Sierra Nevada Hoptimum TIPA (2024)

Style: Triple IPA
Producer: Sierra Nevada
Origin: USA
Size: 35.5cl
Alcohol: 11%
Price: 46kr
Systembolaget: – (sold out, yearly release)

Sierra Nevada was founded in 1980 by Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi in Chico, California, and helped pioneer the U.S. craft beer movement. The brewery is best known for its flagship Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which is one of the most famous craft beers still to this day. Hoptimum is a seasonally released triple IPA, vigorously hopped with Chinook, Citra, CTZ, Ekuanot, Idaho 7, and Magnum hops. To give the beer more flavour and aroma without excess bitterness, the wort is fired through a hop torpedo (basically a column of hops) to maximise the effect of the hops. This has been one of my favourite Triple IPA since the first time I tried it, so it was great to finally have it in a tasting. I was worried that after being stored for two years though that the taste might have significantly subdued, but I’m happy to say it had aged extremely well!

This poured with a bright amber colour and was topped with a thick, off-white head that left some lacing on the glass. Even after being stored for 2 years, the aroma was vibrant and gave massive New World hop notes of pine, resin, and grapefruit. On the palate, those hop characteristics continued to dominate, carrying through a massive resinous bitterness paired with citrus and hint of fruit in the background. Even though this is a big hop forward beer, the malts were allowed enough space to shine with a sweet caramel note to give the beer some balance. The aftertaste was again powerful, with the dry hop bitterness lingering on the palate, leaving it dry and satisfied.

This is an amazing beer, with the powerful hops giving this beer a delicious bite. Even at 11%, I never found it to be boozy, and there is still a level of balance to it. If I had to give the perfect example of a TIPA, then this would be it and I’m already looking forward to trying this again when its released in 2026!