Sierra Nevada Audition Double IPA - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Philousa

California

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear metallic golden color with a finger of very dense white head. Looks a little like a Czech Pils against the light. Laces quite nicely. Appearance isn't to style, but attractive none the less. Good amount of pine and resin, but it's not super strong. I also get sweet fruit: strawberry, cherry, and raspberry to name a few. I get a hint of earthy grass as well. The hops are actually quite subdued. A light aroma of saltine cracker (without the salt) comes through in the nose. There is a touch of sweetness in the malt, a saccharine confectionery sugar or honey-like aroma but it's faintly there. These two coalesce into a graham cracker type aroma as it warms. A sweet nectar-like flavor starts things off but quickly fades to a french bread flavor. I get a little bit of a boozy flavor in the middle followed by tree bark & hop stems. Maybe a little Douglas fir in there as well. The bitterness is far back on the tongue and stays for a good while. This is definitely dry. This hides the ABV well at first, but comes through as it warms.

At some point this thing gets pretty boozy, but it calms down after a certain point. I really can't ignore this though. It's an interesting experiment that seems have been hatched when someone asked "how light can we make a malt that has lots of hops in it?" My answer would be that this went a little too far. It is a bit imbalanced, but only by the amount of alcohol. I can tolerate all the IBUs you can muster, but this malt is just too weak for the amount of ABV that's thrown at it. That said, the hop schedule is divine and I really don't know how they got the fruit characteristics in the nose. I'm ambivalent.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 05:18:09 | More by Philousa

michaeljasinski

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

01-16-2013 03:19:55 | More by michaeljasinski

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Tieman for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a hazy yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus zest, and tropical fruit. Taste is much the same with a medium hop bitterness with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 07:40:23 | More by UCLABrewN84

BilbosNuts

California

3.85/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 1Pt. 9.4 Oz bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Pours a clear, light orange color with a creamy pearl white head. Vigorous sheets of carbonation bubbles rise to the top. The head sticks around for a while, but slowly fades to a thick film across the top. Spotted lacing is left behind.

S: Typical DIPA aromas of tropical fruits, citrus and some pine. Nothing really spectacular, but still very pleasant.

T: Significantly more piney in the taste than the aroma. A light toasted malt background creates an enjoyable backbone.

M: Medium bodied with a perfect amount of carbonation. A moderately bitter bite towards the end provides a crisp, refreshing finish.

O: A very solid DIPA and a fine example of the style. Unfortunately, this style has become over saturated and it takes more than what this has to offer to stand above the crowd. Nevertheless, this one is quite enjoyable and worth picking up if you can get your hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 01:39:24 | More by BilbosNuts

GetMeAnIPA

California

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Nice golden color, looks more like a pale ale and not a DIPA. Nice head with great lacing all the way down the glass.

S - hop, citrusy, orange aroma. Slight malt and alcohol smell but the hops mostly dominate the nose.'

T - slighty better IPA than the torpedo. Great hops and citrus flavor that really opens up as the bottle warmed up. Has a nice bitter aftertaste that doesn't stay long or make you want to get rid of it.

M - medium body. Actually a little lighter and more carbonated than I expected. Particularly for a DIPA.

O - great west coast DIPA. At first I thought it was good but not great but the more I drank it the better and better it became. Really good hop forward IPA that is well balanced and hides the alcohol well. The malts definelty take a back seat in this IPA. Would buy it on a regular basis if it was available.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 05:50:30 | More by GetMeAnIPA