First I don’t recall a Sierra Nevada so large, that’s why I picked it up! Second it is their first release of this beer. They take the first hops of the year which come from the southern hemisphere, dry them and bring them to California for brewing. The cloudy color of this beer makes it appear as an unfiltered, but I think it is because of the amount of hops, and possible dry hopping. The aroma is flowery and a bit malty. Not all that color came from the hops, the redness came from the roasted malts that you can barley taste with the bitter hops. This is a good first release by Sierra Nevada. I don’t see this as having more of a hops taste than most of their other standard ales, and thus the lower rating.

Specs: 24oz bottle
6.7% ABV