Sierra Nevada Pours Hops Right Into the Bottle

Sierra Nevada brings fresh hop flavor into the bottle with the 2nd release of Harvest Ale

With hops, time is of the essence. From the minute the hop flower gets plucked from the bine, essential oils, resins and flavors begin to dry up. In the time that slips by between harvesting, drying, packaging and shipping, some of the bright and shiny boldness of the original flavor is lost forever.

That is why, with Harvest Ale, they skip the middleman. Sierra Nevada is a pioneer in using “wet-hops,” hops that are picked, shipped, and tossed right into the brew-kettle, same day. The brewers waste no time for drying, or packaging, straight from the fields in Yakima to our brew house in one continuous motion. Sierra Nevada works hard to bring the freshest hop flavor possible to one of their most sought-after beers. With Harvest Ale, the hops come alive. The big and bold tastes of the American Cascade and Centennial hop varieties highlighted in the beer have become signature flavors for Sierra Nevada, and for the American-style of brewing which they helped to develop.

The beer has a rich copper color and a rich and smooth malt presence with a heavy-handed dose of the fresh hops, still dripping with character. The aromas of the newly picked harvest are barely contained in the glass. While skewed toward the hops, Harvest Ale remains perfectly balanced with a solid but not overwhelming bitterness, and clean semi-dry finish.

After twelve years of brewing Harvest Ale for a select group of local visitors and friends, Sierra Nevada is offering limited quantities Harvest Ale for the second year in bottles, and on draft, to hop fans around the country. Harvest Ale is the cornerstone of the brewery’s new trilogy of harvest beers, including fellow wet-hopped beer Chico Estate Harvest Ale, and the freshhopped Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. Harvest Ale will go straight from the fields and into the stores and bars starting this September.

Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s first microbreweries and remains highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and ingredients of the highest quality. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for their line of beers and ales, including the flagship Pale Ale, Wheat, Porter, Stout, five seasonal beers and a host of draft-only specialties.