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

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

24oz bottle into a wide flute

A: This is a beautiful beer, it pours a very clear amber color with three fingers of head. The head retention on this beer is better than any other beer I've ever seen. The lacing is equally good. It doesn't get better than this for IPAs.

S: Spicy and grassy hops are most prominent here along with some citrus and pine. This beer has a ton of complex hop aromas. Lots of bready malts in the background as well.

T: Again, very spicy and grassy, just like the aroma. Bready malts are also quite prominent to help balance the intense hoppiness. Bitterness is moderate to strong, but certainly well balanced by maltiness.

M: Definitely on the thick side for an IPA with a nice carbonation.

O: Sierra Nevada's hoppy beers never cease to amaze me. This beer is intense, balanced, and absolutely delicious. I'm very impressed.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 00:43:56 | More by coreyfmcdonald

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber from Party Source Syracuse NY for 6$ - 2012 Edition

Appearance - Clear dark copper colour with an above average size frothy/fizzy beige coloured head. There is a lot of carbonation showing and there is some great lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grapefruit, oranges

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel and malts mixed with lots of bitter hops. There is also some grapefruit/oranges mixed with something along the lines of rye. It ends with a malty sweet aftertaste with quite a bit of lingering resin/hop bitterness.

Overall – This one lives up to it reputation. Another wonderful beer from SN. It reminds me of a more complex and hoppier version of their celebration ale. Now I just need to track down the Southern version when that rolls around.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 01:12:48 | More by spinrsx

AmitC

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So excited to open this, and that too on a friday night.

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

Clear red amberish color. One finger thick off-white head that dissipates and turns into a thin persisting head. Excellent lacing. Quite a large number of bubbles. Very clear reddish ruby tint. Perfect.

Aroma: Citrus upfront. Grassy and fresh hoppy aroma. Pine notes are abundant as well. Good, rich and complex aroma that fills your nose with aplomb. Malts take a backseat.

Taste: Bitter hops upfront. Very clear wet hopping. Malt just lessens the effect of hops and otherwise is non-existent. Dry bitter finish. Should not be very high on IBUs but is delicious. Lingering hop taste in the mouth that is very distinct from dry hopping. Some grapefruit after taste.

Mouth feel :Medium bodied. Oily feel. Very resiny and extremely smooth finish. Moderate carbonation.

This is a phenomenal beer. With SN, you never are disappointed. Good bang for the bucks. I just love it.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 00:23:54 | More by AmitC

Danno48

West Virginia

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Great head on this beer. Really thick and fluffy. Also a nice clear amber color.
Smell is amazing. Smooth pine and a slight alcohol smell.
Taste is so so so so smooth as far as the hop notes are concerned and the balance of the malt is extremely perfect. Although I have ti say it isn't as intense of a flavor as the southern hemisphere harvest.
I actually think that it is smoother in the mouth than the southern one though... Crazy drinkable.
Love this beer... wish it came in six packs of bottles that were twice as big.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 03:07:18 | More by Danno48

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.78/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Into a pint glass (also for some odd reason also put in another bottle in a chalice, no changes):

A: bright golden orange colored body with a fluffy white one finger head that lasts for a good minute before gently dieing. Substantial foamy lacing is left.

S: superb combination between sweet caramel and piney/floral hops.

T: awesome bittersweet flavoring combined between the hops and the caramel

M: medium with nothing remotely close to being harsh on the tongue. This beer is so smooth if Sierra Nevada ever wanted to rename this, they should just call it "Smooth IPA." I've never had any IPA that was so smooth as this one.

O: big wow here, I wasn't expecting this to be this good, but I'm thoroughly impressed and would have this again in a heartbeat.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 00:24:30 | More by kangarooAdam59

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottling. Poured into a New Belgium snifter. The beer pours out a hazy, coppery color with 1 finger of light foam on top. Very faint nose with hints of pine and flowers and a touch of grapefruit rind.

Medium body and nice, firm feel. Nice balance and a crisp, hoppy bite. There are nice hints of toast and marmalade on the front of the palate. They are immediately joined by a nice hits of cedar, grapefruit, and lemon. The bitterness is not over-done. The beer is extremely refreshing and easy to drink.

The Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale lacks the slight sweetness of its Southern Hemisphere cousin. I prefer very little sweetness in an IPA and therefore prefer this beer to the Southern Hemisphere variety (which is still quite good). This beer is very reminiscent of Celebration Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 23:52:38 | More by deadonhisfeet

sevenarts

New York

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Bright, clear golden orange with a fluffy white head and strong lacing.

S: Sweet caramel malts mostly, with some piney and floral hops as well.

T/M: More hops than the nose, a good amount of bitter pine, floral flavors, and citrus/grapefruit. These strong flavors are really well-balanced by an equally well-defined bed of sweet malts, dominated by caramel. The malts and hops are threaded together throughout each sip, starting out nicely sweet before the hops start to come out more, and linger towards the end of each sip.

O: A really excellent wet-hopped IPA, with great balance and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 00:08:49 | More by sevenarts

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 2263 - September 19, 2012. Poured in to tulip.

A - Dark orange, amber in the middle. Translucent. One finger of thick, dirty-white head. Great lacing.

S - Musky, earthy hop aroma. Some pine, spice and fresh cut grass along with a light citrus aroma are also present. A slight caramel malt backbone adds some sweetness.

T - Moderate bitterness up front with a big spiciness present. Earthy, pine-y and grassy notes come through form the hops along with lighter citrus flavours. A slight sweet malt background adds some balance and lighter toffee notes.

M - Medium body, creamy. Light carbonation. A lot of sticky hop oils.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 20:03:40 | More by TheSevenDuffs

SHODriver

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: poured into a pint glass to a deep copper hue with a finger and a half of dense slightly off white head that retains well and leaves good lacing
S: smells of earthy hops and a bit of citrus a bit of caramel as well
T: toasty malt flavor up front with some earthy and herbal hops, some nice citrus bite comes through as well, a bit of caramel malt shines through also. aftertaste is a bit minty and some more herbal and earthy hops and a bit of caramel sweetness
M: soft carbonation and a medium mouthfeel. pretty smooth in the mouth
O: A very good wet hop ale. excellent flavors, great balance, good looks, and a nice mouthfeel. it doesn't get much better

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 04:49:04 | More by SHODriver

Hopheadjnr

4.58/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 24oz bottle into Stella chalice

A...Beautiful clear, copper color with 2 finger off white head. Fine bubbles in head with tons of nice lacing.

S...wet hops makes for a nice aroma. Pine and fresh cut grass on the nose.

T...plenty of sweetness from the malts is present and followed by a bitter hops to balance it out. Lots of fruit flavors in it, some apricot mixes with earthy, pine resin. Complex. Every sip gives you can pick out different flavors.

M...great mouthfeel. Fine carbonation feels like it is dancing across your tounge. Reminicent of champagne in mouthfeel.

O...very nice brew. Very complex, enjoyable beer. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 00:49:16 | More by Hopheadjnr

Mic-Lee

4.55/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Deep translucent amber color. Smells sweet and chocolaty. Hop forward, but malts are present, especially in the beginning. Earthy hops, but delicate and sweet. Reminds me of a raspberry truffle. Medium body with medium carbonation. Sierra Nevada carbonation. Floral and a little oily; perfumy. Mild ashy burnt flavor in the finish with a touch of bitterness.

Overall: A very interesting and delicate flavor from this “wet hop” brew. Sweet raspberries to start, floral notes in the middle and ashy tones to finish, this beer has terrific complexity and a depth of balance that indicates deliberate, knowledgeable construction. The mouthfeel isn’t as profound as the flavors, but otherwise, this is a hell of a brew, and a treat for the pallet.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 00:21:37 | More by Mic-Lee

mjtiernan

New York

4.15/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into an oversized tulip. Bottled fall 2012.

A: Barely a one-finger head...white. Attractive copper body...not too hazy.

S: Strong aroma...so strong you don’t need to get very close to the glass to smell it. Really everything you expect from a great IPA but magnified. Juicy grapefruit, pine, tropical fruits and some sweet malt.

T: The taste is also magnified. Tons of grapefruit and pine up front with some mango towards the finish. Malt levels are just about perfect...they make a nice escort, but never jump into the spotlight too much.

M: You might expect that an IPA that is so hop-centric might be really harsh, but this is almost soft and creamy until you get some bitter bite towards the finish. Unexpected texture, but not a put-off by any means.

