Sierra Nevada 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale: Thoughts?

Ok everyone, pictures below: First was a picture of all three plus the mugs. To make this a truly blind tasting. Second picture is a shot above the mugs after we revealed what was what.

As I said in a post above, I guessed them all wrong at first. On my second attempt I believe I got one of them right. After the reveal I dissected them a bit more, and knowing what they were, was able to better pick out the nuances.

By far the most different one was the Pale Ale, as it was the maltiest. Again, this was bottled on 10/17, so it was also the oldest. This, combined with the fact that it IS the least hoppy (at least in terms of IBUs), made it stick out...but not until after I knew what it was. Also due to it being maltier, I enjoyed it the least out of the three.

The 40th Anniversary had the least amount of malt character (or at least felt the most hop forward), but obviously it was still there, since I couldn't pick it out blind. Celebration felt the most balanced, and also tasted the best to my palate...again this was all AFTER I knew what they were.

I took the picture above the mugs mostly to illustrate the insane head that this year's Celebration has. People were commenting on it on these boards, and well after we had poured it, it was the only one out of the three with foam still left.

I can probably score three more singles of each, but I'm a bit hesitant if all I can get is "old" Pale Ale. Maybe another round with just Celebration and the 40th?

 

The hops in these beers are definitely the "DNA link" between them all (even though the crossovers are wide), but the malt characteristics (especially body) are what really set them apart.

That said, the Cascades in the PA are what continue to draw me back to that beer.

 

Sounds like the hops may have really faded in that PA. While Celebration is very hoppy, the malts are balanced near to perfect to keep the hops from getting out of control. Maybe the Chinook hops are rattling your palate?

 

Could be. I should also mention this was not some tightly controlled experiment either. I wasn't drinking water or eating crackers between beers and sips. But, in other blind tastings I haven't done that either, and didn't have an issue.

Also, tasting THREE beers that similar right in a row probably isn't a great idea in my opinion.

If I do grab more singles I might drink a whole beer blind on different nights. I bet doing it this way would yield better results. However, that Pale Ale is getting a bit long in the tooth for a blind tasting such as this...

 

Don't set any aspirations to judge a home-brew contest!

I was also going to ask about the temp of the beers -- always a factor in what characters emerge.

 

I commend you for your blind taste testing.
I think your assessment is just about soon on.
Of the three, as far as what I liked in order number one would be Celebration, the hops and malt balance were so good.
40th would be second, just a classic well done West Coast IPA.
Pale Ale third place.
Never tried to drink these all in one setting, fortunately I've had them on fresh taps in the last month or so.
I would definitely order any of these again on tap given the opportunity.

 

Ha true true. I meant more so how I did it. Just taking a sip, then a sip of the next one, then the next one, right in a row.

Probably should have at least drank some water or something in between sips.

No idea, probably colder than they should have been as well. They may have been out about five minutes before they were poured. And then we drank them maybe over the course of a half hour or so.

 

I just read on Facebook that Frontier Brewing and Taproom has it on draught. I'll be there tomorrow.

 

And I have had a couple of pints at Frontier. Damn straight..it is fantastic to my palate.

 

I wish my customers were as excited about this beer as this thread lol

 

Just had one tonight, it’s a good IPA and pretty much what I expect from Sierra Nevada. I thought it was a little heavy with the floral quality, but I still have it a 4.02.

 

Bought a case from San Jose Costco for $26, diggin em , I need classic west coast to change the pace from haze. Hope it lasts till super bowl for company.

 

Just tell them if they buy a case of 40th Anniversary that they can buy a four pack of Tree House that you have.

Who cares if it's true or not.

 

Do you suppose it's a local prejudice of sorts? "Bah, we're tired of Sierra Nevada, bring us east coast beer."

 

Very much a possibility, Since SN dominates shelves out here and is more a staple daily beer for some than a brewery who's innovating and bringing out anything new. A least that's what it feels like.

 

It made me do it, @steveh

I did two different blind side-by-sides.

The first was: SNPA, Torpedo, 40th.
The second was: Celebration, Bigfoot, 40th.

(After the talk in another thread about the similarities of Celebration to Bigfoot, I put that in the mix too.)

Personally, I had absolutely no trouble identifying them all. That's just me. (But I've certainly had my fair share of shockers in other blind tastings @AlcahueteJ ).

In relation to each other: The malt character/balance of SNPA is distinctive here. Torpedo is pungent. 40th is relatively light. Celebration is well balanced between its sweetness and bitterness. Bigfoot is heavy.

The only surprise was the similarities between Bigfoot and Celebration. Not that they're alike... but they just seemed more alike than I would have predicted.

(BTW - 2020 Bigfoot is really clicking with me.)

 

But perhaps you can characterize the vibe of your store @Beer_Stan ? In another thread, you mentioned that Rothaus is your top selling German brand. To me, that paints a specific picture of your typical customers. I could be way off, but that makes me think that you get a good deal of beer geeks... and I mean the type of beer geeks who are more drawn to hazy 16oz 4 packs than something like Torpedo.

 

The vibe of my store is an amorphous cross section of literally everyone. From Long shoreman, to hipsters, construction workers to students and office temps. Old and young. However a lot of these people are comfortable with where they've landed on the beer spectrum. Some chase after the newness from breweries that excite them, others will drink the same exact thing they've been drinking for 20+ years and never look in the direction of another beer. Trying to find the niche of people who are as excited about a brewery who's been around and is in most grocery/liquor/retail(target walmart) stores out here as younger craft drinkers are about trillium or what have you is an interesting endeavor. The owner of the store had me buy those Budweiser Jim Beam beers as well hoping that bud drinkers would gravitate toward something new in an effort to convert them to trying more craft and they literally just sat there. And here is a not too unique but fresh offering from a long in the tooth brewery and no one seems to care. It's kind of curious and vexing at the same time.

 

Me too -- post to come (too freaking busy)

Yike

Okay, you wrote it for me.

Same with me between the 40th and Pale, but you're right about the malt in the Pale along with a distinct smoothness compared to a resiny character in the 40th.

To me, the Celebration was a no-brainer; picked it out with one swallow.

Nice. If only I might see it on shelves sooner than later.