Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Imperial Red Ale (2012)
This imperial red ale takes the intense hop profile found in traditional double ipa and turns up the malt. It has big aromatic hop notes of grapefruit, peach, and melon--balanced by a smooth and surprisingly robust malt body.
3.6
310 reviews
Chico, United States
Community reviews
THOUGHTS: Both malty and hoppy. Like a red IPA. A less roasty black IPA. Very nice and different.
TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a medium to dark, brownish red with a small, off-white head that mostly diminished and left fair lacing. The aroma had moderate dark bread, cookie and caramel; hints of chocolate; light to moderate pine and citrus hops; cherry; raspberry; and maybe even a little strawberry. The initial flavor was moderately sweet and lightly bitter; while the finish was heavily sweet and moderately bitter with a long duration. There was caramel malt, dark bread, pine and citrus hops, cherry, cookie, resinous hops, berry and cake.The medium to full body was fairly oily with fizzy carbonation and a slightly alcoholic finish.
Bottles from the beer camp 12 pack. Finally, I have found something that rivals hop head red and isnt a 12 dollar bomber. However, this is not mass produced either, so I guess I will keep searching. Red color - tan head - loads of hops in the nose. Taste is crisp, hoppy, kind of thick and malty. Really good beer, the best of the beer camp 12.
Strong sierra Nevada. What you would expect from this brewery. Always quality and good value
Clear bright ruby copper color with lasting ivory sheen. Floral, grainy, spicy caramel aromas. Rich, smooth mouthfeel. Nice floral hop flavors with a honey biscuit maltiness. Super smooth---good
Bottle from Slowbeer. Dirty reddish-brown, strong pine hop aroma with some sweet caramel behind, smooth, easy drinking but with a hop/malt wallop at the end that makes me wish I bought a whole case. Very good.
Loved this one. Brown/ruby pour with a decent off white head. Malty aroma. Solid moutfeel. Great mix of malts and hops.
Brown in color with red hues small to med cream colored head. Aroma is lite with hop,malt and sweet notes. Full of flavor hops,citrus, malt and a little sweet caramel. Finsh is a good bitter the kind that stays but not to over the top.
Bottle, big thanks to coldbrewky. Dark amber red color with small off-white head. Roasted malt, pines, caramel in aroma. Roasted malt, bread, coffee, toffee, grapefruits, aromatic hops. Bitter finish. Dangerously easy drinkable beer.
Bottle from Cotteridge Wines; deep copper pour with off white head, pine hop aroma, big piney hop taste with biscuity malt background.
Nice colour & smell. However the flavour didn’t live up to the aroma, giving a slight anticlimax.
12 ounce bottle pours an amberish red with aromas of light citrus, caramel and some light cocoa. Flavors were huge on caramel with some light citrus in the aftertaste. Decent beer overall.
Bottle from Euston Tap. Copper red with a stable head. Caramel and chocolate nose. Decent bitterness to balance the milky chocolate flavours. Well-made, no doubt.
355ml bottle from Cotteridges Wines.7th march.Reddish brown pour with medium sized whitish head.Roast malt,caramel and hoppy aroma with a few subtle hints of citrus.Malt and grapefruit flavour and other citrus notes with a hint of pine.Enjoyable ale.
Bottle. Nose of dank and woody hops with citrus and some dough, but there’s a roast-heavy malt component with some ash and even smoke, faint chocolate. Pours a dark brown-red-orange gradient with a rocky, lacing, dense beige head. Taste is heavily bitter with light, sticky malt just behind. Some grapefruity citrus but more dank and wood tones, and the rye-like spice is at par with the relatively high resin level. Crisp and aggressive full body, gradual warming but the alcohol is masterfully concealed. Aftertaste is dry and lightly bitter. There’s malt strength here to match but there is no flavor balance; this is a heavy-hitter dominated by powerful hops.
Gravity @ GBBF 2012, Great British Beer Festival, London Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, England W14 8UX.
Clear medium to dark brown - red amber colour with a average, frothy - fizzy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, moderate to heavy hoppy, orange - citrus, grass, riped fruit. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. [20120807]
Botte. Pours a clear amber with s medium frothy white head leaving spotty lacing. The aroma is floral hop and pine. Medium mouthfeel with a strong grapefruit flavor and nice bitter finish. A good American strong ale from Sierra Nevada.
Classic red in color with two finger head. Earthy flavored with a lot of bite. Not totally bitter bite but off.