O: Years ago, the Southern Hemisphere version of this beer was one of the first IPAs that woke me up to the wonderful extremes of the style. The Northern is no exception. What an annual treat.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 03:07:02 | More by mjtiernan

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +14%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A beautiful looking beer. A clear ruby copper color with good carbonation. The head is tall with a dense but fluffy white color. Plenty of lacing as it fades. A nice contrast to the copper glow underneath.
Aroma is nicely balanced with fresh wet hops vaguely floral. Sweet caramel malts serve as a sweet bouy for the hops. Fantastic understated aromatics.
Taste is awesome and pretty much perfect for me.
A perfectly balanced brew with hops being bold and flavorful but not the bitter overload you can get in other IPA's. The hops here floral to piney for me were sweet and fresh.
Malts carryied the load with confidence. Slightly grainy at end.
Sweet bitterness smacks the lips at the aftertaste, though it's not really bitter.
Thats what I like about this beer, everything is in perfect harmony.
Drinks smooth and has a border line heavy feel on the palette. Drinks clean.
A beer of the highest quality. This is why I drink quality over quantity.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 12:12:41 | More by micromaniac129

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.68/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I love fresh hop beers. Excited to try one of the early ones. Tasted 12 October 2012, reviewed from notes.

Pours a medium light-brown amber. Nice cream-colored, slightly orange head. Good retention, really good lacing.

Smell is faint and lightly floral. Mostly hoppy but twingy hoppy. A little bit of citrus and a little pine.

Taste is under-malted and super bitter. Chalky bitter, oniony, really unpleasant. A little caramel malt, but not enough. Something about it really doesn't agree with me. Chalky, dry, and bitter. A perfect example of how I don't like IPAs to be.

Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Lasting... but I wish it weren't.

I really don't like this beer all that much. I find it to be unbalanced, overly bitter, and without a whole lot of depth of flavor. Don't plan on drinking it again. Chalky and dry. Blech.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 04:06:24 | More by zeledonia

Jaycase

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: translucent copper. Thick, frothy head. decent lacing

s: faint caramel malts. grassy notes. slight piney hops.

t: caramel, bready malts then turns into piney, resinous hops. Finishes with a slight bitterness

m: med body. oily. good level of carbonation

o: If I compare this to Founders Harvest Ale, Founders wins going away. It's not a knock on this. It just makes me appreciate the Founders that much more. This is good but a bit more malty than what I would have liked.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 03:03:08 | More by Jaycase

stewart124

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Copper color with white head an gorgeous lacing.

Quite the nose. Grapefruit and pine power through.

Medium to full mouthfeel. Plenty of light caramel notes with loads if bread. Chewy to say the least. Oh and the bitterness...perfectly balanced. Some vegetal character but pine resin and citrus really hit home. So easy to drink.

I know that SN is easily passes up for not pushing the envelope enough but the never come up short. This is a great beer that is overlooked.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2012 23:20:18 | More by stewart124

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap into nb globe at crescent in Omaha. Pours. A brownish burnt orange with lots of sticky thick head. Nice fresh hop and biscuit aromas. The taste is mild bitter biscuit malts at first but finishes with a great fresh pineapple citrus hop. Really nice finish. This is a great brew and they seemed to capture a fall feeling in an ipa. Nice.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2012 00:56:07 | More by DrinkSlurm

bbkd3b

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

LOOK: Clear amber color, really pretty. Excellent body and head retention. White, frothy, long-lasting. Lots of bubbles feeding this sucker. Mucho Gusto.
.
SMELL: Powerful scent of biscuity malts with a strong hop body. Almost smells “wet” in terms of the hops. Grass and citrus undertones. Nice and balanced.

TASTE/MOUTHFEEL: Very light, vibrant body that is strong in its grassy flavors, but super-balanced as well. Citrus aftertaste with a bitterness that lingers. Very sharp carbonation almost feels jagged and fresh. The breadlike underbody is a bit too hidden for me, but ultimately, this is a very good beer. Citrus aftertaste grows stronger with each sip. NOTE: The balance is a bit more obvious after I stopped eating corn nuts, so I think it’s all there.

OVERALL/NOTES: Consumed with lemon-chili corn nuts that are a bit too spicy, but really made those citrus notes POP. Most certainly a good, strong IPA. Lemon bread as a potential food partner? Must try this soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 04:24:22 | More by bbkd3b

macrosmatic

Florida

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

Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into CCB pint glass.

