Saturday 17 April 2010

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

Chris, The Beer Geek, told me this was his go-to beer, so how could I not get a few bottles when they became available in my now favourite beer shop in Cologne.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo pours an almost glowing orange-amber with a slight haze. It has an amazingly fruity nose. Sure, there's oodles of classic American hop goodness in there, but also a gentle melange of tropical fruit aromas. First sip reveals a solid soft-caramel malt profile, then the hops come marching in. There's a fresh pine hit, juicy-fruit gum, grapefruit, a twist of spice, thyme... this this is just loaded with lovely hop flavours. For all the 60+ IBUs it claims, it displays a great balance between a sweet, fullish malt body, a mass of hop flavours and a bitter bite that's just right for my tastes, leaving a lasting, spicy finish. It reminds me of Seville orange marmalade, in a way.

Actually, BrewDog Atlantic IPA, though different, also reminded me of Seville orange marmalade.

11 comments:

BeerReviewsAndy said...

mmmmm i love SN torpedo, like your glass too!! im currently supping urthel hop it out of my SN glass, although mine is a different shape

SN really do make some fab ales, wish they were more readily available over here, i really want to try their new chilli choc number!

Barry M said...

That photo makes the glass look a lot more vertical-sided than it is. It's one of a clutch of US beer glasses I have that seldom get to contain what it says on the print :D

I do tend to like their beers too. Didn't know they had a chilli choc one! If the volcano stops by July, I may have an opportunity to look for some while in California.

The Beer Nut said...

That's a very fittingly dramatic shot of the beer. Torpedo is, as the fella says, da bomb.

Mark (Halite) said...

Really liked this beer as well, SNPA is a great session beer, but the Torpedo is like SNPA with all of its elements on steroids.

Barry M said...

It certainly is, TBN. They sell it in The James here in Muenster at the moment for about 5 Euro a pop.

Mark, SNPA is a bit of a classic, I reckon. I've been using it to experiment on introducing Germans to US hops and beer with good results :D

Chris said...

Looking forward to a few Torpedoes after working in the yard today.

And here is a picture of the "torpedo"
http://www.thebeergeek.com/gallery/beercamp/IMG_0299

Mark Dredge said...

This is a great beer and a great addition to Sierra Nevada's range - it does show that a brewery in the US needs a good 7% IPA in its arsenal. As 7% IPAs which you can buy in Europe go, this is a goodun!

Barry M said...

Chris, that looks bloody huge!

Mark, yep, it's definitely a good un! I'm gonna have to make myself a torpedo :D

Unknown said...

Yeah have had a couple of bottles myself recently, Deveneys are doing it @4 for a tenner. For once we get a better deal than in Germany \o/ :D

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Barry M said...

Sorry, Ken. It was just over €5 in the pub. It's about 2.20 or 2.60 in the shop :) \ö/