Estate Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA
I have a theory that the more difficult opening a beverage is, the better the drinking experience inside. Cheap wines often come in bottles with screw tops, allowing us to get drunk quickly. More expensive wines invariably come corked, and getting the damn cork out of the bottle is sometimes the most difficult part of the day. Beer follows a similar pattern. Tasteless, yellow fizz comes in cans with tabs. Sure the beer smells of aluminum, but think how easy it is to get it out of the can! Twist-off caps are more difficult; we must twist, burning up a calorie that we have carefully stored through drinking beer. The best beer usually comes from bottles with pop tops. Pop tops require a tool -- only humans, with our opposable thumbs, can get to the beer inside.
None of these packaging choices was complicated enough for Sierra Nevada’s Estate Ale. Each is too easy. We cannot properly appreciate a beer like Estate Ale without struggling to open it. To assure that we do respect the beer, Sierra Nevada dipped the sealed bottle in Kevlar-reinforced wax. The damn thing is nearly impossible to open. Getting the top off took patience and a chainsaw. My wedding took less planning.
Once I got the bottle open though, the experience was magnificent. Fresh grapefruit aromas met my nose even before I began to pour. The Estate poured a golden color with a nice, off-white, lingering head. The flavor was well balanced with sweet, toasty malts and citrusy hops mingling nicely.
Those beer drinkers who find IPAs to be frequently too bitter should still be able to enjoy this ale. Estate Ale is also 100% organic for hippies.
-Ryan
-Ryan
Style: Ale
ABV: 6.7%
Available: Total Wine
