Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale 2010

Sierra Nevada 2010 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale
Sierra Nevada 2010 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

I got a chance to have some of the Sierra Nevada 2010 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale.  It uses hops from New Zealand that are picked then immediately shipped to brewery before drying, to be put into the brew.

The beer smells like a pine-like hop aroma with a hint of a fruity scent.

It tastes almost like it smells, with a pine-like citrus hop flavor, and finishes hoppy on back of your tongue.  The aftertaste is hop-filled with lingering bitterness.

Have you tried the Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale?  What did you think?

Samuel Adams Longshot Mile High Barley Wine Ale

Samuel Adams Mile High Barley Wine Ale
Samuel Adams Mile High Barley Wine Ale

I had the chance to try the final of the three Samuel Adams Longshot Beers: Mile High Barley Wine Ale.  Just like the name states, it’s a barley wine, which is a strong, malty ale.

Initially, it smells like caramel and plums.  It was very smooth, and had a very heavy mouthfeel.  Coming in at 9.8%, it is a nice potent ale.  It finishes with a strong caramel flavor and was slightly hoppy, and had a nice balance. It was created by Ben Miller from New Mexico.

What did you think of the Mile High Barley Wine?

Samuel Adams Longshot Old Ben Ale

Samuel Adams Old Ben Ale
Samuel Adams Old Ben Ale

The second of the Samuel Adams Longshot pack that I tried was the Old Ben Ale.

It was a nice strong English-style ale.  It was a 9% ale brewed by Michael Robinson of New Hampshire.

At first scent, it smells like plums or raisins but was pretty difficult to pick out.  It was a thick beer and had a strong caramel flavor. It was very smooth but strong.

Have you had the Old Ben Ale?  What did you think?

Samuel Adams Longshot Lemon Pepper Saison

Samuel Adams Lemon Pepper Saison
Samuel Adams Lemon Pepper Saison

I’m on the East coast again.  This time I was able to pick up the Samuel Adams Longshot 6-pack.  Over the next few days, I’ll be reviewing the three different beers available in this pack.

If you don’t know what the Longshot pack is, every year Samuel Adams hosts a homebrew competition, and the top two homebrewed beers are featured as two of the three beers in the six-pack.  The other featured beer is homebrewed by a Samuel Adams employee.  All three beers are converted to commercial recipes and are distributed.

The first one I tried as part of this six-pack was made by Samuel Adams employee Jeremy White, the Lemon Pepper Saison.  It was a light saison that tasted light and citrusy.  It had a fairly clean finish that had a slight pepper aftertaste.

I’m glad Samuel Adams chose this beer because I enjoy saisons, and this is a good example.

Is the Longshot pack available in your area?  Have you tried the Lemon Pepper Saison?