Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Our Brewers Reserve Grand Cru

Sierra Nevada celebrated their 30th Anniversary in style by brewing 4 special beers, 3 of which were in collaboration with other pioneering brewers. You can learn about all of these by checking out http://www.sierra30.com

They have long been a favorite brewery of mine, in part due to the fact that their awesome Pale Ale was one of the beers that got me into exploring craft beer more way back when. This particular beer is the last of the 4 beers in the Anniversary series and comes in a 750ml bottle, weighing in at 9.2% ABV. The Our Brewers Reserve Grand Cru is a marriage of Oak-Aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale and fresh Pale Ale that is blended and then generously dry-hopped!



It pours into my glass a great bright red-orange with a good eggshell foam head on top that leaves spotty lacing in its wake. Aromas of caramel and toffee tinged malts along with plenty of herbal and citric hops as well. A touch of pine with some mellow oak in the back end. The "C Hops" (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook) come through nicely here. Slightly spicy as well.

First sip brings semi-sweet caramel and toffee malts upfront with a bit of spiciness as well. Herbal and citrusy hops roll in across the palate with a nice sweep of bitterness. As it flows down there is a touch of dry oak and vanilla. Finishes with lingering hops, a great blend overall!

Mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied with good carbonation. Fairly easy to drink considering it's a bit on the strong side. Slightly sweet overall but the bitterness balances it out well. A tasty blend and a good tribute to 30 years of one of the pioneering and consistent brewers in the craft beer movement. Cheers!

Overall this gets a score of Amazing from me. I really enjoyed this blend!

Check out everything else Sierra Nevada by surfing over to http://www.sierranevada.com/ (Be ready to enter your date of birth!)