The Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale from Sierra Nevada is one of three "fresh hop" ales (the other two being Chico Estate Harvest Fresh Hop Ale and Harvest Fresh Hop Ale) that they've released this past year. The Harvest Fresh Hop Ale that was released last year was unbelievable and I've been looking forward to this release since I first read the press release awhile back.
The label, which features a map of New Zealand on it, reads:
This ale marks our journey to the only place on the planet where fresh hops are harvested in our spring, the Southern Hemisphere. Our task was daunting-we needed to get the hops picked, dried, flown halfway across the world and into our brew kettle in a little over a week's time.
The result is a North-by-South fusion of fresh New Zealand hops blended with the finest North American malts. Its robust hop character presents an intriguing floral-citrus aroma leading to layers of fresh-hop spiciness. Enjoy!
From the Sierra Nevada site:
To make this project happen, Sierra Nevada traveled to New Zealand to harvest fresh hops, and then transported them from the southern hemisphere to Chico where they were immediately used in brewing. Like their award-winning Celebration Ale, the fresh hops in this beer are dried right after being picked then shipped immediately to Chico for brewing, so that they retain their peak aromatics and flavors. Freshly harvested hops are richer in hop oils so they impart more hop aroma and hop spiciness into beer.
The So-He pours a nice, deep dark golden color with a decent-sized head on top. Carbonation is moderate. This beer is almost identical in appearance to the original Harvest Ale.
Smell is fresh, spicy hops. Not so much the grapefruit citrus smell that you get from Pacific Northwest hops, but a different sort of hop freshness. Its definitely floral but I also get some sweet fruit notes, kind of like Froot Loops cereal a bit (I can't think of a better way to describe it). Don't get me wrong, this is definitely a hoppy smelling beer! Hopheads won't be let down by the smell.
Taste is crisp, tongue-drying and has a long lasting aftertaste of hop bitterness. There is a strong acidic quality to this beer. Its kind of like the alpha acids are tiny scrubbing bubbles really giving it to the inside of your mouth. Its mouth puckering with not a whole lot of malt backbone. A lot of this has to do with the brewing process I'm sure. I am however not sure that term "robust" properly describes the hop presence in this beer. I'd say that it is dominating! Nonetheless, this is a great beer if you need to free base some hops to get your fix. Personally, I love it.
The idea behind this line of beers from SN is really innovative and I really like it. At a time when both hops and shipping costs are through the roof, they went to the other side of the world and brought fresh hops back to Chico. It really shows a new found commitment to bottling more beers and showing the brewing abilities that made the company so great. If you love hoppy beers, you'll love any of the Harvest Fresh Hop Ales.
BEER FACTS
Style: India Pale Ale
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Location: Chico, California, USA
Container: 24 oz. bottle
Malts: Two-row Pale & Caramel
Hops: Pacific Hallertau, New Zealand Motueka and New Zealand Southern Cross
ABV: 6.7%
IBUs: 66
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