Single Hop El Dorado Session IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

RB transfer

Part of that awesome variety 12 pack from 2 years ago, consumed November 2018.

Pours yellow, 3/4" white head, not quite the high degree of clarity you see with most Sierra Nevada beers, but its still a good looking beer, even if not their highest degree of clarity. The aroma was alright, Sierra Nevada has the market cornered on bittering hops, but aroma hops ain't their top tier jam. Had a similar aroma here to Simcoe moreso than when I think El Dorado.

Taste was a mostly bittering hop and light malt body dryness. Light soapiness, grapefruit, melon, pine, cheetah piss vibes. Don't take any of this to mean that it is excessively bitter, it isn't, it just seems to have more hop bitterness versus hop flavor. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't six pack this one up. Its affordable and reliable, you can take it about anywhere, skiing, golf, river, softball etc. . . I kind of wonder why they released this in the winter months, when all the beers scream summertime, but you can't always get what you want as the Stones said.

A: crystal clear; medium gold in color; 1+ finger ivory head that receded to a splotchy cap; OK lacing;

S: pear and watermelon;

T: not much flavor; a bit of tropical fruit toward the end; moderate bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: the flavor was a disappointment;

 

El Dorado is a nice Western hop--dry, resinous. But I found this rendition lacking a sharp character. Sessionable yes, but largely bland and uninteresting.

Welcome back to my New Sierra Nevada (& Maybe Some Others) Beer Sunday (Week 727)! My mother owns a house in Chico, I scored these at the Friendly Greek Bottle Shop (FGBS) & now, I am anxious to delve deeply into them!

From the CAN: "Family Owned, Operated & Argued Over". Ha!

Yep. yep, I'm coming late to the party on these, but I CAN't dun them for my backlog. That being the case, I followed the Crack! with a slow, gentle Glug. I was less than enthused by the outcome, so I CANducted an in-glass swirl that raised just over two fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, tawny head with decent retention that left a load of sticky lacing in its wake. Color was a solid Gold (SRM = 5) with NE-quality clarity, prompting an impromptu visit from The Gelt Gang of Mammon, Midas & Croesus, all clamoring for a taste. Nose was a CANbination of honeydew melon balls rolled in a stash of dank! 8=O I once knew a chick that used to sprinkle herb on EVERYTHING! She wasn't really into smoking, but ingesting was a whole 'nother story. This coulda been one of her desserts or an appetizer. Phew! Mouthfeel was kinda thin, not watery, but for the style, it was coming up short. The taste was very fruity, very tropical, very much of mango, papaya, guava & passion fruit with some honeydew melon thrown in for good measure. Good, for what it purported to be, but the lack of bitterness left me cold. This style cries out for IBUs & when it does not deliver, I lose patience & interest. This was just such an instance. Finish was semi-dry, but it lacked Ooomph! & staying power. I CAN assure you that when I finish this CAN, I won't give it a seCANd thought. YMMV.

Appearance: Semi-cloudy golden amber, with a huge head of off-white suds and loopy lace.

Aroma: Tropical and citrus hops. Nice.

Taste: Hops up front. No bitterness at all. Smooth and light-drinking. A solid session IPA.

Poured from 12oz can into glass. Stamped on can bottom is canning date of '073018'.
Clear, pale gold colored body. One finger white head is later an interrupted cap. Leaves behind a bit of lacing.
Aroma is malty with earthy and dank hops.
Taste is more of the earthy, catty hops first and then joined by the sweeter malts.
Soft, medium, metallic mouth feel. Good carbonation.
Being this a lower ABV% session ale, all the aspects for evaluation are more subdued, and without any outstanding attributes. Would be good for a neighborhood party or after doing year work.

12 oz can, packaged 9/5/18. Pours slightly hazy straw yellow with a decent rocky white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is wheaty malt with some fruit and catty, green, slightly metallic, hops.

The flavor is slightly skunky wheat malts with dank catty green onion hops. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, had some off notes and didn't care for the hop profile.

 

 

12oz can, PKGD 073018C. Golden body with a slight haze, thinner foamy off-white head. Fruity aroma hinting at tropical fruit & lemon-lime citrus. Assertive hop flavors with notes of lemon, tart passion fruit, grapefruit, and pine coupled with a modest biscuity malt backbone that has a hint of nutty light caramel. Light-to-medium body, ample carbonation, moderately bitter finish. Decent and would be quaffable on a hot summer day.

Clear yellow brew with plenty of foam in the Wander snifter. Plentiful aroma with something like lime and lemon, but light and bright. Pleasing sudsy mouthfeel and while it's light-bodied it is not watery. On the crisp side but not overly acidic. They seem to have found a nice balance here, with all the temptation to over-hop.

Flavor is melon and cucumber with a light malty note. This is one of the best beers I've had in this "session" style. It's not overly bitter and the aromatics shine through nicely. Extremely drinkable, and very flavorful for being on the lighter side of five percent. From the 12 oz can in the mixed hop pack.

Nice golden color with a smidge of hop haze and a dense off-white head. The nose has mild fruity hop aromas, and that translates to the taste.

Everything is just a bit muted, which is the case at times with the style in my experience, though the mouthfeel is fuller than “normal,” which may be impacted by its age (canned 9/5/18).

 

From a 12oz can:

Appearance: Yellow-gold, particles in suspension, good head.

Smell: Very light fruitiness, some citrus.

Taste: Bready with mild citrus. More breadiness and body than most session IPAs.

Overall: Beer 2 from the hop pack. I think this might have been affected by the 3 months on the shelf, not as much hop punch as normal from most session IPAs. It did maybe improve the body/feel which is usually the weakest part of session IPAs.

 

 

look - pretty clear light copper color with a good white head
smell - a little bit of the biscuit malts and caramel with lots of grass and some citrus notes
taste - easy going slightly citrus with a good malt backbone
feel - medium body and a fizzy carbonation. It would get a higher number if it wasnt for the fizz
Overall - pretty yummy session

A 12 fl. oz. can, packaged on 5th September 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.

Appearance: A clear golden colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and left lots of nice sticky lacing.

Aroma: Grapefruit, mandarin, citrus zest, pear, with light malty biscuit, caramel, honey and hints of grass.

Taste: Orange, orange zest, lemon, light stone fruit, pineapple, hint of mango, grass and pine. Light to moderate sweetness and light bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: A nice Session IPA. Light and easy to drink as it should be, with some good El Dorado influences.