Sierra Nevada 2012 Summerfest Tasting Notes

[sweetbac]

Saw the new offering from the Sierra Nevada krewe,
the 2012 Summerfest lager...I usually pass on lagers...
but being on an IPA jag of of late, and the nice weather this
weekend in SF, I figured a change of pace was in order.
Wise move, indeed
I'm going to go out on a limb here and claim Sierra Nevada
is the top brewery in the United States...Torpedo IPA, Kellerweis,
Tumbler, Ruthless Rye, Celebration ale, Pale ale...all top shelf brew.
Lets be honest, they are a mass producer of suds...is there anywhere
in the continental US that can't get they brew?....
sure, there are perpetrators and instigators like the dubious swill
brewed at Sam Adams and the fraudulant Budweiser/Coors shell game
( think Red Hook and Blue Moon)
Lets get to it...
Yes, this IS a lager...straw coloured....eggshell head...huge malt
on the nose...on 1st pull....slight floral overtones, then a
mellow note is introduced...loving the hops on the aftertaste..
See, this is what a lager beer SHOULD be...in lesser hands
(see above) lagers have a tendency to fade out early...
clearly, this an adult take on the genre...amazingly good.

Alc./Vol 5.0 By Vol
$7.99/6 Pack./Cold

[frndthdevl]

On Apr 16, 3:50 pm, "sweetbac" <sweet...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I'm going to go out on a limb here and claim Sierra Nevada
> is the top brewery in the United States...Torpedo IPA, Kellerweis,
> Tumbler, Ruthless Rye, Celebration ale, Pale ale...all top shelf brew.

Yep. Especially with their cans now.
You forgot Bigfoot. Only 330 calories or so a bottle.
Now that's a 6pack and a full meal.

[Ed Chapin]

Between sweetbac's excellent beer reviews, and other RMGD commentary, I
shall never want for a good beer. Of course, I rarely drink, but that's
beside the point.

I always knew you guys would eventually come in good for something ;-)

Ed

[Neil X.]

I do greatly appreciate this review. For some reason i thought the SN
Summerfest had a healthy does of wheat in it. But you are correct, it
is a traditional Pilsen-style lager. I will definitely be checking
this one out with a quickness. There are a handful of American
Pilseners that rival Pilsner Urquell (though never surpassing.) These
include Victory Prima Pils and Lagunitas Pils. I personally believe
Lagunitas Pils is the finest Pilsner that has ever been produced
outside of the Czech Republic. Have you done a side by side
comparision of Lagunitas to Sierra Nevada?

Peace,
Neil X.

[sweetbac]

"Neil X." <nei...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> Lagunitas Pils is the finest Pilsner that has ever been produced
> outside of the Czech Republic. Have you done a side by side
> comparision of Lagunitas to Sierra Nevada?

> Peace,
> Neil X.

Maybe I'll pick some up today...thanks for the heads up.
Speaking of Lagunitas, they are opening a big brewery
in Chi-town...

[bob_...@hotmail.com]

http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/summerfest.html
"Our Summerfest is a refreshing, pilsner-style lager." ... "malts Two-row Pale & Munich"

No wheat (yeah!). I'll have to give this a try.

A few weeks back I was picking up some Great Northern Minnot Black Star I found on sale. Not a bad little lager. I'd like to try their pils someday if I can find it.

[sweetbac]

"Neil X." <nei...@yahoo.com> imbibed in message

> I personally believe Lagunitas Pils is the finest Pilsner that
> has ever been produced outside of the Czech Republic.
> Have you done a side by side comparision of Lagunitas to Sierra Nevada?

> Peace,
> Neil X.

Now that you mentioned it....picked a 6'er up today...
Apples and oranges.
The SN is a "Pilsner Styled" Lager...absolutely no Czech notes
at'tal....zero...( OK...a few...but this aint NO Pilz Urquell)
for one thing, the SN malt profile is nowheres near a Czech pilz.
See, this is what I love about a good beer thread...you can be
absolutely wrong, but ya still come out a winner..ALL
these suds we're discussing are top F'ing shelf.
Here's my quick notes on the Lagunitas Pils:

"Slightly deeper colour profile..hoppy "tang" on the nose...
on 1st pull, it strikes me as more a pale ale type sud....
not that it's a bad thing...far from it...light floral note..
it really grows complex on the aftertaste...trying to figure
it out...honey?...but REAL faint...this isn't like the standard
bearer Pilsner Urquell like Neil X stated (which it is)
it's like ya KNOW when ya pulled on an Urquell...that taste...
makes you shake ya head....like you've gone home again...
this is a bit more subdued...but a world class beer, this...
just...different.
Lagunitas make great brew ( anyone try the new Foxtrot sud?)"

