Celebration
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

- Six can pack

- hoppier than I tend to enjoy but good for the style

- crisp, pine, fresh hops

- great brown color, plenty of carbonation, lots of head, retention, and lacing

- assertive hops

Always anticipate my first Celebration each year. I wasn’t disappointed. Nice hint of caramel and just the right amount of hops. Now it feels like the holidays.

 

 

A generous two fingers of off-white foam crowns this brew, showcasing outstanding cap retention, medium-heavy lacing, and a lingering ring. Its deep amber hue exhibits excellent clarity. The aroma is citrusy with a lemony and piney essence. Supported by a sturdy malt base, the taste delivers a pleasant bitterness with notes of lemon and orange zest. With a medium-light body, moderate carbonation, and a clean feel, it achieves a well-balanced harmony between malt and hops. The experience concludes with a delightful, enduring bitter aftertaste.

Classic American West Coast IPA (Hoppy Bitterness) .

12 ounce can poured into a tulip pint glass.

Look forward to this beer every (though I do try and hold out until at least Thanksgiving as have been seeing this available in October more & more... too soon!). One of my all time favorites and as this is my first rating, it seems like a good place to start and for which to judge what comes after.

Definitely on the darker end of the IPA color scale. Good lacing. No mistaking the West Coast characteristics. Old school, hoppy, bitter. Definitely some malt to compliment the hop punch. Love it.

 

More dark orange than amber with a thick light tan creamy head that lingers and leaves some nice lacing. This a beautiful beer to hold. The bouquet is more floral than I expected and also carries the pine scent of the description. Additionally a light lemon citrus scent can be found. While hop forward in taste there is an underlying malty balance that makes for a fantastic beer. A second taste brings in some of the citrus and pine flavors found on the nose and a lingering bitterness first established by the hops. Easy to drink with a light but complex mouthfeel this beer is a standard barer that can be enjoyed by all.

Two fingers of off white foam; excellent cap retention; medium heavy lacing and ring; deep amber color with excellent clarity. Lemony nose; pine. Firm malt base; bitter citrus - lemon and orange zest. Medium light body; moderate minus carbonation; clean feel. Overall well balanced between malt and hops; lovely long bitter linger.

LOOK: Reddish-amber, slightly opaque, excellent lacey head retention. Clean and inviting look.
AROMA: malty and bready, but with a tang of piney hops. American IPA vibes.
TASTE: amazingly well-balanced and fresh hoppy profile with just the right amount of malt backbone to round it out. Tiniest note of far-away sweetness in the aftertaste.
MOUTHFEEL: foamy head gives way to moderate body and carbonation.
OVERALL: been a major fan of this seasonal for years, and 2023 doesn’t disappoint. Maybe a little bit less complex overall than last year’s, but still amazing and well worth the traditional 12 pack over Thanksgiving weekend :)

 

 

 

Love this beer and look forward to it every year.

The fresh, hoppy bitterness up front is wonderful (missing in some “new” IPAs). Dry, malty bitter finish. Great balance for a hop-forward beer.

This is an excellent, ultra classic American IPA in the tradition of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Cascade hops and caramel malt. Not a hazy modern IPA at all. Solidly bitter with great mouthfeel. Excellent.

A favorite hoppy IPA of mine. It's annual release near me in late October is much watched and waited for by me.

12 ounce can poured into a nonic style pint glass.

Nice clear amber pour with a big fluffy manila head leaving clumps of sticky lace. Robust green and piney hop aroma. Hop forward with a decent malt backbone. Piney and green hop bitterness is aggressive, there is a bit of citrus peel at the finish. Medium-weight body is soft, a touch creamy and a little crisp around the edges with a clean finish. Well done and greater than the sum of it's parts. Classic.