Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
This winter Sierra Nevada introduced a new addition to their lineup of year-round beers, the Torpedo Extra IPA. I am an avowed “hophead” and look forward to trying all sorts of new IPAs, but West-coast style IPAs are where my heart really lies. So when Sierra Nevada made the announcement of the impending release, I was hooked and couldn’t wait for it to show up on shelves.
Two things about the new beer made me particularly interested. First, one of the hops that they use is a new variety called Citra. Sierra Nevada worked with a couple of partners to develop this new hop variety, and they currently own most of the very small acreage devoted to it. As a result of my homebrewing experiences devising my own IPA recipes, I’ve read a lot about different hop varieties, and so the prospect of a new hop aimed at maximizing citrus-flavors was pretty exciting. Secondly, they make the beer using a device called the Hop Torpedo. This is a device that they invented as a means of dry-hopping their beers. It works similarly to a hop-back, except that it is used for already fermented beer (hop-backs are typically used as wort is run into the fermenters either before or after cooling): hops are packed into a stainless steel filter and the beer is run from the fermenter through the filter and back into the fermenter. The flow-rate of the beer can be controlled in order to extract more or less hop oils and flavors. Sierra Nevada argues that this maximizes hop flavor from dry-hopping without the bitterness of traditional methods.
And so I waited on pins and needles for the new beer to arrive, and when it finally did I wasted little time tracking down a 6-pack.
Sierra Nevada calls it Torpedo Extra IPA because in terms of strength and IBUs it lies somewhere between a regular and an imperial IPA. It weighs in a 7.2%, with an original gravity of 1.073 and a fairly high final gravity of 1.018, so expect some body to the beer. It comes in with 70 IBUs, using Magnum for bittering hops, Magnum and Crystal for finishing hops, and Magnum, Crystal, and Citra for dry-hopping.
The beer pours a crystal clear amber-gold. A fluffy white head quickly dissipates to a thin, persistent layer with a fair amount of lacing. Hops leap out of the glass, with floral notes of pine, evergreen, and lemon, along with a notable undercurrent of maltiness. The palate kicks off with bright hop flavors and bitterness, very well balanced so that the bitterness accentuates the hop flavors. Sweet malt flavors provide a solid backbone to the resiny hop flavors. Not as much hop-driven citrus flavor as in the nose. The finish is quite nice, leading off with hop bitterness that slowly gives way to a wave of malt followed by persistent flavors of orange peels and Meyer lemons.
This a great beer for hop-lovers, but actually presents a shade more hop bitterness than I expected. Not necessarily a bad thing, but more noticeable because the hop flavors were somewhat one-dimensional. The palate consisted largely of resiny hop flavors and a hint of citrus, but no more than that. As a result, the bitterness stood out more than I think it would otherwise if there were more dynamic hop flavors, and perhaps even some more malt flavors to kick in.
That being said, I really liked that this beer was basically designed as a vehicle for hop aromas and flavors. The malt in the palate and nose played a supporting role instead of competing for the limelight, giving the hops front and center stage. As a result, this beer is a total success as a companion piece to their year-round Pale Ale. But in terms of a dynamic, full-flavored IPA, their annual Celebration Ale will still be the best bet.
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