$7.99/6 Pack/Warm
(A surprising ) 6.4 Alc./Vol.

[theothr1]

Does that mean you're coming to visit?

[sweetbac]

"theothr1" <theo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> Does that mean you're coming to visit?

Oh DONT be all up in my Kool-Ade, Giiiirl!
<blushes>

[Randy G]

On Apr 17, 12:50 am, "sweetbac" <sweet...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I'm going to go out on a limb here and claim Sierra Nevada
> is the top brewery in the United States...

I agree 100%. I can't wait until they build their brewery in
Asheville, and then New Belgium will be soon after. Not a big fan of
NB though. Their Chico tour is by far the best tour I ever went on.
I picked up a 6 of it last week and really liked it, and I hardly EVER
buy beer when my company's not paying for it.

I'm in Italy this week, and reading your reviews are about the closest
I'll get to a good beer. But I did buy a few bottles of Panil
Barriquee Sour, so I'm looking to trying those.
But overall its going to be red wine for the next 2 weeks.

[Thomas Beck]

On Apr 17, 10:28 am, "sweetbac" <sweet...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Maybe I'll pick some up today...thanks for the heads up.
> Speaking of Lagunitas, they are opening a big brewery
> in Chi-town...

Good deal! That means we'll be able to get
their brew in Minnesnowta cheaper and easier.

Tom

[Neil X.]

The slightly higher alcohol content is something I really appreciate
in the Lagunitas Pils. Urquell, as delightful as it is, checks in at
4.7%. For the record, I don't think Lagunitas Pils is "similar" to
Urquell, but it definitely has that "big malt bang" that I associate
with a high quality Czech-style Pils. Amazing how much malty richness
they can get in a clear golden brew.

Lagunitis Pils needs the slightly higher hops content to balance the
extra 1.5% alcohol. If the hops weren't there, it would start to
taste like a malt liquor. NTTAWWT. The 21st Amendment produced a
malt liquor during their Feb. 2005 Big Beer Fest month (held in
conjunction with Manolgia's Brewpub in the Haight.) It was quite
interesting to have a craft brew version of this traditionally
neglected style of beer. The #1 flavor was alcohol, which is true to
style. It was a 7.5% light golden lager. Very different feel on the
tongue.

Peace,
Neil X.

[Neil X.]

New Belgium is highly overrated. You know you're talking to someone
who is only pretending to know about beer if they start crowing about
the delights of Fat Tire. Gruesome.

Peace,
Neil X.

[bob_...@hotmail.com]

Good luck with the cheaper part. Lately my experience is that proximity to the brewery has nothing to do with price.

[bob_...@hotmail.com]

Pilzner Urquell is definitely a only draft only beer for me, and it is not easy to find it on draft around here. If they ever dump the green bottles I might give it a try again. After the 4th or 5th skunky six pack I gave it up. I can go buy Bitburger, and get something just as good without the risk that it might have been exposed. I suppose if I bought closed cases it would be better but I just don't have the room to store cases at constant temp.

As for Lagunitas Pils I have not had the chance to try it. The liquor outlets around here are ale heavy when it comes to craft brews. Finding a craft brewed pils is a bit of a trick. The brewery 5 minutes from my house makes a pils. It was awful when I tasted it at the brewery, but I gave it another try out of the bottle and it was respectable.

[Neil X.]

> Bob wrote:
>
> Pilzner Urquell is definitely a only draft only beer for me, and it is not easy to find it on draft around here. If they ever dump the green bottles I might give it a try again. After the 4th or 5th skunky six pack I gave it up. I can go buy Bitburger, and get something just as good without the risk that it might have been exposed. I suppose if I bought closed cases it would be better but I just don't have the room to store cases at constant temp.

Yeah, the green bottles are a serious issue. I really don't
understand why European breweries so often use green.

When buying Urquell, I buy exclusively the 12 packs that are sealed in
cardboard, then all 12 of 'em go in the refrigerator as soon as I get
home. And I won't buy them if the store has popped open the cardboard
holes on top that make handle. Skunky beer is such a terrible waste.

> As for Lagunitas Pils I have not had the chance to try it. The liquor outlets around here are ale heavy when it comes to craft brews. Finding a craft brewed pils is a bit of a trick. The brewery 5 minutes from my house makes a pils. It was awful when I tasted it at the brewery, but I gave it another try out of the bottle and it was respectable.

Langunitas Pils is worth looking for.

Peace,
Neil X.

