Sierra Nevada, out of Chico, California is one of the most well known, respected Craft Brewers in the country. Their beers aren't over-the-top crazy like Dogfish Head, or many others. They never try too hard. They make consistently delicious, amazingly crafted beers that are simple, but still interesting, and very approachable. Many of their beers are prime examples of the given style.
Sierra Nevada has also become one of the very few Estate ale producers. Just like in wine, the ingredients for an Estate Ale are all grown on site. For these special release beers, rather than sourcing barley and hops, Sierra Nevada grows their own organic hops and barley.
Estate is a wet hopped American IPA. Wet hopping a beer is done by harvesting the fresh hop cones, and using them in the beer within 24 hours without drying them. This changes the hop bill for a given beer because the drying process brings out the alpha acids in a hop which give that delicious flavor and aroma we all love. A wet hop beer contains many times more hops because the alpha acids are not as pronounced.
Why do this? Well it gives a significantly different flavor profile for one thing (I'm sure it's good for marketing too). This is the first Wet Hopped beer I've had, and it very quickly dispelled the notion I had that wet hopping was simply a gimmick. The higher hop content, and the fact that Sierra Nevada's harvesting operation is done by hand by a rather small workforce, means a higher production cost for this beer. However, I found the $10 price tag for a 22oz bomber to be very reasonable.
Some people may scoff at that which brings up a question. I saw a couple in the grocery store looking at beer and wine. They balked at $5-$10 bottles of Belgian Lambics and other brews, then decided "Let's just get a bottle of wine." The bottle they chose was around $20. Why does beer still have such a low perceived value? What's the difference between a 22oz bottle of finely crafted beer, and a well made bottle of wine that makes it worth so much more per ounce, or at least easier to swallow the cost? Is this just a result of how deeply ingrained the ad campaigns of the Big Boys have become? I also wonder if this is just an American thing, or if it's a world wide epidemic. I've caught myself doing it from time to time, but I'm learning that in beer, as in many things, you get what you pay for. The one exception I've had lately was Name Tag lager from Trader Joe's ($2.99/6pk cans). That was honestly a very good, interesting beer. I suppose this should be left for another post.
Sierra Nevada - Estate Homegrown Ale
American IPA, Organic - 22oz Bomber
6.7% ABV
Appearance: Deep amber, copper color with a thick yet light off white head. Head is VERY vigorous, and resilient, pour gently.
Aroma: Much like unfermented wort after hop additions. It's a particular smell that I've never found in a finished beer. Slightly earthy, slightly citrus hop aroma, a clean green aroma. A rich, sweet malt aroma follows. You can really smell the grains themselves. If you know what barley smells like prior to, during, and after boiling, that is the aroma exactly.
Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-full bodied, rather creamy and quite smooth. Despite the very vigorous head, carbonation is just right.
Taste: Delicately bitter and citrusy hops come just a hair before the pronounced flavor of barley. Slightly more bitter on the finish. As it warms, the hops and bitterness become more pronounced and while the overall palate is not very long, the bitterness lingers subtly. The taste, like the aroma is earthy and very similar to unfermented wort.
Overall: Ahhh. Never have I had a beer that tasted quite like this. I know many people enjoy the taste of unfermented wort, I don't. I don't dislike it, but don't particularly care for it enough to drink it. However, this tastes much like unfermented wort: Sweet, malty, with just enough hoppiness and bitterness to cleanse the palate. If my wort tasted more like this, I'd have a hard time getting it to the fermenter.
All this talk of wet hops (hops which are picked and used in the boil within 24 hours, without drying), I figured it was all just a gimmick. The difference in a finished beer is obvious. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, but there is a significant difference. I love the fact that this is an Estate ale, and is organic. This is one of the most perfectly balanced beers I've ever had. It's well worthy of the fancy packaging and the reasonable price. I would buy this beer again, and would love to brew it myself.
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