California IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

Can 0.33L.
Hazy pale yellow body with a large, frothy, white head, mostly diminishing with some nice lacing; high density of average-sized particles.
Heavy hoppy (citrus, grapefruit, flowers) aroma with fruity notes.
Moderate-to-heavy bitter and light sweet flavour; average-lasting finish with a bitter note.
Medium body with watery-to-oily texture; average carbonation.

It's a while since I reviewed this, so reviewing again! I'm a big fan of the usual Sierra Nevada, and West Coast IPA's are my favourite kind of beer ; ) This seems a bit more of a sessionable version.

Cool can design, perfect for sun.

Upon opening, lots of pine and tropical flavours coming through. Aroma isn't particularly strong though. Appearance has lots of small bubbles in the actual beer below the head on the inside of the glass, interesting. Big head, lots of effervescence.

Very light for an IPA, even a sessionable one. Less alcohol than a pilsner. With the tropical fruitiness, it reminds me of the shandies that I used to buy in my school tuck shop (they were 0.5% alcohol) and were lemonade, lime and other fruits mixed with beer. This has quite a prominent lemon flavour also. And elements of pineapple, mango and lemon peel. And passion fruit really shines through as it warms up.

Feel is reasonably complex...the initial bitterness evolves into tropical fruits and finishes with a kind of citrussy lemon flavour.

Overall I really like it...it's a little light for me but everything works perfectly together and it's really impressive.

I really like this. Try to its style, it drinks in a flavourful, yet light and quenching way. It's refreshing and balanced. And that comes from a Belgian beer lover who prefers maltier less hop forward beers in general.

 

Poured from a 355ml can .

Pours an ever so slighty hazy straw, short lived white head .
The smell is fruity , citrus and hoppy and the taste leads on from this with nicely rounded flavours of overripe soft fruit and citrus with a mild bitterness throughout .
The mouthfeel is slightly watery but not too bad . Overall, I quite liked this . It's easy drinking , light and refreshing, lightly bitter and nicely flavoured with hops .

 

Oh boy, I still remember how impressed I was back when I had my first SNPA or the first Torpedo and so on… they were beers I will never forget.
Now, x many years later I still am a fan of Sierra Nevada but as it might happen from time to time, I come across some of their beers “that don’t impress me much.” Had my expectations high with this one too.
I mean, the quality is still the same, super high end. Just that hop intensity is missing for me. I do get hops in the aroma and in its flavor, plenty of hops, mostly bitter - just it doesn’t knock me off my feet. It is rather the “yeah, right, not bad” category. A little bit session IPAish, if you know what I mean?
I did not get the California from it either… Maybe the problem is with me.

 

 

 

Keg halfpint at Argyll Arms, Soho, London. Pale golden colour, white head. Citrus and tropical fruits in aroma and the refreshing flavour. A nice beer with a moderate ABV.

 

 

 

 

 

355ml can, date on the bottom is the 28/08, poured into a tulip.
Look: a hazy gold colour with about an inch of fluffy white head. Leaves some nice lacing all the way down.
Smell: I'm getting hops straight up, piney, orange and citrus, perhaps a little grassiness towards the end. Not much on the malts though.
Taste: fruitier than on the nose, orange zest, a little bit of pine, and some malty sweetness near the end, not too much bitterness. Pleasant, if a little reserved.
Feel: A little on the lighter side, but with some prickly carbonation, but not much length of flavour.
Overall: It's quite a nice beer for a session ale, though I think the hop profile could be upgraded to make it truly a session IPA and not just another pale ale.

From a 355ml can. US size can but all reviews are European. Is this export only?
Whatever it is, this is a pretty tame brew. It's part of the trend for super juicy pale ales but it's lightweight in terms of both taste and aroma. It looks great - hazy & golden with a massive foaming head - and it has just the right level of carbonation with a perfectly dry finish, but the tropical fruit flavours are muted and one-dimensional. Not a bad bbq beer but otherwise uninteresting. Definitely not an IPA, despite the marketing blurb.