Sierra Nevada Porter Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Porter
Style: American Porter | ABV: 5.6% | IBUs: 32
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

While Sierra Nevada has been busy reinventing their once-staid package lineup, most of their core beers have made it through the process (RIP Wheat Beer). One of the "original" Sierra Nevada products is their Porter. The label may have changed from blue to brown since I wrote the tasting notes below last year, but this is still the classic beer we've seen on shelves for years.

It has a pretty simple recipe. The backbone is built from Two-Row Pale, Munich, Chocolate and Caramel malts. Golding hops are used for bittering and Willamette hops are used for finishing. According to Sierra Nevada, the result is:

Dark and rich, Sierra Nevada Porter is a delicious, medium-bodied ale with a creamy head. The Porter’s smooth flavor (malty with hints of caramel) comes from a blend of deep-roasted barley malts.

Sounds good to me. Let's pop the top and get a history lesson.

Appearance: A thick, rich mahogany body with ruby highlights and a solid finger of cream-colored head that leaves great lacing.

Aroma: All of the normal aromas for a Porter: roasted malt with lots of smoky, bittersweet chocolate and coffee notes.

Taste: Much the same profile as the nose; lots of roasty malt, rich chocolate, and coffee. But, now there's a subtle hoppiness in the end. Bitter, yet balanced. The aftertaste features dark chocolate and a decent dose of hoppiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and smooth with good carbonation.

Drinkability: Very drinkable for the style, without ever being too thin.

Verdict: Sierra Nevada Porter is just a solid, drinkable beer. It's uncomplicated, but never simple. Highly drinkable, but never boring. I heard rumors last year that this beer might be taken out of my local market in order to make room for the new year-round Sierra Nevada beers. I'm glad can squeeze everyone in.

Grade: A-

Note: While the label shown above has been been redesigned, the accompanying tasting notes were taken when the beer was fresh in 2009.

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale 2009 Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale 2009
Style: American India Pale Ale | ABV: 6.6% | IBUs: 66
Serving Method: 24 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Sierra Nevada, a brewery known to many for it's use of hops, brews up a series of fresh-hopped beers known as the Harvest Ale Series. Harvest Ale, available in early fall, was the first beer in the series and features un-dried Cascade and Centennial hops from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington. Chico Estate Harvest Ale, which features Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops grown at the Sierra Nevada brewery, can be found in late summer.

Last year, Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, which features fresh hops sourced from New Zealand, became the third beer in the series. It's actually the only American beer to feature fresh hops from the Southern Hemisphere, which makes it the only American fresh-hopped beer available in the spring. All other examples on the market use hops from the Northen Hemisphere, where hops are harvested in the fall.

As soon as the hops are picked in New Zealand, they are dried and flown to the brewery in Chico, California. The whole process, from fresh on the vine to the brewing kettle, takes about a week, ensuring the freshest hop aromas and flavors possible. As for the specific hops employed, Pacific Halertaus are used for bittering, while a mix of the New Zealand Southern Cross and New Zealand Motueka varieties are used for finishing. The malt backbone underneath is built with pale and caramel varieties.

Well, this is a beer meant to be enjoyed as fresh as possible, so let's dig in!

Appearance: A slightly hazy, orange-amber body with some very fine particles in solution. Up top, a generous, fluffy off-white head that features excellent retention and lacing.

Aroma: A bright blast of citrusy, floral, and spicy hops. There's a caramel malt base underneath to keep everything together.

Taste: Similar bright hop characteristics up front. They're grapefruity, piney, floral, and slightly resiny. You can taste the 66 IBUs, and they probably put this somewhere between Pale Ale and India Pale Ale. The caramel malt backbone makes a much bigger impact in the flavor than in the nose, making this a very balanced Pale Ale. The aftertaste is moderately bitter and toasty.

Mouthfeel: A lightly creamy, medium body with good carbonation and a dry finish. Top marks.

Drinkability: The big 24 oz bottle goes back with no trouble at all, very sessionable.

Verdict: Southern Harvest is a nicely bitter, yet well-balanced Pale Ale. I love the idea of having a beer hopped with fresh hops in the Spring, and it's a real treat to try some of the best hops that the Southern Hemisphere has to offer in near-optimum condition.

