Super 7 - Beer Camp #1
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

From notes. Came across yellow with a sudsy 1/2" white head. Aroma smacked of not Cascade hops. . . what gives?

Taste, nothing out of the ordinary here, you get some light body, high hops, lemon, grapefruit type of flavors with high carbonation. Lager yeast stays clean. Not a ton in terms of flavors versus bitterness. Some mineral aspect to it. ABV high but not oppressive.

This was a beer camp creation that made it to the Bistro or SN taphouse in Reno, for some reason, I didn't write it on my notes, but that was the recollection.

Pretty standard yellow looking stuff, minimal head. Didn't inspire confidence. Aroma had a little bit of Euro Saaz hop feel, grass.

Taste, much better, so light, but zippy and lemony fresh, with great hop mouthfeel. Lemon and grapefruit bitterness, but not to the ipa level, but its up there in this double. Seems to thicken up as you have it, which is definitely in the minority of beers I've had, usually your palate adjust, they get easier to drink, less viscous. Not so here.

Its a good beer, but with Tilted Smile and Odells double pilsner (not to mention port's panzer), there's a lot of ones out there that are just as good, if not better. Regardless, I love this style, wish there were half as many dipas out there and more double pilsners.

Torpedo Extra IPA Ale--2009 12 oz. Bottle. 7.20% ABV. 70 IBU's. (4.75 / 5.0) No sediment. Rich rocky big lacy dense off white head. Clear thin bright pretty amber gold color. Huge floral citrus pine grapefruit herbal earthy hop front. Sweet pine resinous crisp caramel base intoxicating hop body. Clean dry balanced hop spice end. WOW Hop! Sampled 1/27/2009. 6-Pack $8.49.

Torpedo Extra IPA Ale--2010 24 oz. Bottle. 7.20% ABV. 65 IBU's. (4.5 / 5.0) Lacy thin white head. Clear pretty bright amber color. Sweet hop floral front. Mellow sweet smooth soft hop pine resin infused caramel citrus body with light fruit sweetbread background. Crisp clean smooth hop spice delicately balanced end. Refreshing! Sampled 5/23/2010. 2 @ $2.79 Each.

Consumed at JJ Brewski's, Camarillo, CA on 10/08/08.

Intensely clear medium gold colored beer with a few lazy bubbles rising here and there. Very thin white foam head which produced excellent lacing to the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is sweet, light malt.

More or less what you might expect from an imperial pilsner; lightly sweet, somewhat crisp with moderate but notable bitterness on the finish. Well, not really lightly sweet; a standard pilsner would be, but not this one. And this beer isn't really so crisp, on reflection; it's almost a bit syrupy, but not quite. And while the bitterness is there, there isn't really a hop flavor to accompany it.

Overall, the flavor profile is simple and not especially enjoyable. Considering that this beer has been available for a while and was only brewed once, perhaps its flavor profile is changing as it seems to have faded from what earlier reviewers have noted.

So... while I suppose this beer may be style-correct, I guess it's not a style I especially enjoy.

Now listening to: Primal Scream - Higher Than The Sun

A- Clean, golden with a two finger head that slimmed down slowy into a firm disc that covered through the whole pint
S- grain, grassiness with a malty lift
T- Finally, a release from SN that uses a complex blend of hops that doesn't hammer you over the head with those hops through each sip. In fact, malt comes through first and is nicely complimented with a hop finish.
M- Nice, light body with perfectly matched carbonation.
D- Incredibly drinkable. Perfect to wind out the last hot summer weekends.

Too bad this is a limited release, as this is my favorite release from SN.

Jeff at JJBrewsky's was adamant tank that I have this beer on my recent visit. It came with a solid finger's worth of bone-white head bursting with CO2 bubbles. The color was a deep golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. Eight weeks in the FV tank will have that effect. The nose had a big hops scent. There was no mistaking that this was a pilsner. The mouthfeel was medium, which was interesting for an Imperial Pilsner, since they tend to be viscous. I got a lot of bitterness in the mouth and on the finish, but the alcohol was definitely masked. This was way too easy to drink and it caught up with me later in the day.

Enjoyed on tap at JJ Brewsky's in Camarillo. Tonight that trip was about a 25 minute drive from my office. Not too bad, and certainly closer than driving to one of the other 3 places where this beer can be sampled (all of which are in San Diego). It was my first trip to JJ Brewsky's, but likely not the last.

Appearance:
Bright pale gold and perfectly clear, capped by a thin head of white foam which didn't last long. The beer left a small amount of lacing on the glass.

Smell:
This beer really didn't give much away, even after it had warmed up. Mostly fresh-baked multi-grain bread and some herbal notes-- tarragon and oregano.

Taste:
Starts off with malt and a definite grainy character, dry and refreshing, and followed by a giant wave of herbal hops. The middle is full of warm, chewy bread flavors with a light sweetness. Like pretzel bread with less egg in the crust. The finish is gratifyingly bitter and slightly soapy, with minerals and licorice herbs and a spectacular hoppiness. The bitterness lingers as long as a double IPA.

Mouthfeel:
Full and chewy. Excellent carbonation texture. Alcohol is neatly hidden.

Drinkability:
This is a fine example of an imperial pilsener. Big-flavored, yet never extreme. Full-bodied, yet crisp. And while the hops seem to have the upper hand, this is still a very well balanced beer.

Drove all the way from LA to Camarillo today in order to try this beer alone, Sierra Nevada made this beer for a bar there called JJ Brewsky's as a result of Beer Camp #1, it was released on July 7th, it is also available at three select places in San Diego, my pint cost me about seven dollars after tax

A-Color was a beautiful light golden yellow with an orange tint in the light, minimal head that was less than 1/4 inch, no retention either, some sticky lacing though

S-Powerful mix between hoppiness and skunkiness, got a little grass, nuts, grains, smelled like freshly baked bread at times, hint of citrus, aroma seemed all over the place which is why I did not give it a higher score

T-The initial taste was full of malt and on the verge of being a normal pilsner, then there was a big finish with tons of hops and citrus in the end, there was a hint of alcohol in the flavor, the grains I had noticed in the smell were very evident once the beer warmed, the beer had an incredible balance between hops and malt overall, no taste was overpowering and everything seemed to mold together very well

M-Nice level of carbonation with a little more than you would expect but good because it prevented the beer from being syrupy, medium bodied, taste lingered quite a long time with a hoppy after bite

D-Could have drank a couple more pints of this easily but had a long drive home, alcohol is hidden so well, light on the stomach for a fairly high ABV, very smooth

From the brewer's tasting notes: It is quite full bodied with a dry finish. Has the "grainy" malt character that we were striving for. The impression on the palate is one of richness. The flavors are very "clean" (no noticeable heat or fusel oil characteristics from the alcohol). The color is pale straw. The beer has a very nice (and pronounced) hop character with a lingering hop finish - definitely on the hoppy side. I like it quite a bit. It will be even zippier when it is fully carbonated."

This was the best interpretation of this style I have had, one of the better beers from Sierra Nevada I have tasted as well, more flavor than you think is possible in a pilsner, would definitely drink again if I see it, highly recommended, too bad this is only a one off but supposedly the bar I had this at has enough to last them through the summer, so get down there and try this brew