sure that I will revisit every season as long as they continue to this awesome tradition. I've been drinking the Wet Hopped Ale since circa 2000-2001.

Drinkability overall is killer something that you will want to hoard but an experience that you should definitely pass around to some close friends. Considering this type of experience could convert a fraction of the masses drinking mindlessly bland tasting American industrial lager.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2009 19:59:51 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2007.

First off I love this 24 ounce bottle. I don't think I have ever had a 24 ounce bottle of beer.

Pours a crystal clear orange amber with a very nice sized crème head that has excellent staying power. Nose is very sticky, piney hops. Flavor is interesting. Kind of like a nice and thickly hopped ale with a leafy thing mixed in on the backend (to appease the whole "harvest" thing). Feel has a lot of carbonation to it and the liquid is pretty well bodied. Overall this is a good APA. Definitely smooth and robust. The bite is a bit much on the bubble, but it is definitely worth going for.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 05:45:07 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured amber with an off white head that disipated. Nose is very nice, the fresh (wet) hops really give it a different aroma with a nice malt backbone. Taste is of caramel malt, but the hops seem to be very subtle compared to a dry hopped beer, nice hop flavor with a tad bit of bitterness at the the end. Definatly a beer I could have a few of, and one of the better SN beers I have ever had. Smelled and tasted GREAT

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2008 20:58:23 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Gorgeous head that leaves some sticky lace on the glass side. It features traditional pale ale golden hues without any cloudiness at all.

Fresh dry-hop aroma; inviting. Some pale malt presence as well.

Very high prickly hop--almost like pine needles. The swallow features a long lingering lip-puckering hop bitterness. The malt provides the delivery system for this. Solid skim milk-like body with a low level of carbonation.

What a wonderful offering--it looks great and tastes better. Some great hoppiness that lingers well into the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2007 02:47:21 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in an American pint glass)
11th edition 2007 batch
A- This beer has a caramel-brown body that is crystal clear with a sea of big bubbles. There is a lumpy beige head that last for the full beer pushing up more and more big bubbles.

S- This beer has a soft floral hops aroma that has a green smell to it followed by a light toasted malt hint.

T- This beer has a soft caramel malt flavor with a smooth mellow floral hop taste to follow. The finish is a soft punch of green bitterness that lingers.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a tight fizz in the finish.

D- This beer has some subtle hop flavors that are more muted than I would expect for 8,000 lbs of wet hops. The bitterness really comes through and is a bit more than I would like without a big flavor of hops. There is a quality to the hops that may be just my imagination but it has as unique flavor like MSG that makes me anxious for the next sip. Perhaps that is the mystery of the wet hops, but it is still tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2007 03:15:28 | More by rhoadsrage

Wasatch

Utah

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to ArrogantB for this brew.

Pours a nice clean/clear dark golden orange color, nice carbonation, nice one finger creamy off-white head, lots of nice sticky lacing follows. The nose is hoppy, with some malts, citrus, pines, some spicyness, and caramel. The taste is a hop bomb, some malts kick in later with a slight sweetness, nice citrus/pine tones, and nice touch of spices/caramel. The finish is slightly dry and bitter. Medium body. Very drinkable, a mighty fine brew from SN.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2008 20:32:13 | More by Wasatch