Bottle. Ours clear reddish amber with a large orange tan head and nice lacing. Aroma is pine, caramel, citrus. Flavor is about the same, light sweet, light bitter. A bit stale, which is my fault, but not bad
Bottle: Poured a clear deep brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of citrus and earthy hops with some caramelized malt notes. Taste is dominated by some citrus and earthy hops with some good notes of caramelized malt notes with medium sweet notes. Body is about average for style with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Not bad but a bit short on complexity and hops punch could be more pronounced.
Semi-clear dark amber with a foamy/rocky head. Aroma has a lot of sticky melon and dried-grapefruit-rind hoppiness with a firm earthy caramel and toffee sweetness, though a little faint overall. Flavor is earthy and bitter with floral and resiny hops bringing the frontal charge, quickly followed by earthy and slightly boozy toffee sweetness and a faint little bit of earthy caramel and dank grapefruit rind to the finish. A little earthier than I like but still pleasantly enjoyable.
355ml bottle. Pours a hazy deep copper, with a large off-white head, which offers excellent retention and lacing. Melon, grapefruit and floral hops aromas mingle with buttered toast and toffee malt notes. Potent tropical fruit and grapefruit hops up front segue eassily into full-bodied toffee malt, with some nutty notes coming through. There is a touch of sweetish caramel leading into the finish, which brings more tropical notes and a touch of pine. There is a faint aftertaste of toasty malt. I have to say this is one of the best examples of the imperial/India red ale style I have had. It is an absolute study in balance between fresh, fruity hops and smooth, full-bodied malt. Great stuff.
This one is a Little old, very caravmel with a strong hop flavor profile and dry finish, very well made
Bottle pour to pint. From a Beer Camp 12-pack that I enjoyed in deer camp. A nice "mild" strong ale. Slightly sweet and citrusy. Enjoyed it.
Bottle from Appellation Wines, Dalry. Aroma of sweet red berries and cereal. Lovely deep amber colour; good, lasting head. A lot going on in the mouth, which disguises the strength, perhaps a touch too heavy on the carbonation. Also too full and sweet a finish for me.
Bottle and served in tulip: Pours a deep amber hue with brilliant ruby highlights topped by an initial huge off-white head which left very good lacework upon the glassware. The aroma has notes of caramel, aromatic and bready malts along with some PNW hops esters of grapefruit and pine. The taste is rather balanced with the right amount of hop bitterness to counter the malt sweetness. A bit of mineral and metallic note towards the finish. The mouth feel is medium-bodied and slightly aggressive. Overall this is a very solid effort and one I would drink again.
Pours translucent amber/red with substantial slightly off white head. Aroma is dark fruity hops, pine, caramel toffee. Taste starts of with great malty nutty flavours red fruits finishes cleanly with a powerfully bitter citrusy finish.
Appearance was clear red brown with creamy diminishing off white 1 finger head, rings of lacing. Aromas are sweet brown sugar, toffee and caramel malts. Hoppy are floral citrus fruits with hints of fig, no alcohol present. Taste of sweet malty backbone then the fruity hops of pine,grapefruit, lemon, orange with hints of fig and date. Yummy. Palate is smooth creamy CO2 with meduim body, then lasting smooth balanced touch dry finish. Wonderful red.
Bottle from the Eastchase Specs. Brownish pour with an off-white head. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar, and hoppy. Taste is bitter, almost burned, awkward caramel, spice, and a goofy finish.
12 ounce bottle from the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 12-pack purchased at the Escondido BevMo ($19.99 for 12-pack). Pours a deep red-brown (like tea) color with two fingers of off-white head. Aroma of citrus, lush tropical fruit, caramel, and tea. Flavor full of hops with notes of pine, sharp citrus, flowers, spicy hops, honey and caramel. There’s really a nice level of balancing sweetness here along with the significant bitterness. Good representation of the "imperial red" style. (269, 764)
From a 355ml bottle on 8/1/2013. Pours a fairly clear red amber with a biggish very light tan head. Has a very pleasant aroma featuring lots of pine, bready and toasty malt, and some musk. In the mouth, you get a terrific malt hop balance. There’s bread, toast, caramel and nuts on the malt side, followed by sweet citrus fruit, a touch of tropical and stone fruit (peach, apricot and mango), and a firm, quite long grapefruity bitterness at the back. The body is medium to full. Fabulous beer.