Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Sierra Nevada Hopsichord, Camp 36.



First review since returning home last week. To be honest, with all the drinking I had done on the drive back, combined with the slew of upkeep, I had been feeling a little burnt out. But here we are. I picked up this bomber at the Sierra Nevada brewery because I had been so impressed with the Best of Beer Camp half-case I had earlier this summer.

The head is pretty creamy and soft though not terribly aromatic. With a name like "Hopsichord", I would expect this to be much hoppier, but it's more on a malty side with apple tones, surrounded with some overdeveloped hop bitter that draws out on the finish. Carbonation is low and smooth. Mostly, I don't think this is as harmonious as its name would imply. I can't figure out if something is actually unbalanced or if nothing really works together. Pretty disappointing.

In contrast, most people on BA noted a good balance and one said the hop bitter was harsh. So I don't know what's up with that. At 9.8%ABV, it's a little beefy.

  • Appearance: Dark copper; fine, creamy head.
  • Smell:Mild and nondescript.
  • Taste: Heavy malt, caramel, brown sugar; not enough hops that don't kick in until the back end.
  • Mouthfeel: Carbonation is low and body is smooth, slightly cohesive.
  • Drinkability and Overall: 9.8%ABV is pretty hefty, but it's really the lack of harmony that's the showstopper here.

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