Sierra Nevada Ovila Golden
This abbey ale is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the monks, at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. Belgian inspired golden ales are noted for their devilish personalities, but there is nothing mischievous about this complex ale. It is brilliant golden and layered with notes of summery apple and pear and pepperv spice from the use of a traditional Belgian yeast strain. A portion of proceeds from this ale goes toward the restoration of the historic Santa Maria de Ovila chapter house on the grounds of the Abbey of New Clairvaux. This medieval building stood for nearly eight centuries in Spain. William Randolph Hearst purchased the monastery 1931 and planned use the stones for a castle even grander than his famous San Simeon. Although Hearst’s, plans crumbled. these historic stones will rise again in a California Cistercian abbey.
3.7
182 reviews
Chico, United States
Community reviews
750 cc bottle. Pours hazy golden with off-white head. Nose is yeasty funky spice, hopcitrus. Tastes hopcitric, funky and yeasty with spicy and hoppy finishing notes.
Bottle from Beer Frog Spring Hill. Pours a hazy yellow-gold with a white head. Nose is a nice pear and apple burst with some sweet malt, some white grape, and some yeast. Flavor starts apple and pear then goes sweet grape and sweet malt followed by yeast, apple, and some drying in the finish. Medium in body and a very nice golden ale reminiscent of a nice German Auslese.
Tap at Sierra Nevada Torpedo Room, Berkeley. Colour is clear golden with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Belgian yeast, spices, some hops and malts.
750ml bottle from Imbibe Wine. Nose is spicy with cloves, candisugar, and a flowery note. Clear gold with a big white head. Flavor is lightly sweet, a hint of bitter, and some spice.
On tap a few days ago at the brewery. Nice and appley sweet, a tasty after dinner treat.
750 ml corked and caged bottle from The Beer Store, Nashua, NH. Pours a light golden color with a huge white head that lasts. Nose is fruity Belgian yeast and white grape skins. The flavor is yeast dominate. Banana, pears, dried apples, hay and spicy bread notes. Medium to full bodied with active carbonation. Nicely made.
Sampler at the brewpub in Chico. Smells of summer fruit. Tastes of apples and pears. No real hop to speak of. Solid brew.
(750ml bottle) Pours a clear yellow body with a tall white head. Aroma of yeast, pear, pepper, and minerals. Flavor of pear, yeast, apple skin, golden raisins, honey, and pepper with a moderately dry finish.
750 ml. bottle. It pours a golden color with a large white head. The aroma is fruity with tangerine, pear, grape and apples with a good peppery yeast spiciness and background floral, noble hops. The flavor is the same. Lots of fruity grape, apple and pear with a complex, fresh spicy yeast profile. Floral hops round out the balanced palate. Very nice Belgian style ale.
27th April 2013
Hazy gold beer with a large white head. Palate is airy and crisp and semi dry. Strong minerals. Sweet malt. Sugary sweet floral flavours, dry. Seltzer minerals. Sweet dried fruits and peppery spice. Semi dry finish. Lots going on here but it’s all a bit dry.
750 ml bottle purchased ten months ago at Holiday Wine Cellar ($9.89). Pours a cloudy honey-amber hue with great big long-lasting frothy white head. Appropriate that they put on the paper over the cork/cage stating the contents are under pressure...beer had actually pressure-leaked through the cork some time ago, leaving a sticky caramel-y residue on the top of the bottle. Still, there was plenty of carbonation in the pour. AROMA of white wine, musty Belgian yeast, tart apple, honey malts, and some spice. FLAVOR of mild honey, tart apple, juicy pear, musty yeast bready malts, and some dry spice. The flavor starts somewhat tart but finishes with some sweetness. Dry finish. Well hidden 8.5%. Still getting used to SN making Belgians but this one is certainly a winner...very quaffable but with a certain degree of complexity. (152, 817)
Bottle, shared with Davey. Very lively pour, requiring stages and patience. Aroma is quite yeasty, with definite citrus notes. the palate builds on sweet malts that had a candy-corn quality for me that I wasn’t crazy about. The yeast was nice, adding interesting spicy esters. Overall just okay.
Ovila is another example of an overall comment I have of the entire Sierra Nevada portfolio of beers: Technically clean, but lacks depth of flavor. Sierra is the sixth largest brewery in the U.S. and its mass production level prevents it from delivering exceptional beers in any category. We owe Sierra a thanks for pioneering the craft beer business, but unfortunately, its beers have become more macro than micro.
Poured with a half finger of head on a fairly clear, golden colored body.
The aroma is wonderful. Lots of grain and a little bright apple and pear.
