Sierra Nevada Celebration Sightings (2022)

Drinking a 10/05 can now. Eh, my feelings are the same as every year: I enjoy it but it's just not that special to me and I don't get the hype. But like I always say that just means more for everyone else

 

Woo-Hoo!

 

Yes, but in a very balanced way.

 

At least it's not Pumpkin Beer?

 

We usually only get one drop in town so I am stuck with the September 30th canning. I can live with that.

 

Man, that must be a malt bomb by this time.

FWIW -- I may try a 2021 Celebration this afternoon for fun.

 

I see 6packs but I am afraid to look for dating. I suspect that they have been sitting for quite some time. In the cooler but I am still afraid.

 

I broke down and bought a 12 of cans in PA. $21.20 out the door this morning. I fully intended to grab a few bottle 12 packs after work Friday but a trip to the Eye ER quashed that. I do not have a detached retina, just some “jelly” loosened up in my eye and is giving me issues I guess I will have going forward.

I keep coming back to this beer, there were a few years I was not loving this but have been back in for a while. I think my first one of these was right around 1990 when a friend gave me one. Still great today. Sitting in the yard waiting for the dogs play date to arrive.

Enjoy

 

Live review... 12 ounce can poured into my Imperial Nonic.

Pours a hazy peach color with a sudsy and cragy, light tan head that leaves sticky lacing.

Aroma is light stone fruit with earthy caramel in an Old Ale character -- a touch of cardboard oxidation.

Flavor is spicy bitter hops up front with that Old Ale earthiness back and lingering spicy bitterness and peppery alcohol in the finish through the aftertaste. The earthy caramel also makes a showing in the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is smooth to syrupy with a light-robust body.

This vintage isn't pretending to be fresh, but the characters it's developed are very deliciously intriguing -- keeping you as interested as an Old Ale or even a vintage Port Wine -- true beer geeks would -- well, geek out.

@SierraTerence

 

Right there with ya, brudder. Welcome to old age!

 

I got my first 6-pack of the year a few weeks ago, then another one two weeks ago, both canned on 9/30. I was taking it slow waiting for Wegmans to get cheap 12-packs. Got one today (cannot beat the $13.49 price) canned on 10/11 and noticed that it tastes more bitter than the ones I had before. Besides the dates, the older ones are from Chico, while the newer ones are from Mills River, so I'll try to do a side-by-side tomorrow.

 

If by "jelly" you mean floaters, I had them at one time. Anoyiing as heck, but then one day they just went away. Never came back again.
Good luck!
Yeah, I'm kind of old also.

 

My opthalmologist told me this could happen. 4 years later it hasn't. Consider yourself lucky.

 

As promised, I did a blind side-by-side of the Chico and Mills River brewed Celebration. From the start, the beer on the left had much less head, but it kept it all through the time it took to finish these beers, while the one on the right disappeared in a few minutes. Also, the one on the left had a deep piney smell, while the one on the right didn't smell much at all. Granted, the right glass is a little smaller, but not to justify the difference. The taste was similar, but the one on the left was a little more complex, although it is probably because I tried it first. After a few minutes and when the beers warmed up, the difference in taste disappeared, but the smell of the beer on the left and even from its empty glass stayed more pronounced.

I looked at the bottom of the cans when there were still a few sips left. I was sure that the more complex on the left is from Chico, but to my surprise, it was the other way around. In the end, it is possible that the difference came from freshness and storage. Mills River beer is almost two weeks fresher, and the store I got it from had it in the refrigerated section, while the beer from Chico was sitting warm on the shelf and didn't get into my fridge until last night.

 

I'm just not convinced 2 weeks canning difference and a little time sitting out of the cooler could make a huge difference (I doubt it was kept in coolers at the distro).

OTOH -- 2 different breweries attempting to duplicate the same outcome could be challenging.

I've only seen Mills River cans (at least in six-packs -- haven't checked the 12-packs) around here so far, but would love to make a similar comparison.

@SierraTerence -- love to hear some insight.

