Thursday, January 27, 2011

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - Torpedo Extra IPA


I was looking through my fridge yesterday and stumbled upon a bottle of Sierra Nevada's Torpedo. I had gotten a few bottles a while ago and apparently forgotten to drink one of them. Somehow, I had also forgotten to review one of the other bottles, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to review this one.

First, a little back story on this beer. Torpedo (great name) Extra IPA is named after a process that is entirely unique to the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Looking for a better way to dry-hop their beers, Sierra Nevada developed a machine called the Torpedo that injects whole hop cones into the batch and capture all of that wonderful hop flavor.

Torpedo pours pretty dark for an IPA. The color is a slightly reddish deep golden color with a massive three fingered eggshell colored head. I got the usual Sierra Nevada floral hops in the smell but the beer also had some unexpected elements. I picked up a hint of funk and wet hay and even some marzipan. Not your average IPA smells.

The taste is solid IPA taste without being overpoweringly bitter. In other words, a great IPA. The taste starts with some piney hops and then moves on to a peppery bite with a little grapefruit. The finish hints at that sort of funkiness that I picked up in the smell and is full of hop resins, more citrus hops and a little bit of smoke. All in all, this is yet another great beer from Sierra Nevada and one that's worth picking up if you love IPAs.

Final Grade: A-

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