Review – Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
From Contributor:
Private First Class Jonathan White
2nd Battalion 16th Infantry Regiment
1st Infantry Division Fort Riley, Kansas -“Rangers Lead the Way!!”
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Torpedo Extra IPA – Poured into pint glass from 12oz. Bottle, Alc. 7.2% by vol.
Appearance: Pours a nice clear orange/copper color with nice 2 finger head good retention and lacing.
Smell: Excellent hop aroma. The typical piny, citrus, floral bouquet, and a slight malt aroma..
Taste: Very huge resinous hop taste. Awesome hop bitterness up front with a lingering citrus’y sweetness at the end. For a big IPA the alcohol is very well hidden amongst the huge hop taste and aroma..
Mouthfeel: Very clean and smooth. Fair amount of carbonation. An extremely refreshing IPA. Very well balanced. Light-Medium bodied for being so big on the hop character. Not at all too heavy or thick and oily feeling in the mouth like some other big IPA’s i’ve encountered
Drinkability: Once again Sierra Nevada comes through with another knockout! Awesome to know they now have a year-round IPA to round out their already stellar line-up. This is a very drinkable IPA that you can enjoy regularly. Very crisp and smooth, a true treat for hop-heads! Congrats to Sierra Nevada!!
April 2, 2009 @ 4:44 pm
Wow! This beautifully balanced IPA will win awards by the bushel! Crisp, complex, delicious – not a hop bomb at all but still plenty of punch and the alcohol is amazingly hidden. Seems much stronger than 7.2. One of the best beers I’ve ever had and I’m talking from experience! An Epic ale!
March 23, 2009 @ 11:40 am
When they tasted several other SN products at my local store (Bigfoot among them) I mentioned that I was just finishing up a six pack of the Torpedo. He said they were having a hard time keeping it in stock in Maryland; that’s why it wasn’t among those being tasted… they ran out. I agree that it’s very good is my kind of IPA with plenty of pine and citrus.
March 21, 2009 @ 8:15 am
To Private First Class Jonathan White: Excellent review!
I spoke with the brewer recently about the very unique, sublte hop flavors of this beer and they attribute these flavors as a by-product from the device they refer to as the “Torpedo”. This beer is very light on it’s feet, elegant, if you will. I can’t get enough of it
March 20, 2009 @ 7:02 am
I found it to be very enjoyable, too.