2014 Celebration Ale

Celebration Ale is one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA and one of the few hop-forward holiday beers. Famous for its intense citrus and pine aromas, Celebration is bold and intense, featuring Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops—honoring everything we have at Sierra Nevada. Not as described.

 

It's an ok beer if nothing better is available. To me there is a definite amber malt taste which I don't care for and as with just about all SN IPA/PA type beers the hop bitterness is an industrial tasting add on like something concocted in a laboratory.
I think NB Ranger is a higher quality product.

 

That's funn. It's actually exactly as described:

"one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA". Check; flash back to the 1980s and it was a pioneer.

"Famous for its intense citrus and pine aromas." Check; there's a reason why people debate every year whether it has spices or not ... because of its citrus and pine aroma / flavors.

"featuring Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops." Check; that's the damned recipe and where the 65 IBUs come from.

Perhaps you don't find it bold or bitter enough - can't tell from the "not as described" comment - but it certainly is an American IPA with a citrus & pine oriented flavor profile.

Cheers!

 

Definitely noticed an improvement from the 9/26 batch to 10/10 batch but still not there.

 

Yeah- thanks for posting that. I just bought a single last week so I could track it myself. I'm hoping I see later dates in a few weeks, but if not then that October one will do just fine this year.

 

It's a Christmas tree in a glass, just how I like it.

 

I had my first 2014 Celebration last night; it was bottled on 10/22/14. I enjoyed drinking it but I have had better versions in past years. I may or may not buy another 6-pack of this beer.

Cheers!

 

Fruity Pebbles is exactly how I describe the flavor of centennial hops, have you not been drinking many beers dry hopped with centennial this year? This year's Celebration has tasted a little more aromatic to me than years past, personally.

 

If ANYBODY wants some cellared Celebration, I have plenty going back to 2005!

 

Just found some from 10/28/14 and, like @Kurmaraja, I find the beer all it's advertised to be. The other story is that I checked my 2010 review of Celebration and the character descriptors all still fit. This is a hop-flavorful beer with bitter characters that are well balanced by good malts keeping the hop flavors and bitterness from being over-the-top, yet still strong enough to remind you that this is the one that started a west coast hop craze.

And to the anti-cellaring crowd -- up next: a 2013 in comparison!

 

I think I got a bad batch, I usually love Celebration but my sixer I just bought tastes very strong of soap. My buddy and I both picked up on it the other night.

 

Big caramel nose, strong head, has become quite hazy with many yeasty floaters. Flavor is caramelly with a good amount of the bitterness remaining, but only a little of the fruitiness and pine character. At a year old I get many characteristics I taste in English Strong and Old Ales; Fullers 1845 and Vintage comes immediately to mind -- not exact, but in that same range.

@SaCkErZ9 -- let's look into UPS rates to Illinois -- although, I have a pretty good collection for a great vertical myself!

 

There's a packaging date at the top of the back label.

My guess is that you're perceiving the strong hop character as soapy -- your palate has probably been effected since last year and you're tasting C-hops differently.

 

This is starting to get like Nugget Nectar season, with reports of 'good dates' and 'mediocre dates'. The funny thing is that there is enough variability to make it worth one's while to check around.

 

This is a great classic, my first true craft beer obsession. Back in the day Iowa's ABV laws prevented us from getting this beer and I had to get it shipped on a freight truck and it cost me $70 a case. It was my first foray into the "hard to get special release beer". Now I just go to the super and pick up 3 cases for the same money.

A friend said it was a bit of a let down this year but I know it tastes just as good as always. I love all the Citra this, Simcoe that, but I think all these light malt hop forward bombs have caused folks to lose appreciation for a solid, classic, IPA.

 

Very possible, it was just odd that we both instantly looked at each other and commented how soapy it tasted while last year we were grabbing sixers every weekend during its season. Ill try another 6 pack and see if the results are the same, if so then I know its our taste buds.

 

You guys drink just about the same stuff all the time? You could be equally effected. I know that when I drink big hop beers it sets my palate in a different direction -- even depending on the type of hop.

 

Ya we both stick to about the same beers. Mostly IPA/IIPA and Stouts. We are both coming out of a hot summer this year in AZ and we possibly overloaded on hoppy beers this year so we may have just burnt out palettes out. Ill give it another shot and see what the results are.

 

I'm getting impatient waiting for this, its been out for weeks already, sigh..

 

Maybe it's served too cold? I find that Celebration (and actually, most well hopped beers) taste much, much better if they're not served at near freezing temps. Any balance is totally lost if it's too cold, and all you get is hop bitterness and little else.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel that served at 50 to 55°F, Celebration is showcased as the real gem and masterpiece of brewing that it is.