Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest

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

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Poured into a nonic. Light orange-amber with a frothy white head. Nice lacing. Aroma is a little light compared to other fresh hop ales I’ve had. Zesty spicy hops and some sweet caramel malt make up the aroma. Flavor is grapefruity and orangey with a spicy sharp zing at the finish. Pale and caramel malt underpin everything. Very good mouthfeel, hoppy and semi-dry, nice drinkability.

Floral hops with a slight amount of citrus. Hazy orange color with a large white head. Mild beginning with a moderate bitter finish.

Bottle. Pours a deep copper with a big, offwhite, fluffy head. Aromas are of white grape juice and just a hint of pine. Flavor is fairly interesting... hops come in strong at the end with their predictable pine and citrus presence, but up front there is just a brief hesitation where malt is sweet and hops are floral/fruity... then it gives way to an American IPA kick in the teeth... woo hoo!

For a brewery this large Sierra Nevada continues to surprise me. From a bottle this poured a copper color with nice white head and excellent lacing. Nose of floral and citrus hops, and a smooth clean mouthfeel. Flavor is of IPA bitterness, and the finish is the same. Excellent brew.

leave it to people like sierra nevada to reinforce the all too often played out ideal that american IPAs have to be unbalanced and ignorant. again, a top notch american craft brewery reaches outside the walls of our coasts for hops abroad, then uses them in a way that highlights the hops themselves while (most importantly) keeps things so well balanced you can continue to contemplate the brew long after its been swallowed. this is so fresh and exciting, and the time of year of its release is a great break from the kolschs and other boring and watery summertime brews.

@ Flying Saucer in Nashville, TN - This is a great beer. I thought I’ve had their best beer until I tasted this one. This has to be the best beer I’ve had by Sierra Nevada. It has a very sweet and fruitful taste that is very clean and crisp. I would highly recommend this beer to anyone.

Bottle. Pours a medium amber, maybe copper with medium beige head. Aroma is earthy and hoppy, some grassiness and pine with floral notes. Flavor is fairly malty, lightly sweet with plenty of caramel. The hop flavors were interesting and quite different from what I’m used to coming out of a SN bottle, more floral and herbal instead of that citrusy grapefruit like blast I’m used to. Bitterness was fairly light and the finish was malty and slightly spicy and peppery. Good stuff, though I prefer the "regular hemisphere" harvest to this one.

Bottle. Nice aroma of piney hops, toffee, and grapefruit. Poured a clear reddish-orange color. The head was thick and white with good retention and lacing. Light to medium bodied with delicate sweetness that was drowned out by moderate hop bitterness. I tasted sprucy hops and biscuity malt with a dash of cinnamon. Pretty good stuff, but I like the aroma much better than the flavor.