Whew! Where have we been?! It’s been a little lull here at Beertastic (some of us maybe have forgotten to post, others have been busy) but regardless we are back with an onslaught of posts. This is a little number I picked up on a good-beer-run with Jim last weekend (hence the following rapid-fire reviews) but ran out of time to drink. This one has again reassured my love affair with Sierra Nevada.

Brewery Home: Chico, CA

Serving Style: Bomber into pint glass

Beer Style: American Pale Ale

Appearance: A dark amber gold or copper, maybe just slightly cloudy. Exceptionally strong off-white head with spiderman-like lacing! I really must again emphasize how beautiful the head is; it billows up creamy and then sticks around clinging to the sides for dear life, leaving rings as you suck it down. Awesome.

Aroma: Woah! A medium but intriguingly spicy aroma. Curious hop spice that I am going to attribute to the wet hopping. Strong citrus-like or spice notes (maybe a hint of pine/sprucetips?) with a light malt in the background. Not as strong as I imagined, but nonetheless a captivating aroma character.

Taste: Dry and well bittered with a sweet malty backbone. I don’t mean to oversimplify the flavor but that last sentence is a good general overview. The hops bring a spicy and earthy charge at the beginning of the sip with the sweet malts peaking out slightly before a clean, dry finish. The mouthfeel is crisp-to-creamy, what a delight. Similar to the aroma, the hop character does seem to have some unique characteristics I have not detected in other pale ales/ipas but the overall profile is smooth and well balanced.

ABV: 6.7%

Drink one or all?: One bomber will definitely make you smile.

Cost: $8?

Overall: 17/20 Ahhhhh this brewery rocks.