Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest

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

24oz bottle from Whole Foods (Tampa, FL). Pours a generally clear dark copper to amber color with one finger tan-white foamy head. Aroma is sweet and floral with notes of citrus, pine, grapefruit, honey, light caramel, floral esters. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of floral hops, pine, citrus, light grapefruit, honey and caramel. Generally medium body with a pleasing floral hop finish. Would have liked a little more maltiness to balance out the hops, but still a great beer.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 24oz bottle into a pint glass. The label reads 2nd release 2009. Appearance: The pour produced a tall thick and pillowy foam head. It is light tan in color and has great retention. It keeps a nice one finger thick cap all the way down the glass and as I drink, it leaves behind nice lacing on the glass. Under this head is a deep rich amber colored liquid. The beer is not totally clear as I noticed that there is a very fine yeast particle haze in it. Smell: The aroma has a citrus like hop character with some pine notes as well. Under that are some light bready/malty notes with just a hint of raw grain and even some fruity/estery/yeasty notes. Taste/Palate: The flavor has a sturdy base of bready malty sweetness with a touch of raw grain. Hop flavor is the focus here though, and they add an assertive yet well balanced bitterness and solid citrus (lemon and orange rind and pith) sweet spicy herbal and mild pine like flavor notes. The finish has a long slow bitter hop fade. Its palate has a nice lively feel with plenty of soft carbonation and a good solid medium body. Notes: This beer is absolutely outstanding. I really enjoyed the play between malt sweetness and the solid hop bitterness.

I actually liked this one better than the other Harvest, has a nicer aroma and taste, kind of like the Great Divide Fresh Hop IPA.

Another solid brew from the boys at Sierra, well balanced and very drinkable.

2009 Bottle. Bright orange red with a dark white foam that lingers long and leaves sticky thick lacing. Aroma is spicy herbal wet hops, lots of caramel, crystal malt. Taste is a nice fresh hoppiness, not overly bitter but a great herbal, pine, spicy hoppiness, touch of orange citrus and fruit with toffee and caramel malts.

Cask (gravity) @ GBBF 09, Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England.
Clear medium to dark orange amber color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to light heavy malty, roasted, caramel, moderate to heavy hoppy, flowers, resin, orange, light grapefruit. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and peel bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090804]

Cask Stillage at the GBBF, Earls Court 04/08/2009 Slight pine hop aroma. Amber coloured and fruity with some alcohol present. Crisp bitter and dry malt finish.

Bottle. Burnt copper in color with a pure white head. Light grapefruit, grassy, hop aroma, warm toasted malts and a crisp hop snap are rounded out by a warm sweet finish. Well crafted.