A: Pours a burnished caramel brown, with moderate visible carbonation. Forms a medium-size white head that fairly quickly fades to foam.

S: Seems a little diminished overall. Caramel malts up front, with spicy & grassy hops.

T: Follows the nose. Caramel, grassy hops, spicy hops, with a significant pine bitterness at the end.

M: Medium body, good carbonation sensation. It does seem a bit overly boozy for style.

O: This is good, but I won't run out for another or anything. I just don't think I like the caramel malts in an American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 00:43:13 | More by macrosmatic

Bitter_Echo

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep orange, rust color with fine, extensive puffy foam and substantial and extensive lacing. Smells malt, and very hoppy; pine and resin and citrus rind and complex and, maybe just expecting it, straight-out fresh smelling. Tastes bitter bitter bitter bitter in the best way possible. Terrific balance, the bitterness modulating in different ways, with nice sustain; more pine than citrus and fruit, but both present. Striking detail in the flavors, and a moderate and well-defined backbone of malt. Carbonation and mouth-feel is well defined, a bit leaning to DIPA's slightly thicker flow. I hope there's still some at the store.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 22:22:47 | More by Bitter_Echo

B33R501

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fresh. Delicious. My favorite harvest beer this year.

Pretty clear amber big fluffy head tons of lace. Fresh big aroma of ripe melon and berry, wow. Fresh taste follows, lots of pine, green grass, delightful grapefruit finish. The flavor and aroma is so deep and rich, making a delicious, extremely drinkable treat. Fresh hops at their best. Outstanding. Get one.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 16:00:04 | More by B33R501

BeerLover99

New Jersey

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

A: dirty orange/shiny copper body, finger khaki head, good lacing

S: lemon peel/grass, pine, floral, clean grain

T: lemon peel, fresh pine, grass, long bitter finish

M: med body, oily/mild sticky mouth

O: SN has quite well. Enjoy this very good + affordable brew.
Would recommend to hop heads and SN fans.

VERY GOOD, WORTH ENJOYING!

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 22:11:06 | More by BeerLover99

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

beautiful clean looking amber pour with 2 fingers of white detergent like head (excellent lacing too!)
smells of pine, caramel, passion fruit, lots of grapefruit scent.
a nice earthy bitterness up front followed immediately by a nutty/malty profile, and backed perfectly by a sweet and citrus grapefruit flavor with a burnt caramel/piny finish.

medium body and nice amount of carbonation. sticky and creamy on the lips but goes down very smooth.

an excellent wet hopped IPA! i have now tasted both of the hemispheres and they are both of excellent quality. this is now night 3 of no power/no heat. couldn't be gladder to have great beer by my side at times like this.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 19:12:45 | More by facundoCNB

Dope

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A clear amber pour with a huge fizzy tan head adorning it. Fades very slowly with excellent head retention - nice island of foam that persists forever. Tufts of fluffy lacing everywhere left behind.

S: Nice welcoming hoppy aroma. Piney, resinous and herbal. Just a touch of citrus in there to boot. Nice floral aroma.

T: Some pine and herbal hops, turning resinous into the middle. Quite resinous in fact. Some caramel and a bit of toasted bread backs it up. Very resinous and a quite herbal in the finish with just a touch of grapefruit. Long lingering resinous aftertaste.

M: Surprisingly full bodied for only 6.7%. Fresh hop beers tend to have a nice astringent mouthfeel though. Enjoyable.

O: Delicious wet hop ale. Always loved the mouthfeel of these beers (northern and southern, founders harvest, etc). You can practically feel the hops and hop oils lingering in the beer. Very tasty and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 05:20:00 | More by Dope

Celtics76

Rhode Island

4.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I wasn't planning on buying this today, but $4.99 for a 24 oz. bottle from a great brewery is a good deal to me. For those Rhode Islanders reading this review, Bottles on the East Side has it.

Pours a clear copper with a healthy half inch of head. Quickly reduces to a thin layer. Smells piney more than anything, but also very floral/citrusy. Very well balanced flavor - the pine/floral/citrus notes come out with a solid carbonated bite. Crisp. Good lingering hop bitterness. The bitterness is not overpowering though - quite easy to drink for a seasoned IPA drinker like myself.

Interested in trying other wet hop ales. Founders Harvest is up next - this one is a tough act to follow.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 02:13:16 | More by Celtics76