[gringo]

SN Hoptimum? Yikes! I am buzzing after just one... not sure about this one.

Kurt

[sweetbac]

"Neil X." <nei...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> Yeah, the green bottles are a serious issue. I really don't
> understand why European breweries so often use green.

> Peace,
> Neil X.

Franziskaner recently switched over to brown bottles.
My bigger beef with euro beer is that Fin'g
11.2 ounce bottle thing....I want those .8 ounces, dammitt.

[Thomas Beck]

On Apr 18, 4:04 pm, gringo <kpnn...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> SN Hoptimum? Yikes! I am buzzing after just one... not sure about this one.
>
> Kurt

I bought some SN Torpedo today. Mighty good if
you ask me.

Tom

[Neil X.]

Maybe CA liquor stores are a bit more careful about not putting green
beer under bright lights. When a beer skunks, it's truly a horrific
waste.

I was just in the packie tonight looking to see if they had any SN
Summerfest. I was informed it will still be a couple of weeks before
it gets out here. But another good choice was present, Samuel Adams
Nobel Pils. This was a real treat, as I had been told that this
particular flavor had been discontinued in favor of a "Wheat IPA" that
I really don't care for. Glad that was bad information.

Now, lots of folks tend to dismiss any Sam Adams offering on sight,
given that they are the 800 lb. gorilla of the craft brewery
industry. And indeed, several of their offerings are pedestrian to
somewhat-unpleasant. But they nailed it with the Noble Pils. I was
devastated when I heard it wasn't going to be made anymore. You get
an explosion of Czech flavor in every sip. As the name implies, they
use only German Noble hops in the brew, and they use all 4 of them
(Hallertauer, Tetnang, Saaz, and Spalter). These low bitterness, high
aroma hops are what give all of the Czech style lagers their
distinctive hops signature. And Noble Pils doesn't disappoint in the
big-malt-bang department, either. Probably the biggest malt bang of
any of the American Pilsners we're talking about here. It checks in
(Czechs in?) at 4.9% abv, just slightly stronger than Urquell. Is it
better than Lagunitas Pils? No. But it's up there with Victory Prima
Pils and better than the vast majority of Pilsners coming over here
from Germany. AT half the price of what Lagunitas commands out here
in New England, it's a real treat.

Peace,
Neil X.

[Randy G]

On Apr 18, 8:11 pm, bob_a...@hotmail.com wrote:

> Pilzner Urquell is definitely a only draft only beer for me, and it is not easy to find it on draft around here. If they ever dump the green bottles I might give it a try again. After the 4th or 5th skunky six pack I gave it up. I can go buy Bitburger, and get something just as good without the risk that it might have been exposed. I suppose if I bought closed cases it would be better but I just don't have the room to store cases at constant temp.
>

> As for Lagunitas Pils I have not had the chance to try it. The liquor outlets around here are ale heavy when it comes to craft brews. Finding a craft brewed pils is a bit of a trick. The brewery 5 minutes from my house makes a pils. It was awful when I tasted it at the brewery, but I gave it another try out of the bottle and it was respectable.- Hide quoted text -

I like the trend on breweries going toward a can, it is best for
protecting it from the light. I usually pour my beer into a glass
anyway.
A lot of small breweries don't properly lager their beer (which means
'to store'), it usually takes at least 6 weeks to age one - or they
didn't do the diacetyl rest to get rid of the off flavors. Its
possible the bottles have had time to age.

[fren...@comcast.net]

best beer I've had recently was walker double jack from firestone in
Ca,hoppy but balanced.great.i also just had the dogfishhead 120.had no
idea it was 18 abv.nice to finish with

[bob_...@hotmail.com]

That's all true and I've concluded that brewery tastings are not really conducive to getting a good feel some styles of beer, pils is a great example.

[amur...@gmail.com]

Fuck that. I want those 4.8 ounces.

[Edwin Hurwitz]

In article
<719000f5-562e-4af8...@x17g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,

Cool, I learned something today! After the semester is over, I'm going
lager all my books!

[Ed Chapin]

On 04/19/2012 11:47 PM, Edwin Hurwitz wrote:

>
> Cool, I learned something today! After the semester is over, I'm going
> lager all my books!

Ya think so, eh?

Methinks you're going to be quite busy lagering diapers :^)

Ed

[Edwin Hurwitz]

In article <jmqml3$n4m$1...@dont-email.me>,

Ewww! Those are the last thing I want to lager!

[Band Beyond Desu]

Speaking of, when's the diaper subscription set to start?

[Edwin Hurwitz]

In article
<979414436356604374.805383sh...@News.Individual
.NET>,

Around June 4th!