This is the first year that Sierra Nevada has bottled their Harvest Ale - previously this could only be found on draft at a few select bars around the country, so it is good to see a wider distribution and its nice to be able to enjoy a few of them at home and not have to worry about getting in a car afterward. Although this is an enjoyable beer with a deep malt backbone, I don't believe that this one lives up the hoppy hype that is depicted on its own label. For me (see my thoughts on fresh hop beer), this one is indicitive of all fresh hop beers where there is not the hop aroma or flavor that you get from using dry hops, but gives a pleasing elongated grassy bitterness. Contrary to what one might think when reading the statement "Fresh hops are richer in natural hop resins producing unmatched aromatics and layers of spicy-sweet notes that hop fanatics like us dream of all year", this one is a malt forward beer with only a bit of hop spiciness in the nose and a grassy bitterness that barely offsets the deep crystal malt flavors.
Good to see another seasonal from Sierra Nevada, but this one will only get me to buy a couple of bottles as a novelty to get me by until Celebration hits the stores.