 

I appreciate the honesty of this review. I also found that this year felt a bit old. I had to double-check because the store I bought it from is known for selling old beer early in the season. The bottoms of the cans I purchased in a 12-pack seemed to say "PKGD 100422 M 12:57" (G looked more like a B). I personally prefer it to taste more fresh and any aging I will do myself. It is one thing I have consistently enjoyed from both Celebration and Bigfoot (freshness).

 

To be clear -- that was a review of a 2021 Celebration.

The 2022 cans I've enjoyed had none of the earthy "old ale" character and bigger, more complex hop flavors and aromas. The 2022s also had a crisper body, no syrupiness.

 

There's also the difference in Temps between chico-ny distro chain vs NC-NY distribution. But I tend to agree that different breweries play a bigger role

 

2 weeks for can-conditioned beer which is 1 month old is a long time. At the same time, different batches, different storage, and different travel would all play a role. And at the end of the day, they were not that different.

 

Found it on tap at a local pizza joint. Liking it better than the cans but it's very similar. I feel like the mouth feel is a hair softer and that helps the malt flavors shine a bit brighter. Definitely getting a touch more rose character as well

 

Waiting for cases of bottles to hit my local Costco (San Jose). Canned celebration ain’t the same , bottles are the holiday tradition.

 

Would you be willing to conduct a side-by-side tasting of a bottle and can of Celebration and report back? I for one would be very interested in hearing your thoughts here.

Cheers!

 

Sure but I have avoided cans this far. I think it tastes better out the bottle too not in a glass. Could all be nostalgia and in my head though.

 

Well, a blind tasting between the two poured in the same sort of glassware will 'answer' the question here.

Cheers!

 

I haven't had it on tap this year but I for me it has always had a creamy (for an IPA) mouthfeel and incredible lacing. She's a beauty to behold.

 

Struck out at three locations today. Not celebrating yet

 

Really is a lovely sight. And yeah, I feel like ipas have generally gotten a good bit crisper over the years (wc obviously). This one is a throwback in a lot of ways

 

He occasionally looked like me. That was the closest.

 

Just finishing dinner and one of the taps blew...replaced by a fresh keg of Celebration.

Guess I'll stay for one more.

(Hopleaf in Chicago)

 

We are seeing 12 packs of bottles in my area, which is a welcome sight after no bottled 12 packs last year. Grabbed one today canned 10/18 in Mills River. I also like the bottles better.

 

The 12 pack for $13.77 deal is back at Safeway/Vons (California). I love when you can buy great beer in 12 packs at the grocery store.

 

Grocery stores (at least those a part of big conglomerates) seem to have great buying power -- and many seem to be recognizing good beer. In my area anyway.

 

Whereabouts?

 

Curtis Liquors Cohassett. Picked up my second 12 ok of bottles today

 

Interesting. Total Wine is showing both 12 packs and cases of bottles ($18.49 & $33.49 respectively). It's a bit far and I'm a bit lazy. Cans are tasting really good to me.

 

$26.99 is the best I've found a case of bottles for in Wisconsin. Not easy finding cases of SN these days. I don't think it is the be all end all beer but it sure beats mediocre haze that is 3-4 times the price. It's shelf stability is pretty noteworthy at this point. Unlike all the devolved, disgusting IPAs of some sort or another rotting away on shelves surrounding it, it always manages to taste great.

 

My wife bought both...unfortunately a side by side never happened, but of course the bottle tasted better. I would love to see a move back to bottles, not consuming bonus chemicals from plastic sprays when I drink, but I'm in the minority there it seems.

 

User name...does not check out...?

I'll join you in that minority though. The simple reliability of the contents of the bottle are much preferable to the mystery of the "plastic" (I don't think we often acknowledge just how broad a class of compounds that word refers to) lining the can.

 

Yeah lots of bad IPAs on the shelves these days and I don't try as many new ones as I used to because of this, tired of pouring half+ down the drain because I just couldn't get through it.

I like cans for their perks but do think that bottled beer tastes a little better and I can get better pours from them too. Who knows where glass is going to end up sustainability/recycling-wise, though, and unfortunately it seems to be a losing battle in many areas.

 

Well, most of the beer bottles get reused in my household for containing homebrewed beer.

Other glass goes into my recycling bin and my bet is that the glass gets ground up to create fill material.

Cheers!