It’s the holiday season again and, for many beer drinkers, that means that Sierra Nevada’s wonderful winter seasonal IPA, Celebration Ale, has found its way to store shelves everywhere. This is a very highly regarded American IPA and it consistently lives up to its reputation. The 2005 and 2007 vintages were both quite good, so I was looking forward to the 2007 when I grabbed a sixer from the local beer store the other day.
Celebration Ale pours a nice dark copper color with a thick tan head. The head lingers until the last drop and leaves some nice lacing around the glass. There is a nose full of hopes along with some pine tree and fruit here. Good carbonation is evident in the streaming up the side of the glass and the thick head. The first sip gives you a good burst of hoppy bitterness and some roasted malts to round out the flavor. As an American IPA, Celebration has a sweeter finish than an English IPA, with less metallic aftertaste. This is a very flavorful beer, and it demands to be an accompaniment to an equally full-flavored dish. I had it was a beer stew (actually, it was one of the ingredients in the stew, too) and it was great.
Sierra Nevada recommends the following:
With an ale as big as Celebration, you need a dish assertive enough to hold its own. Rich meats such as prime rib, lamb, or wild fowl underscore Celebration’s huge aroma, making a wonderful holiday meal. Intense, earthy pastas also work well—try goat cheese ravioli, a rich fettuccine, or gnocchi with Gorgonzola cheese sauce.
I think I’ve had a few IPAs I’d rate slightly higher that this one, but none of them were as drinkable as Celebration. I picked up the six pack on Friday evening, intending for it to get me through football this week (that includes tonight’s Pats—Ravens game) and was surprised to find that I didn’t even make it to the Sunday night game. Oh well, that just means I’ll have to break out one of my other Friday evening acquisitions—Allagash Grand Cru. Not exactly a bad position in which to find myself. Stay tuned for that review later this week.
My Rating:
