Summer of Sierra

Several times a year a whole tranche of new Sierra Nevada beers arrives unannounced. I can't hope to keep up, but here's a couple of recent new ones.

Helles in the Tropics is a lager of course. My bottle was seven months old by the time it hit my glass, but I don't think even that excuses the poor optics. It looks horribly thin and watery, barely yellow and unable to form a head for more than a few seconds. Any self-respecting Bavarian would send it straight back before taking a sip. I'm neither of those things, so when I drank it I found a beer at first plain and dull, then with a weird artificial perfume kick. And not a classy perfume: it's a cheap and grannyish sort of lavender spritz. The worst of it is the texture. There's no süffig. Where's the süffig, Sierra Nevada? While it's not horribly thin, there's none of the lovely bready cakey fullness that makes Helles worth your while. Without being a bad beer per se, this is a disgrace. Don't just throw the H-word around, brewers.

An IPA to follow, safer territory for this brewery. Hop Solo showcases Crystal, a deeply unfashionable hop, which is therefore a great idea. Maybe it's the name but I detect crystal malt in here too: the mid-amber colouring and a whiff of sweetness in the foretaste. Though only 5.5% ABV there's a nice chewiness to it, again down to whatever malt combination they've used. The hops aren't aggressive, but give it a clean and herbal bite: minty primarily, with back notes of cinnamon and clove. It's unconventional for an IPA here in 2019 but it's very nice to drink. The soft texture is everything the Helles should have been but wasn't.

The Beer Camp series of one-off collaboration beers benefited from a second intervention of Irish brewers at number 256. The team from Grand Cru dropped a gentle hint to the USA with a fruit-infused IPA called An Irish Impeachment. I went along for the launch night at Eatyard.

They've used tea in this as well, which gives it a pleasant sweet yet dry effect like, well, peach tea. The fruit syrup is a little sticky but the tannins do a good job of counteracting this. Yes it's gimmicky, but it works and is genuinely nice to drink. The only part of the description to be argued is "IPA": there's nothing particularly hop-forward about it at all.

A dark one to finish on: Life & Limb is a collaboration with Dogfish Head, first brewed ten years ago but not for the last eight. This was my first time finding it on draught in Ireland. "American strong ale" is the style designation. What I got was 10.2% ABV and almost completely black. There's a stout-like roast at the front, quickly balanced by caramel and fudge. There's also a lighter cereal grain side to it, and it's gently perfumed with meadowy violet. This is dangerously easy to drink, slipping back easily and hiding the alcohol very well. All luxury and no rough edges.

I've been called out before for saying Sierra Nevada does hoppy well and and should stick to it. Occasional luxurious dark ales aside, I stand by that generalisation still.