Sierra Nevada Porter Review

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Chico, California, USA

SierraNevada.com

5.6% abv

12oz bottle

Appearance: dark brown body with a bubbly almost two finger tan head

Aroma: mellow dark roasted grains with a hint of baker’s chocolate

Flavors: pretty much like the nose; roasted malts swirl on the palate to remind me of a medium roast coffee; a nice touch of baker’s chocolate on the back and finish

Mouthfeel: moderate-low carbonation; moderate roasted notes; medium medium-full body; fairly simple which is how I like my women I mean my Porters; straight forward roasted malts bringing that coffee and some type of chocolate – I am happy then – a classic porter. 

To the Point: easy drinking Porter; enjoyable on this cold November night; I’ll have to buy a couple of six packs to add to the beer fridge; I have been looking for some Porters over the last month and it is getting hard to find one; I prefer Fuller’s London Porter

Brux: Review

Domesticated Wild Ale

Brewed and bottled by: Sierra Nevada Brewing

In collaboration with Russian River Brewing

1pt 9.4oz bottle

8.3% abv

One problem with these big bottles is getting the sediment off the bottom.  Rolling the bottle before opening my work on some Germen low carbonated beer but, roll a bottle of Belgian or Belgian style ale and you will have a never ending flow of foam.

Pouring your first glass and trying to swirl the bottle during this pour usually does not get much of the sediment up. 

So, what I usually do is pour the first glass and then put a stopper in the bottle and then give the bottle a good swirl to get the sediment stirred up.  The second glass will give you the correct appearance, aroma’s, and flavors.  Leave a comment on what you recommend. 

Appearance: slightly misty amber body (I could call it burnt orange as well) with a nice big foamy head that disappeared before I started to think about the color.  Little to no lacing.

Aroma: The overall bouquet seemed nice when I first opened the bottle but when it was time to check the aroma out well it was fairly light, some spice, light lemon meat,

Flavors: earthy yeast, sour dough bread, summer white fruit – pear, nectarine, and a dirty caramel note.  The flavors all seem to become muddled together after about a half a glass.

Mouthfeel: sparkling water texture to the carbonation and watery edge that swirls through the palate but just like sparkling water the effervesce is short lived; it is like I can feel the alcohol evaporate on my tongue and this of course gives me a dry feel on the finish.

To the Point: it just seems to funky to me, the flavors just seem to muted; you have heard of a Dirty Martine well I’ll have to call this the Dirty Belgian Ale – why you ask – because the yeast and the caramel notes just seem dirty – but that is just me.  On BeerAdvocate they are giving this ale as 88 with 63 reviews. 

Sierra Nevada Celebration: Beer Review

12oz
6.8% abv
Sierra Nevada Brewing
Chico, California, USA
My Strength Rating: 6.5

What a good looking ale. There is plenty of off-white head and an attractive amber colored body. The foam just clings to the glass for some solid lacing.

The nose is a hoppy dream of pine, citrus, and a little yeast.

There are hops and malts to delight in while drinking this ale. The notes of pine and citrus rinds are the main taste profile. The pine helps to deliver that prickly tingle on the tongue.

But, don’t judge to quickly – there are some malts in that there beer. I like the undertones of toasted grains and a hint of sweet biscuit if you are paying attention.

The mouthfeel is interesting. There is that prickly pine on the palate but, it is relatively smooth for a hoppy ale.

I give this ale a 6.5 on my strength rating because of the pine and citrus notes. There is a smooth characteristic to the mouthfeel but the prickly pine wins out. There are also some nice flavors to experience with each sip.

A good holiday ale.