Monday, May 2, 2011

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Grand Cru

Style: Grand Cru
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Package: Bomber into Bruges
ABV: 9.2%
IBU: Unknown
Location: Citywide Downtown S.B.

Aroma: Mild flowery hops, caramel malt, slight fruitiness and a hint of oak. I'm definitely smelling some of Sierra Nevada's flagship pale ale coming through.

Appearance: Frothy, foamy off-white color cap on top of a reddish brown brew.

Taste: Rich, sweet caramel with only a fleeting warmth from the alcohol. Very well balanced with citrusy and flowery hops.

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation and a medium-to-full body. Very smooth, only a slight bitterness.

Overall: A might fine brew, smooth and balanced well with no one ingredient dominating the overall taste. Quite complex with the mixture of different brews involved, but not messy.

Notes:  Although I bought the previous 30th Anniversary bottles, and planned to buy this one, it still came highly recommended by Dan at Citywide downtown, and I completely agree. For those that haven't heard of this, it is a mixture of some of their most popular beers, Celebration Ale, Pale Ale and Bigfoot, then "generously" dry hopped. Sierra Nevada is one of my top 5 favorite breweries, and they did a great job with this, probably the best of the four anniversary beers that they did.

Grade: A-

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