(STAFF PHOTO J.T. WAMPLER) Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
(STAFF PHOTO J.T. WAMPLER) Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale
Special Sierra Nevada organic ale delivers fresh delight
Wamp’s Wisdom
Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale is a 6.7 percent alcohol ale made with certified organic hops and barley grown on the brewery’s property in Chico, Calif.
Other breweries grow their barley and hops, but as far as I can find, Sierra Nevada is the only one that actually owns the farmland and employs the farmers who raise the crops on the brewery site. Rogue Ales in Newport, Ore., leases land to grow their own barley and hops for a special series of ales. The hops are used wet or fresh from the field, making for a unique aroma and flavor.
It pours a brilliant garnet red with a solid head that rises above the rim of the glass before settling to a nice, creamy, one-finger head that rides the beer to the bottom of the glass.
Aroma is grassy and earthy with floral notes. Taste is of grapefruity hops with a mellow bitterness that lingers between sips. A nice caramel malt flavor also shines through. Overall, this a great organic ale that should not be missed.
Pair with venison tenderloin medallions with cippolini onions.
Rating: 5 Caps
Rico’s Reaction
Wow.
You should literally hate yourself if you like beer and you miss this one. Seriously. Go biblical on yourself, wearing rent sackcloth, covering your head with ashes and the whole wailing and gnashing of the teeth thing.
I’ve always considered myself a beer enthusiast. Apparently, I’ve only been a beer dabbler, standing on the fringe of a world that goes much deeper than I suspected. Before the Estate ale, I was completely unfamiliar with the concept of wet hops — using this ingredient immediately after harvesting instead of curing it. Now I’m wishing I’d known sooner and that a lot more beers were brewed that way.
Fresh. Fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh. The word just kept exploding in my head like the flavor exploded in my mouth after popping the top off the wax-sealed beer bottle. That’s right. Wax sealed. Sierra Nevada really took this one seriously.
And with good reason. I can’t say enough about the quality of taste this beer produced. If you can imagine a green field in liquid form — and that field actually tasting good — that’s what it was like pouring down my throat.
I’m breaking the rules again and giving Sierra Nevada’s Estate full marks. Anyone know a quick, easy source for scantily clad concubines who serve beer?
Rating: 6 Caps
Rating system
One Cap: Put it back in the horse!
Two Caps: Consume only if the other choice is Tijuana tap water or Coors Light.
Three Caps: Acceptable without standing out. The Tito Jackson of beer, if you will.
Four Caps: Nice beer that rises above most but may not deliver enough to be considered great.
Five Caps: Truly great beer that delivers on all counts. A credit to its style. Could only be better if served by scantily clad concubines.
Six Caps: Any five cap beer served by scantily clad concubines.
▲ Beer O’ The Week is a joint production of two beer enthusiasts — J.T. Wampler and Richard Davis.
