FYM CRAFT BREW: BEER OF THE WEEK, SIERRA NEVADA 'TORPEDO EXTRA IPA'

(FYM EDITORS NOTE: Every week Jeff 'Boston Brew Daddy' Preussener delivers in-depth beer knowledge on his pick for Beer of the Week. This time around Jeff used our friend Jake Rainis, and his dynamic beer sense to help perfectly describe this Torpedo experience. )

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is well known for three solid decades of providing us beer like their signature traditional pale ale and great seasonal selections like the ESB (Early Spring Brew) and The Tumble Autumn ale.

A frequent Sierra Nevada Drinker may also be familiar with Torpedo Extra IPA. Upon first cracking the bottle, you'll notice a prominent West Coast hop character. Once poured from the bottle into a snifter, a golden/amber color (typical of beers using Crystal/2-Row malt combinations) is revealed. Torpedo is comprised of 3 different hop varieties; Magnum, Crystal, and Citra. 

To break this down for the brewers out there: Magnum, a higher alpha hop, is used for bittering. Magnum and Crystal are used for the flavoring. After initial fermentation, Torpedo is dry hopped with Magnum, Crystal and Citra hops to secure a strong aroma. Citra is also know for its high Alpha acid percentage, and its citrus-like aroma/flavor (hence the name). A variety of breweries use Citra to give their beers a citrusy, almost grapefruit-like flavor/aroma…

Upon first appraisal, Torpedo is light in texture. It is very crisp and refreshing, yet has a strongly bitter hop and malt character. It takes just a moment for the dry hop flavor and aroma to reveal itself. It is subtle, yet still tastable.

In conclusion, this is a very unique and complex IPA within everyone's taste at just under $10 a six pack. Sierra Nevada is celebrating their 30th Anniversary with a few signature/limited brews. I recommend all of them.

Sierra Nevada: Torpedo
Classification: Dry Hopped Extra IPA (Double IPA)
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: 65

Cheers,

FYM (Jeff & Jake)