Why we picked it: It's been in the 24 DoB before, it's good, and it's back!
About Sierra Nevada's Celebration: Festive fresh hop holiday fun. The start of Celebration season is a festive event. We can’t start brewing until the first fresh hops have arrived, but once they have the season is officially under way! First brewed in 1981, Celebration Ale is one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA and one of the few hop-forward holiday beers. Famous for its intense citrus and pine aromas, Celebration is bold and intense, featuring Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops—honoring everything we have at Sierra Nevada.
Beer Advocate Score: 93
Alcohol Content: 6.8% by volume
Beginning gravity: 16.0° plato
Ending Gravity: 4.0° plato
Bitterness Units: 65
Yeast: Ale yeast
Bittering Hops: Chinook, Centennial
Finishing Hops: Cascade, Centennial
Malts: Two-row Pale, Caramel
Cuisine: Fish and Chips, Roasted Turkey and Dressing, Polenta and Grilled Vegetables
Cheese: Parmagiano Reggiano, Manchego
Case Cost: $39
*website: http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/seasonal/celebration-ale
Where yesterday's 3 Brothers Drift (and by yesterday, I mean an hour ago) was a light and easy-drinking session IPA, Sierra Nevada Celebration is an appealing jumble of aromas, hops, and flavor with more depth and weight.
ReplyDeleteCelebration really does have a lot going on, and it all works together pretty well. It's just the right amount of bitter and hoppy to complement the malts and give you a feel for the holidays - a strange and unspecific concept in beer that's hard to explain, but you know it when you see it. Beers like these wouldn't really make sense in the heat of a July 4th weekend at Jim's house on the Chesapeake, shooting off boxes (literally, a ton) of fireworks over the Bay while your friends and family smile and point and gasp in awe. That's a great kind of celebration, but this Celebration isn't that kind of celebration.
This, inexplicably, is a beer for the winter celebration of family and friends, an ideal brew for a chilly evening gathered in Ryan's kitchen, or a night in front of your fireplace with a dog at your feet and your lady by your side. (Ok, whatever - it's 1 AM and this is my fifth IPA of the day.) It's tasty enough to wish they made it all year, but I'm happy they don't - it gives us something to anticipate.
The Five IPAs Today:
DeleteLunch: 3 Stars Two to the Dome DIPA
HH: Maniacal DIPA (@Port City) x2
Dinner: 3 Brothers Drift Session IPA
Night Cap: Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA
In my book, that's a good day.
Well said!
DeleteThe only issue i had with this beer was that there was only one in the case!
ReplyDeleteYou ever see a women that is gorgeous? Great hair and great bronze exoctic skin color? This beer has all that going for it. I mean you just want to get her home and try it. And she doesn't disappoint . . . Until she leaves a bitter taste in your mouth by saying "you aren't done yet are you?"
ReplyDeleteNice selection! I could do without the bitter aftertaste
This beer never disappoints. Drank this tonight while decorating the tree. It's a solid beer, but those that have had this before knew that going in. I wish I had a few more. Solid smell, solid taste. I ordered most of the IPAs together on back to back days so we could compare them. This is better than last nights, but I think the two were created for different purposes. I could drink 5...who are we kidding 10 or 15 of last nights beers in a sitting. Tonight's beer is more of a 3-5 limit...ok a sixer in a sitting. I think for me, this was a perfect beer for tonight...putting up the tree, decorating, Christmas music playing, my 1yr old running around in a Christmas outfit...a small family celebration. Grade 9.5 of 10, A.
ReplyDeleteDrink 10 or 15? You'd be asleep after #4. Be honest - you're probably asleep now. You friend - DJ.
DeleteFirst sip I didn't like it, second got better, third I could taste the caramel, but it's too hoppy and that is overwhelming for my taste. I remember trying this a few years ago for 24DoB so I went back to read my comment: "Gross." I don't think it's that bad this year. Tony's comment a few years ago rated it a D and this year he gave it an A. Haha! I think our palates are maturing.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't grab this one again. Check minus.
That husband of yours has come a LONG way Katie!
DeleteSolid IPA colored Red for the holiday season! Would order this on draft and knock back a few.
ReplyDeleteYa know, it seems that every time I go and express my personal distaste for IPA's, one comes along that surprises me and that I truly enjoy. This is definitely one of them. My biggest problem with most IPA's that I've tried is that the bitterness seems to be cumulative, and by the time I finish the beer the bitterness lays very heavy. There are those, though, where the bitterness remains constant, as it did with this Celebration. Upon pouring, I really liked the color. First sip was very enjoyable and continued through to the last. I found myself wishing for another. Not sure if it has anything to do with the "fresh hop" reference, but there have been a couple of others with that reference that I also found enjoyable. Breckenridge Brewery has a Mountain Series that has a "fresh hop" beer that I also enjoyed. Also, their Lucy U IPA was very good.
ReplyDeleteI'm always willing to try a beer at least once, especially upon other beer connoisseur's recommendations. Heck, I'm 50/50 German/Irish. Talk about "born to drink", for cryin' out loud. Thanks once again to those that put this together so I can keep trying these beers and, if I may be so bold as to say, further sophisticating my palate with your recommendations.
