A tale of two hemispheres

Hops, as with all herbs, suffer from age. Those volatile compounds which make up the wonderful aromas are escaping all of the time and being lost at every stage of the process; from being disturbed on picking and drying, to being compressed on packing. Hops being left for too long become shadows of their former selves. Feeling that it was perhaps unfair that hops should not be showcased in their full glory, Sierra Nevada chose to use some freshly harvested hops in two beers with the same base recipe. They're released 6 months apart as the USA and NZ hop harvests are similarly spaced.


I tried the Southern Hemisphere harvest back in July last year. The hops (NZ hallertauer, motueka and southern cross)are picked, dried and arrive for brewing within a week.  Here's what I thought then:
A wonderful fresh hop aroma of mangos and resinous pine in this red-amber beer. It forms a thick creamy head. Initially tastes of tropical fruit and toasted malt followed by orange pith with a sweet hoppy finish. Easy drinking for its strength due to the light carbonation and hidden alcohol.

Two tasty beers.

I enjoyed it so much I tried it again 9 months on. Those hop flavours have certainly subdued now but still plenty of body in there. Its obtained the marmalade flavours that are often present in aged IPAs but still a lovely beer.




The Northern Hemisphere version uses the hops (centennial, cascade) even fresher, they're not even dried and are from field to kettle within 24 hours.
Dark amber with resinous pine, mango and orange peel on the nose. Strongly bitter with more pine, high carbonation and a tropical bitter finish. I preferred the New Zealand hopped version actually, this one being perhaps too piney to become almost car freshener. But a minor quibble really as I still scored it higher than many other DIPAs I've rated.

B is for...

Ben is running a weekly beer alphabet series on his blog, open to anyone who wishes to contribute. I had no "a" beers at home but have plenty of "b's". Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is a Barley wine, perfect for sipping in front of a crackling log fire as the nights draw in and the days are laced with frost.(I think I should score double as both the beer name an dthe beer style begin with b! )

It begins unassuming as if a regular bitter, bit the Seville orange marmalade and toffee notes hint at what lies within its mysterious ruby-mahogany depths.Dusty candy sugar and Turkish delight on the nose. A fluffy tan head which soon collapses to a lacing. The first sip, oh my, what is this? Pithy bitter bomb. This is not what I expected! One of the hoppiest beers I've come across from Sierra Nevada and plenty of booze too at 9.6%. Crisp carbonation thick body sweet and pithy. Alcohol punch, big bitter finish.