Sierra Nevada 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale: Thoughts?

There was discussion a few months ago that SN reformulated Tropical Torpedo:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...nevada-reformulating-tropical-torpedo.626270/

Cheers!

 

It’s 5-6 weeks old here, I didn’t feel compelled to buy it.

 

I saw the reference it was reformulated and thanks for the link for more detail/info.

Admittedly it’d be more fun if the same “drain pour” formula was in place for the comparison, but I think the new version should work as well.

 

Revisiting after a break from all beer and I'm still not a huge fan. I really notice the earl.grey tea note that @TongoRad pointed out and I can appreciate how well made it is but I would rather have either a celebration or an snpa honestly. I bought a 12 pack cause it was on sale for 13$ and I'm not mad about having it but I will be sharing happily

 

It would be interesting, but then again, seeing as in my first go around with SNPA, Celebration, and 40th I couldn't tell the difference between them, I don't know how much this would tell me either. Everything was just kind of muddled.

As I said, round two is scheduled for the Superbowl with all three of those plus Bigfoot. I'll take more care to have them on a fresh palate (which I didn't do) and to drink water between samples and take more time.

Because that's too old? I find Sierra Nevada hoppy beers tend to hold up quite well.

 

No, imo SN beers are usually the best in the business as far as standing up to age. If it was a week old I would have perhaps have bought it, but I was more disinterested than concerned over the date.

 

From my blind taste test, I found that the 40th Anniversary Ale was in between SN Pale Ale and Torpedo or Celebration. Leans toward SN Pale Ale though, differing from other reviewers. It has a strong citrusy orange component to the hops with the classic SN citrus flavor, but without the tame malt body of the Pale Ale or the piney zing of the Celebration or Torpedo. It's a SN citrus hop IPA, but with a lighter malt backbone. It's the tame or "average" 6% SN IPA that was never delivered until now.

 

So you did it with 40th, SNPA, Celebration and Torpedo? If so, did you accurately pick out each one blind?

 

I did it with SN Pale Ale, 40th, and Celebration. I knew Torpedo would be too far off the map. Other reviewers compared it to SN Pale Ale, then others compared it closer to Celebration, so I did the trio. It's much more similar to SN Pale Ale. Just a slight hoppier beer with more citrus hops and less malts. The body and bitterness are similar.

 

What was the date of the Pale Ale?

 

Good Question. Not sure. Probably not as fresh at the 40th. From Trader Joe's though, so probably fresh within reason.

 

Love it. Ton of old school piney resinous flavor. Tons of flavor and mouthfeel for 6%. I'd buy it regularly if offered. I wish beers like this were the fad and not juice bro.

 

Does your TJs have cold storage for beer? Most I've seen here in CA don't.

 

5-10 years ago they were.

 

But you’re just saying that because it isn’t “hazy.” I don’t think IPAs like this one were a fad 5-10 years ago.

 

Ya I didn't get the "classic" wcipa taste that was popular at all from this. It was crisp and had some of the piney resinous flavors that characterized some of those beers but it had other stuff going on as well

 

I get what you're saying, but its profile does fit some IPAs from that genre. And Sierra Nevada acknowledges this themselves on their website:

https://sierranevada.com/beer/40th-anniversary-hoppy-ale/

A tribute to the best of the West Coast IPA and craft beer’s long, strange journey.

This beer showcases the bold flavors and aromas of a classic West Coast IPA: intense pine and citrus with a deep gold color and slight caramel sweetness.

 

FWIW I also would not necessarily use the term “classic” WCIPA for this beer. I suppose a point of confusion could be defining the various sub-styles of IPA:

· English (British) IPA

· East Coast IPA

· West Coast IPA

· Juicy/Hazy (‘NEIPA’) IPA

· Session IPA

· Etc.

If I were asked to place SN 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale into one of the above ‘bins’ I suppose I would have to choose the West Coast IPA bin since this beer is certainly not an English IPA, East Coast IPA, Juicy/Hazy IPA,… and I am not inclined to define a new IPA sub-style for a one-off beer.

While I am chatting, @russpowell posted previously: “The one I tried tasted like an IPL or a Straight Pils almost…”. While I would not 100% concur with this statement I could indeed see how someone (Russ in this instance) could think along these lines.

I will be posting a detailed discussion on SN 40th Anniversary Hoppy Ale this Sunday in the New Beer Sunday thread.

Cheers!

 

I think the hoppy ale designation that the brewer sticks on this one is plenty adequate. The flavors of hops are certainly front and center but to me it is a mix of piney and earthy/herbal along with prominent malt flavors