Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Torpedo Extra IPA is Sierra Nevada's newest addition to their year-round release line. It's the first addition to their year-round roster in over a decade. Torpedo refers to the new dry-hopping device created by the brewery. It's a pressurized cylindrical tube (shaped like a torpedo) containing hops. The Torpedo is inserted into a special pipe running out of the fermenter. Beer is forced down the pipe, through the Torpedo and back into the fermenter. The hops in the Torpedo impart the beer with hop aroma, oil and resin without extracting any bitter flavors the way traditional dry-hopping does. 

Torpedo IPA also uses a new hop varietal named Citra. It is said to impart pineapple, mango and papaya flavors. Citra was developed by Sierra Nevada in conjunction with two other breweries, and this is its first appearance in a bottled beer. 

The hops used in this brew sound like a couple of strippers and their preferred choice of protection. Everyone welcome Crystal, Citra and their Magnum to the party! Torpedo's coloring is apricot. The aroma is fruity with occasional hints of green bananas. It is also slightly herbal. I did not find any pineapple or mango in the aroma and can't recall eating papaya. I hate to say it, but the aroma reminds me of tropical fruit Starburst. The hop flavoring is flowery with notes of pine in the dry finish. Like Mikkeller's Simcoe Single Hop,  Torpedo's flavor has a strong yet smooth bitterness that doesn't cripple your tongue.  

        

Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller is a Danish Brewery started by two home brewers, Mikkel and Keller. They caught the American bug of making inventive beers and ran with it. One of the brewers has since left to pursue a career in journalism, but Mikkel is still brewing. The beers they make are of extremely high quality and their website is good fun because of the language stumbles. Here's a sample:

"At present, the Mikkeller alone, Mikkel Borg Bjergso, which since the summer of 2007 has run Mikkeller one man. Mikkel is gypsy-brewer, he rents into breweries, and brews both in Denmark, around Europe and the United States."

Errors all around! Not that I should talk. Mikkeller either missed Borat or loved it so much they decided to base their web translation on his English. 

Mikkeller Simcoe uses only Simcoe hops. The aroma reminded me of tropical fruit, either Lychee or Jackfruit. I'm leaning towards Jackfruit. The flavor is sweet and broadly fruity with vague hints of pineapple. It finishes with a late bitter pop which is strong but not harsh. A characteristic of Simcoe hops is strong bitterness that remains pleasant while avoiding paralyzing or astringent sensations. The beer is crammed with hops, the best way to describe it is hop juice. 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2009

I am currently in love with cameras that take backward pictures. At first it confused me. I checked the bottle to make sure the label wasn't on backwards. It wasn't. Then I took some more backward pictures and fell in love with my camera. I've always been adept at writing upside down and backwards so the accompanying photo doesn't bother me.

Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot 2009 is finally here. It tastes hoppier this year but that could be because it's fresh (the beer was bottled three weeks ago). The coloring is deep red, like watered down maple syrup. The aroma is fresh, sharp and flowery with hints of citrus and pine, spice. The flavor is dripping with hops from start to finish. The malt flavoring is there but it's pushed aside by the aggressive hops.  The flavor begins with a sweet, intense fruit character that melds into a strong, bitter finish.   

I have heard the argument that Bigfoot is a double IPA masquerading as a barley wine. I have previously discussed and dismissed the claim in this forum, but after considering this year's release I feel the argument has weight. If I sampled this beer in a blind taste test, I would swear it's an IPA. The hops are too heavy (90 IBUs) while the malt body and flavor isn't where it should be for a barley wine. It's still an awesome beer, but it might also be cross dressing.