The taste is a crisp fruity (apple and pear again) with a touch of lemon bitterness. Nicely balanced and light.
The texture is fizzy with a crisp body.
Delicious.
750ml bottle pours a hazy, bright yellow with some fizzy, white head. Nose of candy sugar, some spice, malt, grass, pear, some yeast. Flavor is similar, pear slices, grass, hay, straw, malt, light pepper, candy sugar. Full, spritzy finish.
Pours a golden color with a thick fluffy white head. Hop, spice, fruit, yeast and malt aromas. Yeast, apple, pear, spice, malt and hop flavors. Medium light body and lots of carbonation. Fruity yeast finish.
Bottle - big foamy head, medium straw color, fruit/apple Belg yeast aroma and flavor, light malt backbone, pretty refreshing actually, very good
Bomber: honeyed orange with a shallow head. Fruity, balsamic nose. Frothy textures itch a tart, dry finish. The tongue keeps tingling for quite some time. ~m
--RaucusBacchus
750ml bottle. Pours a hazy golden yellow with a white head. Apple, pear, banana, tart, citrus, yeast. Dry finish and well carbonated.
Poured from 750ml bottle into a trappist glass, golden in color with a nice tower of carbonation in the middle, aroma of yeast, bread, citrus, fruit, taste of citrus, spice, sweet, ncie carbonation and warmth of alcohol going down.
750ml bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Poured a clear gold with a foamy white top. Taste of lemon, citrus, spice, and pepper. High fizzy carbonation
September 2012. Botle. Golden yellow with a white head. Citrus, lemon, hay, malt and yeast aromas. Some banana flavors blended in. Hops on the finish. Fantastic brew.
Not sure why the written portion of my rating was deleted, but it was, go figger. Also, I don't think it was a 4, I would remember a beer such as this if it was. I'll have to try it again.
Une bouteille de 750ml avec bouche de liège près de l’arme qui a faillit faire perdre un œil à SlovakSniper. Le liquide est dorée translucide. De activité dans le verre digne du Old Faithful. Un nez épicé, houblonné et frais. Une bouche piquante par le gaz carbonique, c’est explosif. Une finale sèche et passablement agréable.
Une bouteille de 75 cl partagée avec Yan. Une robe qui n’étonne pas avec sa couleur or. Une belle grosse mousse démesurée. Une très grande agitation dans mon verre: les bulles sont folles. Au nez, un travail honnête de la levure. Je sens des pommes vertes et du poivre. Des parfums houblonnés participent à la conversation épicée. Les céréales sont celles du style: dorées et légèrement mielleuses. Sur les papilles, une affirmation bien piquante: les forces de la levure et des houblons sont mises en évidence. Je goûte toujours des fruits à chair blanche. En bouche, le corps du liquide est gonflé par les bulles. Le pétillemement est beaucoup tros fort. Je dois prendre de petites gorgées et encore. En finale, une prestation asséchante offerte par des notes fruitées et épicées.
Bottle. Moderate light bread and hay for the malt, perfume and lemon for the hops, light dough and soap for the yeast with unripe pear and white wine in the background. Head is average size, creamy to frothy, white with some slippery lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is murky medium amber. Flavor starts faintly sweet and moderately to heavily acidic, then finishes lightly acidic and bitter. Palate is medium, between dry and watery, with a fizzy carbonation. Light and refreshing, with a nice Belgian flair in this tasty Belgian Strong Ale.
Pours a golden yellow with lingering frothy head. Aroma of sweet citrus fruits and very slight hop. Sweet but tart citrus hits the palate. Very dry and carbonation makes it very refreshing.
Sampled from a 750 ml brown bottle this beer poured a yellow-gold color with a large foamy yellow-white head that lingered and left decent lacing. The aroma was sweet and tart citrus, tangy sugar and golden fruits. The flavor was dryish yet tangy with notes of sugar, candied fruits and yeast. Medium length tangy golden fruit finish. Medium body. Interesting.
The nose is full of biscuit malt, with a dose of Belgian yeast and citrus with a little bit of cinnamon and coriander. The flavor has a lot of malt and yeast character, as well as some sugar, lemons and oranges. The alcohol is noticeable but the beer is still easy to drink.
750ml corked and caged bottled. Opens with a trememdous pop. Unfiltered yellow-orange-tan body, lots of rising carbonation bubbles. Fluffy off-white head. Pleasant dry noble hop aroma, some rustic, almost barnyard notes. Creamy yeast tones, delicate dryness. This is a really great, world-class Belgian Golden Ale. Bold in flavor, but captures the true drinkable lively effervescence. A really great beer.