Sierra Nevada Estate Brewers Harvest Ale

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

22 oz bottle from Binny’s (Orland Park, IL). I had this rating typed out before the downage, and I lost it since. This beer I remember having a very appealing appearance, big cakey offwhite head that stuck around through the entire tasting. Aromas were a little light, resiny and citrusy, but not over powering. Taste was dissappointing. Underpowered without an overbearing malt backbone. Simply underpowered. Still, was very sessionable and atleast drank smoothly. No off notes, just weaker. Cheers.

Bottle into tulip. Pours a nice dark amber, just a bit hazy, with a big, fluffy off-white head. Lotta nice lacing. Nose is a bit of citrus in the form of orange rind, mixed with some prickly pine resin and an unexpected alcohol presence. Flavor is nice and balanced; the hop presence up front is prickly, a bit medicinal, but well balanced by a crisply sweet biscuit malt note. Certainly, hints of citrus coming out also, but the hop character is really more represented by a big, resiney, slightly antiseptic bitterness. Slightly vegetal towards the finish as well. The bitterness kinda of sits on the palate, and leaves the tongue a bit tingly. Mouthfeel - Medium body, full, with a nice creamy carbonation.

24oz. Bottle: Aroma of hops, light grapefruit, pine, light toasting, citrus, and caramel. Poured amber orange in color with a small, dense, creamy, off-white head that lasted throughout. Clear. Slightly sparkling. Very good to excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and medium bitter. Tastes of hops, toffee, toasting, pine, resin, light citrus, and cookie dough. Medium body. Crisp, slightly sticky texture. Average carbonation. Hoppy, resinous, finish is lightly dry.

Pours a very nice clean/clear dark golden orange color, nice carbonation, very nice thick/creamy one-finger plus off-white head, with lots of nice thick creamy sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, with a nice touch of malts, citrus, and some pines. The taste is hoppy, with some malts, nice touch of citrus/pines. Medium body. Very drinkable, this is a very tasty brew, thanks Toby.

24oz bottle pours mostly clear with a medium dark amber orange colored body an off-white well-formed billowy head. Sharp and wet pine nose, the green vegetal notes so common in wet hopped beer are not difficult to pick up - celery, sweet spinach, and basil, along with a damp (not dank, very different) mossiness. Bitterness is subdued, medium smoothness, there’s a syrupy honey note throughout that hints of SNPA. Overall one of the better wet hopped IPAs I’ve had recently but it could still benefit from some refinement. Seems messy, flabby and unkempt at times. Unlike the best IPAs, which focus on dryness and crispness, this has neither.

Bottle pours out a nice crisp copper topped with a cream sand head. Aroma of fresh citrus hops. Tast a nice malt and good hop mix. A tasty brew.

On tap at the Brickskeller in DC. Poured a clear reddish copper color with decent head and great lacing and what I would call the quintessential Sierra Nevada head. Consistent every time! Aroma has slight hints of brown sugar backed by citrus and bitter hop flower. There is a slight sweetness at the outset of the flavor but then a blunt (as opposed to sharp) hops taste dominates the silky mouthfeel.

24oz bottle. Pours clear copper with a thck and creamy off-white head. Aroma resiny hops, citrus and caramel malts. Flavor is well balanced between hops and malt. Flavor is resiny hops, citrus and pine. Good amount of caramel malts. Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. Finishes bitter. Really like the wet hopped harvest ale. Cheers to SN for growing their own hops.