I HATE pale ales. I hate IPAs, I hate APAs, I hate all of the extremely hoppy beers. I like hops as a compliment to other flavors and textures. I don't like hops as the only flavor in a beer. I can understand when people don't like fruit beers or specialty beers that have a strong alternative flavor, and that's how I about IPAs. Don't get me wrong, I like a good hoppy beer, Oktoberfests and Ambers are among my favorite types of beers, because they have that hoppy bite. I don't see the point of drinking a beer that is all bite, where's the flavor... So, enough anti-Pale Ale rant. What does all of this have to do with Jingle Beers? Aren't Christmas ales supposed to be warm, dark and a little sweet? Well, I think so... This is where Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale come in. Celebration ale is the 4th beer on our Jingle Beer list.
So let's recap a little... First we had Boulevard's Nutcracker, a dark and malty spiced ale, an excellent way to start any drinking adventure. Second was Sam Adam's Winter Lager. Not a bad beer by any means, much more 'mainstream' and easy to drink. Then we had Breckenridge's Christmas Ale, a dark and nutty spiced beer. There was definitely a pattern here... So going into this Sierra Nevada I was expecting an invitingly warm and sweetly spiced dark ale, what I got was a dry and hoppy IPA that was barely palatable. The Sierra Nevada was a light amber colored beer that had a crisp and abrasive hoppy taste. I didn't pick up any holiday spice at all in this beer, perhaps I just couldn't get past the hops. Then again, I don't see how and IPA is Christmassy at all... Maybe I'm crazy.
I was not a fan of this beer. Not only was this a foul tasting, non-holiday IPA. It is by far the worst Jingle Beer yet. I'm hoping the Sierra Nevada remains on the bottom of the list of holiday beers... I'd be ok with not drinking another IPA, APA or hop tea beer.
Up Next: Schlafly Christmas Ale
WOLF IS BULLSHIT!!!