P.S. 14 out of 72? Sad. :-(
DeleteI've had Celebration many times before but it had been a while. Classic beer. Still enjoy it but not one of my absolute favorites.B+. Also nice to see the packaged date from the brewery right on the bottle. 22 Oct. Pretty fresh.
ReplyDeleteIn general I'm not a fan of IPAs, but this one isn't terrible. C
ReplyDeleteAgain not a fan of IPA but its tolerable. I enjoyed the color, the smell, even the first sip. But by the time I was done, I had the horrible IPA aftertaste still lingering in my mouth. B-
ReplyDeleteAn IPA, winter ale mix made me a bit skeptical at first but I enjoyed it. The sampler pack of Sierra Nevada I got was a bit of a let down but this has restored my faith. It was a good way to celebrate being 4/5s of the way through IB training and completion of an 11 miles run.
ReplyDeleteThis is an IPA for those who don't like IPAs, myself included. I woulda never guessed this was an IPA in a blind taste test. A-
ReplyDeleteWhen the beer list came out, I circled this one on the list. I knew this would be a good day. Sierra's Celebration is one of the reliably very good beers of the season. It is a well balanced IPA that delivers it true seasonal flavor. I would gladly have another. Grade: 8/10.
ReplyDeleteOh where to begin. Celebration Ale is the only thing that gets me through the winter months. One of my top five or perhaps top two favorite beers of all time. I've been drinking this for weeks and will be doing so until it disappears. I guess even after 15 or so years of drinking this, I didn't ever realize it was actually an IPA. I've had many good times with this beer which I have probably listed over the years. Fondest memory is probably sitting at the Big Hunt bar waiting for my first date with Ro. Drink this tonight after driving back from Delaware in a monsoon and surviving a half hour in the Carter's outlet store so it tasted better than ever. I will be purchasing a fresh sixer tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIn other outstanding news, I have a fresh Dogfish growler in my fridge.
So I checked the historical archives and in the past this has always just said Celebration Ale. Nothing about IPA. And especially not this Fresh Hop IPA thing. Beer tastes the same to me so probably just some marketing gimmick.
DeleteFresh Hop beers are a rare treat and the Sierra Celebration never disappoints. It has excellent balance and using fresh hops always gives a softer feel to the IPA...explains why so many of you non IPA lovers find it palatable. This beer is always a treat this time of the year...I missed it last year and am glad to have had one.
ReplyDeleteI'll grab a sixer of this within the next week
I drink IPAs almost exclusively. This is a well done beer that I find dull these days when Brewers are doing so much more with the herbal side of the hop. I love that I can count on finding it in almost any grocery store in a pinch. B-
ReplyDeleteAlways excellent – first one of the season!
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed this beer in the past and this year's brew is no exception. I generally think of IPAs as a summer beer, but this had a unique taste that felt very much in season. Definitely one I would drink again.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a great beer - so well done. It even looks great. I probably wouldn't buy it in quantity, but I'd grab a pint if I came across one.
ReplyDeleteVery smooth. Great color, great smell. could easily have had a few of these without hesitation. I think this beer would go well with almost any food, its that smooth. Slightly bitter, but finishes smooth. Winner.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned this one in my day 5 post, but to my surprise I actually enjoyed this selection. I have had this beer a few years back and wasn't as impressed then. Either my taste buds are changing or having it right after the 3 Brother's Drift made me appreciate it more.
ReplyDeleteI try to sample this release every year. "Years" ago when Sierra Nevada was new on the scene they produced different styles than most and I was always pleased to try this.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned earlier in the comments, others have now produced similar ales, and many with more pronounced flavors, but this is still very tasty, very drinkable with enough citrus flavor to set it apparent from and any day IPA. It is also isn't so overpowering that it should continue to surprise and appease lots of beer drinkers that are not yet familiar with beers/ales that have taste! And so many tastes.
"Would accept another"
I remember back in the day when at most bars, Sierra Nevada was like the 'alternative' choice on tap: you had like the bud/miller light/coors light - plus like a Guinness or something. Now SN or beers like it are staples.
ReplyDeleteWierd how things change like that. I'd love to see how the tap lineup at brions grille or Fats compares from 2000 to today. I went to Ragtime recently having not been there for a few years and it seemed the whole lineup was 'craft' beer.
Anyways......this beer was solid. I'm having it a couple days late and just had like 2 Xmas cookies with it. Totally works. Great mix of flavor, sweet with this IPA - maybe that's the gist of it, I dunno. Either way I've been liking IPAs less and less these days and this one is solid. Maybe it's the label, who knows - maybe that just brought me back to 8 hour sessions at brions grille. At this point I'm just lucky I have a job.
I'm 6 beers behind and it's my birthday so I'm drinking em all - should be an interesting experiment. I didn't see baskin Robbins ice cream cake as a pairing but that's what I had. Loved this beer. Really good. Check plus
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