Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Chico, California USA

Draught @ Xmas in July @ the Bear. Ruby amber pour with tight quickly fading head. An Xmas IPA?? Hoppy and soft malts. NIce finish that leans towards dryness. Not bad but not a 96’er.

2008 Edition. 12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy amber with a moderate linen white head that lasted through three-quarters of the glass and left a layer of foam with each sip. Pleasant aroma of malt, floral hops and some pine notes as well. The flavor is malt up front followed by a wash of bitter pine and grapefruit. Lingering hops bitterness at the finish. A decent IPA, although I think it is a bit over-hyped.

2007 Edition. 12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy amber with a moderate linen white head that lasted through three-quarters of the glass and left partial lace. Pleasant aroma of malt and some floral hops. The flavor is malt with some fairly strong bitter hops at the finish. Also dries out a bit at the finish as well. I’m not sure what makes this a Christmas beer versus just a normal west coast IPA other than marketing. 7-4-7-3-14=3.5

2007 Celebration Ale. Big floral hop nose with sweet carmelized pale malt backing. Clear amber orange with medium fluffy white head. Citrusy and floral hop flavor supported nicely with sweet pale and caramel malts. Medium to full body with medium sweet finish and a good bit of residual bitterness. Quite nicely balanced American IPA or IIPA.

2007. big hop presence, smells wonderful. nice white/tan fluffy head that lasts. nice reddish/dark yellow color. big hops in the flavor as well, very smooth as it warms, fantastic beer.

Poured a nice amber color with a white head. Aroma was abundant of floral hops. Flavor was very bitter and unbalanced floral and citrus hops

Appearance: Amber, slightly hazy. Nice amount of head, longlasting. Aroma: Hops and some fruit. Citrus. Taste: Lots of hops, citrus. A bit too hoppy for me. Info: 350ml bottle, 31/1-2008, 184/500

Glass: Shaker, Tulip Purchased at: Oaktree buy rite, South Plainfield, NJ Price: $16.99 Size: 12 fl oz ABV: 6.8 % IBU: n/a Estimated Calories: 170 C RateBeer Rating: 96 Aural: quiet opening, active carbonation, nice pour Aroma 8 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: sweet Impression: nice Malt Aroma: rye toast, peanut oil Hops Aroma: dry earth, grass, basil, grapefruit Other Aroma: pine Notes: A great active aroma. Very mindful of a strong IPA. Appearance 5 out of 5 Color: dark Clarity: cloudy, bottle conditioned Head Retention: average Lace: intricate Notes: Beautiful beer. Deep red orange hues with a white head and lace. Flavor 9 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: bitter Impression: nice Malt Flavor: grain bread toast nut Hops Flavor: curry, cardamom, grapefruit Other: orange, grapefruit, pine Notes: Sawdust and blood. Like an accident happened, but in a good way. How do they make such a commercial beer so very good? Palate 5 out of 5 Mouthfeel Sensation: creamy drying Body: full Carbonation: average Finish Length: long Intensity: strong Balance: bitter Notes: Perhaps the best aspect of this very good beer. Leaves you wanting more. General Impression: 18 out of 20 Craftmanship: excellent Freshness: fresh Personal Taste: loved Notes: An amazing beer for the brewer and price. Just fantastic.

Bottle, Kris Wines, London. Poured a slightly cloudy dark copper colour with a bubbly off-white head. Piney hop aroma, some citrus. Creamy, smooth mouthfeel. Flavour is sweetish malt and plenty of hops. Well bittered, dry finish. Good, but short of being outstanding.