Okay, okay. I realize I’ve been lagging on my self-imposed “deadlines”. Gimme a break, it’s not like I’m being paid for this gig. And the editor is, well, me. So if I don’t get a post sent up, meh. My millions of readers will just have to be patient.
I must say that Sierra Nevada is trying very hard to corner the market on … my fridge. Seriously. I’m working my way through the Tumbler and Celebration right now. I have a bottle of the Northern Hemisphere Harvest I haven’t had yet. Plus, I just saw an ad in my latest Celebrator for this year’s Ruthless Rye. I mean, really, no one else has a chance right now.
I’m enjoying a Tumbler Brown Ale as I write. I love the roasty nuttiness, with maybe a touch of cocoa, again finished off with that signature hop bite. That bitter twang at the end wraps up everything so nicely. No matter the style, they somehow work that in there. I don’t know how they do it.
And as for the Celebration Ale, well, I don’t really know if I can add anything to what’s already been said about it. I’m somewhat hesitant to try winter beers usually, as too many brewers tend to go nuts with the winter spices. Having said that, though, I recently had Deschutes Jubelale on tap, and found it very good. It does have its share of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), but it finishes with a great bitterness that keeps it from being too cloying. Very well done.
Anyway, Celebration always stands out as a brash West Coast answer to the traditional holiday ale. I mean, who else would do a holiday IPA? And I really can’t put my finger on it, but this IPA always seems to have an extra dimension, more complexity than most. I always look forward to this time of year, just for this.I don’t normally rank the beers I drink, as there are just too many to remember. But I’ve long considered Celebration Ale my second favorite beer of all, behind only Pliny the Elder.