Recently, I picked up a few random singles from the grocery store. There are quite a few common microbrews and famous foreign beers I’ve yet to try, so I figured why not grab some for the fridge? I wasn’t expecting to be impressed; I’m just interested in trying all that’s out there. One brewery that’s rapidly growing in popularity is Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. They’re one of the largest craft brewing companies, you can find their beers in stores nationwide, and chances are you’ve tried their Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It’s relatively inexpensive and a nice gateway into craft brews. Until yesterday, I hadn’t tried anything from Sierra Nevada so I bought a bottle of their Torpedo Extra IPA.
Before I get into the review, I’m gonna’ drop some British brew history on you. In about 1780 there was a brewer named Hodgson who started making beer for export to India, which at the time was full of British soldiers and traders. This beer was a very hoppy, amber colored October style beer that kept well on the 6 month journey down. Somehow, Hodgson upset the East India Trading Company so he was forced to stop exporting. Around the same time, brewers in Burton-on-Trent were experimenting with a brew suitable for export like Hodgson’s. Although they originally made strong porters, which was the popular style of that time, their hard water was actually better suited for this new pale ale. This style, aggressively hopped to maintain freshness on the long journey, was somehow discovered domestically. People really enjoyed it; India Pale Ale became the fashionable brew in Britain.
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| And so it began... |
So now you know, the IPA came from Britain and not India. Most IPAs out on the market are a new American style, a revamped version of the old English IPA. Many microbreweries produce their own variety of the brew, some breweries also produce an Imperial (or Double) IPA which is normally twice as strong as the American version. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA is an American IPA dedicated to the process of dry-hopping. They weren't satisfied with their old hopping techniques so, like many other breweries, they crafted their own machine to get it right. They call it the Hop Torpedo, which lends its name to the brew it helped create.
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| Hop Art |
To get the full effect of this brew I poured it into a large rimmed British dimpled pint, the odd dimpled shape allows for better light refraction and really brings out a richness in the amber color. The pour yielded a finger and a half of lumpy white head that left patchy bands of lace. I’d say the color was darker than I expected, closer to a light brown. Aroma-wise, this beer smelled exactly like I thought it would: citrus and pine notes, both of which are textbook hop scents. After the first drink, I felt like someone put a hop cone in my mouth. The hop flavor was so overwhelming it took about 5 sips to begin to taste anything else. On the very back end, you can taste clean malt and a bit of grapefruit. The aftertaste was crippling bitter, those hop oils just stick to your tongue. At one point I also caught a bit of a plastic taste. I found myself wanting a palate cleanser.
I’d rate Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA 3 out of 5, it had a desirable hop flavor but it was completely unbalanced. Torpedo is made with some average strength malt, but it’s overloaded with some powerful hops. In my opinion, you can’t have strength in one without the other. If you’re a desperate hop-head searching for a strong bitter brew, there are plenty I’d recommend first that deliver a better overall experience.
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| I won't give up on you guys just yet |
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