Grade: A

Note: While this review is being published in September, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past May.

Sierra Nevada ESB 2009 Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: ESB
Style: Extra Strong/Special Bitter | ABV: 5.9% | IBUs: 45
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

In the last few years, the Sierra Nevada lineup has been steadily expanding. A year ago, they introduced ESB, aka "Early Spring Beer," the brewery's take on the British Extra Special Bitter style. While I didn't try the 2008 vintage last year, my source at the brewery says that this year's version was superior.

The ingredient list is certainly very British sounding. Two-Row Pale, Maris Otter, and Crystal malt varieties make up the backbone. As for hops, English Challenger, East Kent Goldings, U.S. Challenger, U.S. Goldings, & Crystal varieties are employed. As a twist, Sierra Nevada leave the beer unfiltered, which founder and owner Ken Grossman claims "enhances mouthfeel and hop aroma creating a slightly reddish-copper hue."

Here's how Sierra Nevada describe the resulting brew:

Our ESB combines the best of English tradition with West Coast style. A blend of malts featuring British-grown Maris Otter is balanced with the earthy spiciness of hand-selected English and US hops. The ale is left unfiltered, which enhances mouthfeel and hop aroma creating a slightly reddish-copper hue.

Sounds like it's exactly what I'm in the mood for, so let's dig in.

Appearance: Amber-orange body with an off-white finger and a half of head with good retention and brilliant lacing.

Aroma: Earthy, herbal, and citrusy hops over a lightly toasted caramel malt body.

Taste: Sharp citrusy, herbal hops right off the bat. You can really taste that they're using different hops than usual, although they share some characteristics with the usual suspects. The hops ride over a solid caramel malt backbone, strong enough to not be drowned out. Once again, the boys from Chico deliver superb balance. A lingering bitter aftertaste lasts well into your next sip.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation. Dries a bit in the finish.

Drinkability: Absolute top-notch drinkability makes ESB a brilliant session beer.

Verdict: Another solid and balanced beer from Sierra Nevada and pretty on the mark for the ESB style. Not the most exciting beer in the Sierra Nevada stable, but I think that's part of the point. Immanently drinkable, yet complex enough to never be boring, ESB is worth a try for sure.

Grade: B+

Note: While this review is being published in September, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past February.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Summerfest Lager
Style: Czech Pilsener ABV: 5.0% IBUs: 32
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into Pilsener glass

This review is a part of an article on summer seasonals as part of the monthly beer blogging project The Session.

Sierra Nevada only brew one lager-style beer, and that's their summer seasonal, Summerfest. To go through all the work necessary to brew and condition lagers and then crank just one beer that is available just three months a year may seem a little crazy, but I prefer to think it of it as a testament to how uncompromising Sierra Nevada are.

Unlike some of their seasonal releases, the brewers at Sierra Nevada strive for each release of Summerfest to be perfectly consistent. As for construction, bitterness is provided by Saaz and Perle hops while the backbone is constructed with two-row pale and Munich malt varieties. Summerfest is subjected to an "extra-long" lagering period, which the brewery credit with the smoothness of the flavor profile. Here's how they pitch the beer:

Lighter in body than our ales but just as complex in character, Summerfest quenches your thirst with big aroma and a tangy hop bite.

Sounds like just the thing to help fight the summer heat here in Houston, so let's get the liquid refreshment flowing.

Appearance: A clear, golden-straw colored body with a generous and bubbly white head on top that leaves good lacing. This certainly looks the part.

Aroma: Grassy, herbal, and lemony Saaz hops over pale malt. Quite crisp.

Taste: Much the same story here. Classic Saaz hop character over a pale malt body with some wheat-like flavors added to the mix. The aftertaste is not long lived, and tastes of pale malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with moderate carbonation. Crisp and clean with a dry finish.

Drinkability: Quite the quencher, this would be excellent on a summer's day.

Verdict: Summerfest is just a solid, tasty American version of the classic Czech Pilsener. I'd love to slip one of these to one of my macro drinking buddies and see what they thought of it.

