I am more than just a bit of a hop head. I really like IPA’s. Some more than others, but a good IPA makes me a happy camper. Ah..who am I kidding – a good APA, or CPA also makes me a happy camper. Classics and Americans can be just as satisfying as any Indian, given the right mood and even the right food pairing.

While I have my favorites – Stone, Flying Dog, and Harpoon are at or near the top of my list for a straight IPA – there are any number that I have enjoyed – Victory, Clay Pipe, Troeg’s, Lancaster, are among a group of ever growing pale ales that are, at the very least, solidly made, and are on occasion, spectacular.

This week I took a look at three pale ales – a proper IPA, and Extra, and Classic.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, CA
Style: Classic (English) Pale Ale
Grade: 7.5

I hadn’t had this beer in quite a while. At one time I would have put this beer at the front of the pack in regards to quality and flavor in relation to the rest of the craft brew market – but that would have been some time ago. Don’t get me wrong – I still found this to be a solid, quality, enjoyable beer. But I didn’t find it to be a beer I was going to go out of my way to have.

The bouquet is pleasant and hoppy, though subtle. Maybe a little more so than it should be for a pale ale, but I might be quibbling a bit here. While I would argue that there is no wow factor to the flavor, it certainly fits the CPA flavors stylistically speaking. Decent color, though maybe a little over-carbonated on first pour, the beer settles well.

Snake Dog IPA
Flying Dog Brewing Company
Frederick, MD
Style: IPA
Grade: 9.2

This is an interesting specimen to me. Certainly not the “runt of the litter” when it comes to flavor. I have had Extra Pales from other brewers who have found themselves in this realm of flavor when extra hopping their IPA’s. It has a strong hoppiness – I would venture to say hoppoer than many IPA’s out there. The citrussy tones common to a good IPA – grapefruit in particular – are prevalent in the beer’s finish. It pours nicely – particularly from the tap – retains a nice head, has a beautiful color and the aroma is rife with a floral, hoppy boddy. I would argue it is one of the top five or ten IPA’s currently being produced in the United States.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, CA
Style: Extra IPA
Grade: 9.2

A fascinating EIPA. Both the aroma and the finishing flavors are tinted with one of the beer’s unusual ingredients – pine. The aroma, infused with the floral tone of the beer’s hops, hints at pine – just barely, and while the flavor is not significantly hoppier than most standard IPA’s, it drinks nicely. The hops might be somewhat diminished by the pine, as the beer lacks some of the citrussy tones common to IPA’s, minimized by the bitter finish given it by the pine flavor. This is not a knock. Rather, it’s a bit of a nod to the skill of the brewer in utilizing the pine in such a way as to complement, rather than overwhelm, with an ingredient that could easily take over the beer. The pine gives it an unusual flavor, without detracting from the fact that you are still drinking an IPA.

The color is spot on, and the beer pours well, retaining a nice head. Definitely worth the price of a six if you are a hard core hop-head.