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Okay, so we're going from something that I think I understand, a cold IPA, to something that is entirely new to me, a cryo IPA. This is also a wet hopped IPA. Sierra Nevada seems to have a lot going on right now. By the description on the back of the bottle, they freeze harvest "just in time." I don't really know what that means, and it doesn't really say anything about what wet hopping is. I'm familiar with dry hopping, and I assume this is some derivation of that. Either way, I should wind up with a very hoppy beverage that doesn't necessarily have a dramatically higher ABV. This one only sits at 7%, and I have certainly had IPAs well above that. Let's see if they froze the taste in time.
The light gold beverage is very pleasing to look at, and the fluffy white head sprouts out willingly enough and never really goes down all that far. It's a very picturesque beer, so at least they've done this right so far. The aroma is tantalizing with citrus hops all upfront and bold, and it's as if they knew they were going to be sending this to me and wanted it to be perfect right off the bat. If this thing tastes anywhere near as good as it's presentation, this may be one of the most outstanding beers I've had all year.
First sip is pretty tremendous. It has a whole lot of hop flavor, and the citrus and stone fruits are mixing really well together while a fairly grainy malt manages to keep most of the bitterness at bay. In fact, the beer turns almost sweet by the end. So far, this is an absolutely great mixture of flavors, and Sierra Nevada clearly knows what they're doing. Mind you, I still don't know what they're doing, as this is one of the most confusingly named beers I've had in a while. But, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Tip-in is a bitter bite with the citrus and stone fruit holding hands in a way that lets the world know that they don't care what anyone thinks about their love. The center keeps the hops going, but the bitterness subsides while flowers join the mix and the grains finally rise up to give a little girth to the taste. The finish is a mix of bitterness and sweetness as the hop flavor starts to subside and, unlike the sip, bitterness hangs on for the trail off.
Bottom Line: If you can find it, it's worth a try.
4.5/5