Grade: A-

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 2009 Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale 2009
Style: American Barleywine | ABV: 9.6% | IBUs: 90
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

For many, one of the highlights of the American craft-brew calendar is the release of Sierra Nevada's Barleywine, Bigfoot. This is my first year sampling Bigfoot, and my expectations are rather high. I'm pretty late to the party though, as this is the twenty-fifth yearly iteration of the brew. In an industry filled with so many new beers, an American beer with a quarter-century history is due some serious respect.

Not only is this my first year trying Bigfoot, but this is also the first Barleywine I have reviewed here on PintLog. Barleywines are traditionally the biggest and richest of the British Ales, with mountains of malt and alcohol rates up to twelve percent. As it is with many styles, American Barleywines typically have a bigger focus on hops than their British counterparts. Barleywines are also one of the styles that typically benefit from extended cellaring, and Bigfoot is a classic candidate for extended aging.

Clocking in at 90 IBUs, Bigfoot is certainly on the hoppier side of the Barleywine spectrum, which is no surprise coming from Sierra Nevada. Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook are the hop variaties employeed while the backbone is compred of Two-Row Pale and English Caramel malts. In the immortal words of beer guru Michael Jackson: "Bigfoot captures the imagination, and its character is as big as the name implies, with a huge hoppiness in its earthy aroma, a chewy palate, and a great depth of flavor." Let's dive in.

Appearance: Somewhat hazy deep red body with red laser beam highlights. Two fingers of caramel-tinged head that leaves great lacing.

Aroma: Lots of hops, lots of malt, and lots of booze - just what I expected. Relatively balanced in its massiveness, but the hops take the spotlight. It's a complex mix: perfumey Cascade hops, dark fruit, spices, caramel malt, and alcohol.

Taste: Again, intense and complex. Masses of grapefruity and piney Cascade hops riding on top of a very solid caramel malt base with everything simply dripping with alcohol. Still plenty of dark fruit and spices flavors here. The aftertaste is brilliantly bitter and boozy.

Mouthfeel: So chewy you could chip a tooth with good carbonation. A great dry, boozy finish that segues into a long-lasting hoppy aftertaste.

Drinkability: Very filling and obviously a sipper. One is certainly enough, but a second is still tempting...

Verdict: Bigfoot, like any good Barleywine, is simply a massive beer. Everything about it is larger than life. There are enough hops to make it unique, but not so many that the lines are too blurred with a Double IPA. I can't wait to see how this ages.

Grade: A

Note: While this review is being published in July, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past January.

Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Wheat Beer
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale | ABV: 4.4% IBUs: 27
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into Weizen glass

With two new year-round releases from Sierra Nevada this year (Torpedo and Kellerweis), it came as no surprise that one of their existing beers was going to have to bow out in order to make room. And with the incoming Kellerweis also being a Wheat beer, the choice to discontinue the relatively poor selling Wheat Beer only made sense.

Having never actually tried Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer, I decided that I had to try it before it was too late when I heard it was getting the axe. While there wasn't much stock left on the shelves here in Houston, I was able to find a couple of six-packs to sample.

Sierra Nevada's lightest Ale in the lineup, Wheat Beer has been a popular Summer beer for the Chico faithful. The malt backbone is built from Two-Row Pale and Wheat varieties, Perle hops are utilized for bittering, and Spalt hops are used for finishing. Here's how Sierra Nevada described Wheat Beer:

Pale, smooth, and light-bodied, Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer is brewed from premium malted wheat and light barley malts, utilizing our traditional ale yeast. This unfiltered ale is finished with the characteristically spicy Strissel Spalt hops from the Alsace region of France.

Sounds like good stuff. Though it may be a bit of a moot point now, let's pop a cap and see what made Wheat Beer tick.

Appearance: The body is crystal-clear and pale straw in color. But the star of the show is a monstrous, luxuriant head that leaves awesome curtains of doily-like lace and endures until the bottom of the glass. Beautiful.

Aroma: A pale wheat base with decent hops and some hints of citrus. It's pretty thin overall.

Taste: It's much the same story in the flavor profile. A pale, somewhat bready wheat body with a nice citrus kick and decently bitter hops. Quite mellow, but much more intense than the nose.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with average carbonation. Just short of dry in the finish.

