Our next ale comes from Chico, California from a brewery I'm sure nearly all of us have at least heard of - if not tasted. The Sierra Nevada Pale ale is just about everywhere, but let's take a sip on their holiday offering - the Celebration Ale.
It pours amber with a nice head.
The smell is mostly hop with mild malt. There is also a little honey apparent.
The taste is fresh and hoppy. There is plenty of bitterness there and it lingers through the finish. The malt does a good job balancing the beer, so it isn't overly hoppy. It has a medium to full body. There isn't any apparent spice, but their balance of malt and hop make the beer nice and holiday tasting. I think this is a nice lively beer that would be my #1 pick to take to a holiday party. I believe it would go with a lot of holiday cooking - check their website for great food pairings.
The aftertaste is mostly a subtle hop and bitterness. It finishes on the palate nice and fresh.
It is 6.8% with 62 IBU's. The bittering hops are Chinook. Cascade & Centennial hops are used for finishing. It is dry hopped with Cascade and Centennial. The malts are Two Row Pale and English Caramel. A top-fermenting ale yeast is used.
It is available just about everywhere I've been!
Cheers!
