Sierra Nevada Celebration is an American-style Indian Pale Ale. It’s an intensely flavorful hop-forward IPA made with fresh whole-cone hops from the recent harvest.
Celebration pours flaming orange-red like the last Fall leaves to drop from a maple tree. Lots of Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops built on a firm base of malts. This beer is a rich, full-bodied pale ale with tastes of citrus and pine. Good mouth feel and bitter finish. A thoroughly enjoyable beer at 6.8% ABV and 45 IBU.
The story behind the name “Celebration” is this: Each year from August through October hops are harvested and dried. Like any fresh produce, hops are at their peak right after being harvested. The beer that is made of the year’s first hops, when they are at their freshest, is cause for a Celebration.
Sierra Nevada bottle conditions Celebration, which means they add a dose of sugar and yeast to each bottle to allow it to develop further and carbonate in the bottle. Each bottle is dated with the year on the label. By aging Celebration the hops will mellow and the sweet malts will come forward.
Look for Celebration in November and December. Once it’s gone, you’ll have to wait until the next harvest.
Question: How do you like Celebration in comparison to other American-style IPAs? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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