Drinkability: Absolutely top-notch; perfect for grilling on summer's day.

Verdict: Sierra Nevada is a solid, tasty Wheat beer, and I'm sad to see it go. Sure, it may not be the most exciting beer in the lineup, but it will be missed. Godspeed.

Grade: B+

Note: While this review is being published in June, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past April.

Sierra Nevada Stout Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Stout
Style: American Stout | ABV: 5.8% | IBUs: 60
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Thanks to great beers like Celebration, Pale Ale, the Harvest series, and now Torpedo, the name Sierra Nevada is deeply associated with hops in my mind. But, Sierra Nevada also brews up a couple of beers from the maltier side of the style spectrum, both a Porter and a Stout. With as much as I have enjoyed the hoppy beers I've tried from Chico so far, I decided it was time to check out some of the darker Sierras.

Like the other four original Sierra Nevada's year-round beers, their Stout has the simplest, least pretentious name possible: Stout. But don't be fooled by the name, this is a complex and well constructed beer. The backbone is built with Two-row Pale, Munich, Caramel, and Black malt varieties. As for hops, the beer is bittered with Magnum hops and finished with both Cascade and Willamette varieties. Here's how Sierra Nevada themselves describe their Stout:

"Creamy, malty, and full-bodied, the Sierra Nevada Stout is satisfyingly rich. Caramel and Black malts give the Stout its deep, dark color and pronounced roasted flavor."

It certainly sounds like a solid Stout, but let's crack the bottle to be sure.

Appearance: A dark, imposing body that only allows a handful of dull ruby light to pass through. A big, sticky, toffee-colored head endures until the bottom of the glass, leaving terrific lacing on the way.

Aroma: As you'd expect, lots of roasted malt with the usual chocolate and freshly ground coffee notes associated with a good stout. Hops make an appearance, unlike most Stouts.

Taste: As you'd expect in a Stout, the backbone is of sweet, roasty malt. Despite being a plain old American Stout, this puts many Chocolate Stouts to shame in the chocolate department. It's almost like a frothy chocolate malt at times. Somewhat bitter hops are more present than your average Stout, but never really raise their voices all that much. As I've come to expect from Sierra Nevada, this is a well balanced beer.

Mouthfeel: Beautifully creamy medium-full body with moderately-high carbonation.

Drinkability: Average for the Stout style. You're probably not going to be chugging these after you mow the lawn, but you won't have to nurse it for hours on end.

Verdict: Maybe it's because I associate Sierra Nevada mainly with the hoppier styles of beer rather than the malty ones, but I was expecting this to be a solid, but generally unexciting Stout. Boy, was I wrong. This is a chocolaty, complex beer very much worth a look.

Grade: A-

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Torpedo Extra IPA
Style: American India Pale Ale | ABV: 7.2%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Sierra Nevada, a mainstay of the American craft brew world, has been very busy expanding their line recently. Their newest creation is one of two new additions to their year-round stable being released this year, Torpedo. This is the first change to the year-round Sierra Nevada lineup in over a decade, so this is pretty exciting.

What's even more exciting is that Torpedo is an India Pale Ale, one of my favorite styles. I always felt for such a hop-centric company, a year-round IPA was in order for Sierra Nevada. Well, that day has finally come. Sierra Nevada maintains the reason it was such a long wait is that they've just now figured out how to get the hop profile they desired without having to resort to hop pellets or extracts. Part of the process entails a new device developed at the brewery called the Torpedo, hence the name.

According to Sierra Nevada, Torpedo is actually somewhere between an IPA and a Double IPA, what they're calling an "Extra IPA." For simplicity's sake I went ahead and listed it as an American India Pale Ale, as that seems to be the closest fit. As for the ingredients, the malt backbone is composed of Two-row Pale, Carapils & Crystal varieties with the hop profile provided by Magnum, Crystal, & Citra variates. Magnum is used for bittering, finishing, and dry-hoping. Crystal is used during finishing and dry-hoping. And Citra is utilized only during dry-hoping. Here's how the brewery describes Torpedo:

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA; bold, assertive and full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.

