Style: Triple IPA
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Origin: USA
Size: 35.5cl
Alcohol: 11%
Price: 40kr
Systembolaget: 11810
Sierra Nevada have been at the forefront of the American craft beer ever since they were founded in 1979, and is currently the 7th biggest brewery in the USA. Best known for their pale ale and IPA, Sierra Nevada has a long-standing tradition of releasing many high-quality products here in Sweden. Triple IPA, or TIPA as it is commonly known is still a relatively new genre of beer. It was established in 2005 with the release of Pliny the Younger by Russian River Brewing Company. Characterized by high alcohol, thick body and big bitterness, these beers are not for the faint-hearted. I am happy to report though that not only is this an amazing beer, it is firmly in my top 3 beers of the year!
It had a dull copper colour with a long lasting off white head (long lasting for a TIPA anyway). There was a light haze, but generally pretty clear. The aroma was massive but absolutely delicious, combining lemon peel, grass, fresh hop pine and stone fruit all wrapped together with a noticeable hint of alcohol. The thick oily body covered the tongue completely upon taking a big gulp, with a syrup like coating really sticking to the roof of the mouth. The high alcohol content hid incredibly well, and you would be hard pressed to call this an 11% beer. Caramel, pine, dried fruit, grapefruit peel bitterness all came through towards the back end of the mouthful. The aftertaste was smooth, warming and left a delightful residue in the mouth, preparing it for the next mouthful.
This was absolutely gorgeous and an excellent example of the genre. It is a shame that this was a limited release, as I could quite easily buy these all year round. I’m really hoping that this will be released again next year so I stock up before they sell out again! An exception 10/10 beer for me.