All About The Hops

Fall is my favorite season. I love the bright and colorful trees and the feel of the crisp fresh air. I delight in stepping on the fallen leaves and hearing them crunch beneath my shoes. In addition to enjoying the great outdoors this time of year, I have also been enjoying a new brew that came with the season: Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale.

I had high expectations for this beer, as it came highly recommended by multiple fellow beer enthusiasts. I was a bit hesitant because as you've figured out, I don't particularly enjoy the hoppy beers. This ale is one of the exceptions; I'm highly impressed.

The Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale is unique because it is brewed with fresh picked wet hops. Conventionally, hops are brewed in a dry form after undergoing a kilning process and dried so they can be stored throughout the year. With this brew, freshly harvested Cascade and Centennial hops are hand picked from Yakima, Washington and shipped to the Sierra Nevada brewery in Chico, California the same day to be brewed without undergoing any processing. Freshly harvested hops are abounding in aromatic oils and resins, which yields hop elements that are unparalleled. Due to the difficulty of the brewing process, it comes in a limited supply. The Sierra Nevada Harvest is available in kegs or 24 ounce bottles.

The first thing I noticed about the Harvest Ale was the incredible aroma. The smell was so invigorating I wanted to stick my nose in the glass and inhale the beer. But that would have hurt. The appearance is also appealing; it's the perfect color for a fall beer. It has a vibrant copper hue with amber highlights, resembling one of the trees outside my door. It pours with a thick foamy head and has a full body. It possess a piney flavor that penetrated by taste buds until they were almost tingling. I found the hops flavor to be completely and surprisingly enjoyable. I found it so pleasing, I've since drank four or five more just to make sure I really liked it. And I did.

Overall, the Sierra Nevada is a spectacular seasonal brew. Drinking it makes me feel like I'm rolling around in a pile of freshly fallen autumn leaves. The only complaint I have about this beer is that it's not available year round.