The Year in Beer

Name: Sierra Nevada Estate

Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif.

By the numbers: About 200 calories per 12 oz.; 6.7 percent alcohol by volume

Notes: Longtime readers of The Year in Beer already know of my respect for Sierra Nevada. I’ve tried nearly every beer made by the California brewer and I’ve liked them all. Estate is no exception, except that Estate is like few other beers. The interesting thing about Estate Homegrown Ale is that the the ingredients that go into the beer - the barley, grain and hops - are all grown on the brewery grounds. The term “estate” in wine making means a wine made with grapes grown in the vineyard. The reality is that many of the mega-wineries import their grapes since they can’t grow enough for the huge volume they make. The result for this limited edition beer is a fresh-tasting, rich India Pale Ale. It pours a deep orange amber and gives off a fresh floral scent. The taste is like a hoppier Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but not as bitter as Torpedo.

Try it with: The return of the Kickapoo Creek Brewing Company. Ryan Denham gave me this bottle of Estate as a Christmas gift, but I told him I’d save it to share the next time we brewed, since it was a 22 oz. bomber. Well, who knew I’d hang on to it for nearly six months? We drank it a couple of weeks ago when he came over to talk about our next brew and tomorrow we’ll be giving it a go with a California Common (the same variety as Anchor Steam). It’s been too long.

    — Posted by Mike Freimann