Torpedo is joining two seasonal beers, Anniversary Ale and Celebration Ale, in the Sierra Nevada IPA collection. With Celebration getting an A+ here on PintLog, hopes are what you might call rather high.

Appearance: A deep burnt-orange, clear body with a big fluffy, off-white head. Good lacing.

Aroma: Lovely grapefruity, herbal, and piney hops over a solid caramel malt base.

Taste: Pleasantly bitter hops right off the bat with all the same characteristics you find in the nose. Right behind the hops, a big sweet malt background keeps everything in order. Superbly balanced, just what I've come to expect from Sierra Nevada. The moderately-high alcohol content is masked well. Great lingering bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with fine carbonation. Dries in the finish.

Drinkability: Just about average for a good IPA.

Verdict: I think Sierra Nevada is right about Torpedo being somewhere between an IPA and a Double IPA, but it's probably closer to the former. While I prefer Celebration to Torpedo, this is anything but a let-down. I can see this playing a big role in my regular rotation, especially during the Summer when Celebration is just a fond memory.

Grade: A-

Sierra Nevada Reveals New Year-Round Beer: Kellerweis Hefeweizen

Sierra Nevada announced last year that they would be adding two new beers to their year-round stable. As there had been no changes to that lineup in over a decade, the beer community was understandably excited. The first beer was revealed to be a new "Extra IPA" named Torpedo. I just got my hands on a couple six-packs, and it's a very worthy addition to the collection.

Late last week, Sierra Nevada unveiled their second new year-round release, Kellerweis Hefeweizen. This will actually be replacing Sierra Nevada Wheat in the lineup, so if you're a fan of the Wheat, stock up. The beer is of the traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen style and Sierra Nevada is using the shallow open fermentation process and top-cropping yeast. The yeast itself is a special strain borrowed from a small Bavarian brewery and was actually the inspiration for Kellerweis.

When the brewers started playing with the strain a few years ago, they were so enamored with the results that they decided to brew up a new year-round Hefeweizen. After a trip to Germany the team realized that the key to really unlocking the yeast strain's potential was open fermenting.

The name Kellerweis comes from a combination of the German words for cellar (in this case a reference to the open fermentation tanks) and hazy wheat beers. Here's how Sierra Nevada describe the flavor profile:

The flavor is rich with bready wheat notes and massive banana and clove. The finish is clean and crisp and the beer has a low enough ABV to be scarily session-able.

Be on the lookout for Kellerweis on shelves in late May, just in time for summer. If Torpedo is any indication, it should be great.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale | ABV: 5.6%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

One of the key beers in the American craft-brewing movement, and the flagship brew of one of it's most iconic brewers, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the most important beers on the shelf today. It has served as a gateway beer for many budding hopheads and as the savior of many forced to buy their beer from countless grocery stores and gas stations. It even helped define its own style, the American Pale Ale.

Sierra Nevada describe their Pale Ale as a "delightful interpretation of a classic style [with] a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character." The malt backbone is composed of Two-Row Pale & Caramel varieties, Magnum & Perle hop varieties are used for bittering, and Cascade hops are used for dry-hoping. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has won countless awards, including seven gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

Appearance: A clear, brilliant golden orange body with millions of particles suspended within. On top, a bubbly white head that leaves above average lacing.

Aroma: Gloriously bright, citrusy Cascade hops over a sweet malt backbone. Mouthwatering, to say the least.

Taste: Decently bitter Cascades up front, in just the right proportion for a Pale Ale. A solid caramel-biscuity malt base keeps everything in perfect balance. Little hints of booze from time to time. Near perfect proportions.

Mouthfeel: A medium body with moderate carbonation. Very refreshing.

Drinkability: Amazingly quaffable, I could run through a six-pack of this without even realizing it.

Verdict: Simply brilliant and perfectly balanced, there's no wonder why this has become the classic American Pale Ale. Like Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the great forefathers of the American craft-brew world that still holds up to anything brewed today.

Grade: A

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2008 Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Celebration Ale 2008
Style: American India Pale Ale | ABV: 6.8%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Celebration Ale is Sierra Nevada's Winter seasonal and has garnered quite a reputation in the beer geek community as one of the best. Like the company's Fall seasonal, Anniversary Ale, Celebration is an India Pale Ale and slightly different each year. Two back-to-back India Pale Ale seasonals might seem a bit strange, but it makes sense for a company that built it's reputation on hops. And as much as I love a good IPA, I couldn't be happier with their decision.

