Skip to main content

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #53: Floral IPA

This is my fourth and final review of the 2012 release of Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp series.  I'll be trying the Floral IPA, and it is 5.9% ABV.

On the back of the 12 oz. bottle:  "This unique take on the traditional IPA style pairs the bold and intense of whole-cone hop "flowers" with aromatic natural rose hips and petals for complex aromas and unexpected flavors."



Pours into my Dogfish Head pint glass an unfiltered, golden orange color.  Lots of floaters are present in this one.  The aroma is mainly pine and grapefruit from the hops used, and I don't get much else.  The taste is full of the pine and grapefruit, and also has a little bit of tartness, which I assume is from the rose hips and petals?  The hop bitterness lingers in my mouth after taking a drink.  To me, it's a fairly typical IPA with just a hint of "something else."  It's definitely worth a taste if you see it around!

Have you had this beer?  What did you think?  Let me know in the comments!

Also, check out my reviews of the rest of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Series by following these links:    
Imperial Pilsner
Oatmeal Stout
Imperial Red Ale

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dogfish Head Positive Contact

Frankenstorm is on it's way.  Bread: Check.  Candles: Check.  Ice: Check.  Beer: Check!  The big storm is supposed to strike land here in NJ late Sunday night into early Monday morning, and last until late Tuesday.  Kerry and I live in the western part of NJ, so we should be safe from most of it, except for local river flooding.  Tonight I'll be reviewing Positive Contact from Dogfish Head.  This is their collaboration with Dan the Automator (who I honestly had never heard of before this collaboration). I poured Positive Contact into my Yards Brewing tulip glass.  It poured a pale orange, golden color with a two and a half finger width head.  Apples, bananas and peppers hit my nose right away.  The smell is incredible and strong.  The Positive Contact is full of flavor, and reminds me of a smooth drinking Belgian tripel.  It tastes immediately of fruity esters, mainly banana.  The finish is peppery.  I'm ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BJCP: Strong Scotch Ale (9E)

This is the first article in a new series of posts, where I will periodically choose a section from the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines , write about the style, and then drink and publish my tasting notes from some of the commercial examples given by the BJCP.  Now, I'm not sure if I will ever actually take the exam to become a beer judge, but I think this will be a fun exercise to learn more about beer! Fair warning, I will not be doing the sections of the BJCP style guidelines in any sort of order.  Whichever kinds of beer I am craving is what I will be writing about! Strong Scotch Ales (also known as Wee Heavy) comprise sub-category 9E in the BJCP style guidelines.  They range between 6.5% and 10.0% ABV, and have a light copper to dark brown appearance.  Obviously, strong scotch ales are all about showcasing the malt.  While studying this style, I found it quite interesting that the brewers ferment out the wort at cooler temp...
15 comments
Read more

Beer Digest: Mission St., Hitachino, Weyerbacher

I've had some really great and interesting beers over the last week.  In this new post series, I'm going to highlight my favorite beers from the last week or so.  Hope you enjoy reading!  Suggestions and comments are always welcome! Mission St 2013 Anniversary Ale (Trader Joe's) Steinhaus Brewing Co. (brewed at Firestone Walker in Cali) 8.5% ABV I wasn't really sure what to expect from this beer, but it took me by surprise.  They say it is is blend of three different brews, and when it all comes together the final product is an imperial brown ale.  There was lots of malt, a little roast, and a full, creamy body.  I was surprised how fast I made it through the whole bottle.  There wasn't the slightest hint of the 8.5% ABV.  If more brown ales tasted like this, I would probably drink them more often. Mission St. 2013 Anniversary Ale from Trader Joe's Hitachino Nest XH Kiuchi Brewery 7% ABV Kiuchi Brewery's Hitachino Nes...
2 comments
Read more