The Beer Critic

On this episode of The Beer Critic TV we feature two special selections from Sierra Nevada; Life & Limb and Estate Ale. Both beers are unique and offer up a challenging review. Check out the video (and the beers!) and let us know what you think. Cheers!

Name: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Brewery Website: http://www.sierranevada.com
Location: Chico, California
Distribution: US

Scott asked me if I would write something on Sierra Nevada, it’s bad enough I’m on camera, but I figured I would take a crack at it. It just so happens that I popped open a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, when he asked me. This beer is probably my favorite, so what better beer for me to talk about. From the initial pour to the last sip, I love this beer. It has a deep amber color, a lively hop smell and spicy finish that site perfect on your tongue. It is the one beer I always gravitate to when I am not sure what I want.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the signature beer of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, located in Chico, California. Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi started the brewery in 1979; Ken named the brewery after his favorite hiking grounds – Sierra Nevada Mountains. With their premiere ingredients and trademark abundant hops they soon became a landmark in American craft brewing. In 1989, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. moved to its current site, just 9 years after their first brewed batch in November of 1980. In 1997 they expanded again to meet the beers high demands bringing the brewery’s capacity to nearly eight hundred thousand barrels per year. Making them the second-largest craft brewery in the U.S., behind Boston Beer Co., makers of Sam Adams. It is the sixth-largest brewer overall, with distribution in all 50 states. To this day Ken is still involved with every aspect of the company, and in fact, the company remains 100 percent owned by Ken.

Currently, Sierra’s flagship is their Pale Ale (5.6% ABV, 37 IBUs).

Other standards include:

• Porter: 5.6% ABV, 32 IBUs
• Stout: 5.8% ABV, 50 IBUs
• Kellerweis: 4.8% ABV, 15 IBUs
• Torpedo: 7.2% ABV, 65 IBUs

Seasonals:

• Glissade: 6.4% ABV, 42 IBUs
• Summerfest: 5% ABV, 28 IBUs
• Tumbler: 5.5% ABV, 37 IBUs
• Celebration: 6.8% ABV, 65 IBUs

Specialty:

• Bigfoot: 9.6%  ABV, 90 IBUs
• Southern Hemisphere Harvest: 6.7% ABV, 66 IBUs
• Northern Hemisphere Harvest: 6.7% ABV, 60 IBUs
• Estate Homegrown Ale

Now I am not a beer sommelier nor have I studied beer in an educational setting. I have, however, had a few (to many) pints over the years to know what I like and don’t like in a beer. What I like, I know some people won’t but it’s the fun in trying a new beer that I enjoy. Most of the time even if I don’t enjoy it, I’ll finish it, ‘cause that’s how I roll. All kidding aside, grab some beers you never tried, some friends and some clean glasses and let the tasting begin.

This is the third episode of The Beer Critic TV. On this episode we review Krampus Ale by Southern Tier and Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary. Both are Helles Lagers and are at the very top of their game. We hope you enjoy the video. Cheers!

This is the second episode of The Beer Critic TV. On this episode we review Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and Southern Tier Un-earthly IPA. Both IPA’s are incredible representations of their style and go over very well with us.

We hope you enjoy the video. Cheers!

Brewery Website: http://www.sierranevada.com

Type of Beer: American Barleywine

Alcohol Content: 9.6%

Beer Review -

Appearance: Dark copper color with thick two finger head that recedes very slowly leaving incredible lacing and nice foam peaks. Clarity is good with some sediment on the bottom.

Smell: Rich, bold smell. Hops are quite strong, floral and piney. Hop scents are rounded off a bit with some malty sweetness and dark fruits like figs and raisins. Alcohol esters are noticeable.

Initial Taste: Like the great Emeril once (or twice) said “BAM!”. The aggressive hops instantly dominate your palate – citrus, pine, leafy and earthy. After the initial wave of bittersweet hopiness the malts comes in to help smooth things out. The malts, while not as powerful as the hops, do give a welcome sweet caramel flavor that takes some of the bite off the hops.  The mouth feel is smooth and creamy with a dry and slightly alcohol warming finish.

Thoughts: Like most barleywines this is true to their nature with lots of flavor and tons of hop goodness. Bitter, oily,  sweet and earthy this Bigfoot is a beer to be sipped and enjoyed slowly. This being my first time trying this particular beer from Sierra Nevada I can’t comment on the differences from previous years. I will say that if you are a fan of hoppy barleywines you will be hard pressed to find one like Bigfoot. The recipe for this beer changes slightly every year so if like me you enjoy this make sure you grab a few. And with the high alcohol content it’s ok if you let it sit for a while….if you can. I highly recommend this to all hopheads and barleywiners out there. Cheers!