Celebration has racked up numerous medals in various beer contests, including a gold at the United States Beer Tasting Championship and a silver at the Great American Beer Festival. Stan Sessor of the San Francisco Chronicle went so far to call Celebration Ale the "best beer ever made in America." The beer is bittered with Chinook hops and dry-hopped with Cascade and Centennial varieties. Recently, the 2008 edition has started to show up here in Houston, and I'm eager to try my first ever Celebration. Let's see what all the fuss is about, shall we?

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy golden-amber below a glorious, two-finger off-white head with great lacing. Brilliant looking beer.

Aroma: Grapefruit, orange peel, and piney hops over a sweet, brown sugar malt. Everything is in it's perfect proportion here.

Taste: Piney and citrusy hops are in the forefront, with grapefruit and orange the dominant varieties of citrus. The malt backbone is mostly pale with some caramel coming through. Every now and then, a bit of alcohol shines through it all. This beer is sublimely balanced.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. The finish is a little dry and does well to keep the bitterness going.

Drinkability: I can knock these back all night long, although I'd probably be pretty buzzed by the end of the night...

Verdict: Simply one of the best American IPAs I've sampled yet, Celebration is certainly something I'll look for each Winter. Miles ahead of Sierra Nevada's other seasonal IPA, Anniversary Ale, this is the Sierra Nevada IPA to get. I'm not sure if this is the best beer America has ever produced, but it's probably on the short-list. Brilliant.

Grade: A+

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale 2008 Review

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Beer: Anniversary Ale 2008
Style: American India Pale Ale | ABV: 5.9%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Sierra Nevada, of Chico, California, was one of the first players in the American craft brewing renaissance. With their flagship, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, they almost single-handedly brought the humble hop back into the American beer spotlight after decades of abuse. Since then Sierra Nevada has enjoyed continued success with a lineup consisting of only four year-rounds (the straightforwardly named Pale Ale, Porter, Stout & Wheat), four seasonals and four special releases.

Anniversary, an India Pale Ale, is the company's Fall seasonal and this year commemorates their 28th year in the craft-brew business. I missed this beer when it first came out this year, and I was beginning to think that I was going to have to wait another entire year to see it in stores again. But, to my great surprise, I ran into a stack of twelve-packs at a local liquor store and promptly brought one home.

The beer changes a little bit each year, with no two years being the same. Sierra Nevada describes Anniversary 2008 as "a big, full-flavored ale bursting at the seams with fresh, spicy and aromatic hops." The malt backbone is composed of four varieties, Chinook hops are used for bittering and the brew is finished and dry-hopped with Cascade hops.

Appearance: Somewhat hazy pumpkin-colored body with a massive two and a half finger off-white head that leaves brilliant lacing. The head is so massive, in fact, that after my first serving I decided to switch to a pint glass I use for sixteen-ounce beers. Trust me, you're going to want to leave yourself some headroom.

Aroma: Spicy, piney, and citrusy Cascade hops over a solid brown sugar malt. Definite notes of booze arise, despite the middling alcohol content. Very appetizing.

Taste: Juicy, citrusy, and spicy Cascade hops over a solid biscuit and cereal malt backbone. Every now and then, I get interesting notes of tea-leaves. Everything is just a little bit thin and muddled together here. But, despite the lack of intensity, all of the elements are balanced well. The alcohol promised in the aroma never quite comes through.

Mouthfeel: A little frothy and wet, as the explosive head would suggest, with a medium-light body and light carbonation. The finish is somewhat dry.

Drinkability: With a balanced flavor profile and only a 5.9% ABV, this makes a great session beer.

Verdict: The flavors here are solid, but I keep coming back to the frothiness, somewhat thin taste, and crazy head. Maybe this is all by design, or maybe something was awry with my twelve bottles. Either way, this is a decent enough balanced IPA, but nothing that special. I'm cellaring two bottles to see how they change over the coming months.

Grade: B