Fade To White
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Poured from a growler. Limited release and brewed by the Total Wine and More group that visited the Sierra Neveda beer camp. Actually a pale stout.

The beer pours a nice white and bubbly head that dissipates very quickly. The beer itself is a clear medium gold with very few carbonation bubbles going up. The beer itself is supposed to be a white stout and the team appeared to have accomplished that. The color is much lighter and clearer than a traditional stout but looks as heavy.

The beer smell has mainly cocoa nib notes with a slight hoppy note to accompany it. The hop notes are fairly light and floral with a hint of tropical, but come second to the other notes. In addition to the cocoa nibs and powder, the beer has a strong oatmeal nose that gives it a creamy smell, which is pretty good when mixed with the cocoa powder.

The beer taste has the same notes but tastes somewhat different when compared with the smell. The taste has a stronger hop presence but the hops are more bitter than the smell. The cocoa nibs and powder still make an appearance alongside the hops but are a bit weaker than in the smell. The oatmeal also shows up but acts more to balance out the hops in addition to the cocoa powder. The overall taste isn't super powered but more balanced and subtle than most people might like.

The mouthfeel is unsurprisingly medium bodied with very little carbonation. The beer feel is extremely smooth with a little bit of thickness to it. The carbonation breaks up the texture a little bit but it sorta feels like drinking a heavy liquor.

Overall, this is a pretty good and well worth getting while supplies last. The style is a new (old) one that doesn't seem to be very wide spread and a nice combination of ingredients. I actually hope that Total Wine offers this again in the future.