Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale

Invited my friends over for some drinks and fun on Saturday night for my birthday. Being that we had pretty much stayed out really late the night before and drank a good amount, I didn't expect anyone to be in a huge drinking mood. That didn't matter to me though because as long as the company is good (and whenever my friends are there it always is) I know I'll have a good time. Initially I was right about nobody wanting to drink much, however as the night went on and the spirit became more festive, the beers started going down a little easier for everyone.

So for my birthday drink, I picked a special beer I have had in my fridge for a couple months now - a Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale that Tabi brought me from Austin. It's in a 24 oz. bottle so I knew I would have to wait for a special occasion to bring it out. The label is really interesting, the Southern Hemisphere part of the name comes from the fact that the hops are flown in from New Zealand and mixed with American malts. It sounded very intriguing and I couldn't wait to open the bottle. I decided to pour this into a glass so I could get the full experience of this beer. It poured a hazy reddish-amber color. Sweet, citrus hops dominates the smell upfront. I couldn't make out exactly what citrus I was getting as it was kind of a mix of orange and grapefruit but not quite both. I had to keep smelling it (which I always get flack for) to see if I could make out one or the other but no success. There is also a fairly strong floral, piny aroma in the background accompanied by caramel malts. There is a solid finger and a half of head in this beer which is a pleasant change from the last beer I had in a glass. It doesn't linger long though. Tasting this beer, the first thing I notice is a sharp hop bite. I'm not positive what style this is but it feels like I'm drinking an IPA because of the dominant hops, maybe it's just that New Zealand hops are incredibly strong and badass. The mouthfeel is smooth with just the right amount of carbonation. It goes down very smooth and is even kind of creamy which is rare for this style of beer. Must be high-quality hops to get the oil to give the beer that texture and the taste lingers in the mouth long after the beer is gone. The beer leaves a decent lacing on the sides of the glass but nothing to write home about. The hops continue to get better as the beer warms but a caramel malt flavor begins to emerge in the background as the beer warms. This is definitely a great beer that goes down easy even though there is no lack of flavor whatsoever. I highly recommend it. Great beer for a great day. It made the pale ale's I had after this pale in comparison.

Also, Anabel got me a brewing kit for my birthday! How badass is that?! I am looking into what style to brew first but Casa de Fierrote Brewery is now open. It takes 4-6 weeks to make a beer depending on the style and I have yet to decide what it'll be but expect a review of my first hand-crafted beer within that time frame. I'm leaning towards a nut brown ale but we'll see...