Weekly Beer Tastings

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

Glad I held on to this one folks as the heat has hit and this quaffable wheat is perfect for those scorching temperatures. The nose is light and floral with subtle aromas of licorice, bananas, sour peaches, grapefruit, clove, and sweet corn. The nose was very delightful for such a light style. The taste is sour and tart up front with flavors of granny smith apples, cantaloupe, and candy hearts. The finish is creamy with soft flavors of cooked red apples, licorice, and creamed corn. This wheat beer tasted, at least to me, like it was more of a Saison or a Farmhouse Ale. Either way thought, it is perfect for these warm Summer months ahead.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10


Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Fresh-Hop Harvest Ale

I look forward to this beer every year. The Northern Hemisphere seems to garner more accolades but it has my  least favorite hop, the Centennial hop, in it. This one is a beautiful blend of Southern Cross, Pacifica, and Motueka hops that makes for a fresh nose on it. Citrus, new foliage, grapefruit, and soap prevail in the lighter nose. Hints of walnuts were also picked up as the beer warmed. The taste is well balanced with strong flavors of grapefruit, tea, and grass up front while softer flavors of salami and pine mixed in. The finish was bitter with flavors of wheat, cracked pepper, and light earth notes. Tyler and I differed on the score, but he tends to enjoy the Northern Hemisphere as well.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10


Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA

Many were sad when this beer blew off the wall a week and a half ago. Who would have known that it would return so soon? Or that this keg would be better than the last? The nose is just as pungent and diverse as last time sans the seaweed aroma. Sweet scents of chives, freshly cut grass, armpit, and fresh linen were present with softer floral aromas and hints of raisins and hazelnuts. While bitter up front, you get tons of lemon zest and soap with hints of alcohol. The finish is not as one-sided. While still bitter, flavors of mineral water, lemon pith, toasted sesame seeds, and grapes made for a delightful finish. This is definitely a bitter lemon bomb, but a good one at that.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2012

We have two different vintages of Bigfoot on tap, so we will start with age before beauty. The nose is different with aromas of american cheese, pizza, marinara sauce, citrus, oregano, and alcohol. It certainly wasn't the diverse aroma that I expected. The taste was bitter with floral notes and soft flavors of lemon, burnt nuts, pine, and charcoal. The finish was astringent and acrid with bitter, grassy flavors. I was expecting more malt to this brew after a year of age. Hopefully a week on our tap wall will do to it what it did to our last keg of Double Trouble. If you missed it, let's just say that it got infinitely better after the first few days on tap.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10


Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2013

This is the fresher of our two brews and the one that was preferred, oddly enough. While this Barleywine is still young it exhibits strong similarities to an Imperial IPA, and a great one at that. The nose is gorgeous with aromas of coconut, grapefruit, banana nut bread, and starfruit. The hops definitely ruled the day on the nose. The first flavors are sweet with hints of grapefruit, pine, and lemon juice. The finish is quite bitter and has strong herbal flavors with hints of lemon zest and soap. While not as diverse as some of the Imperial IPA's we put on tap, the flavors it does exhibit are stellar.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10