I was caught a little short this month, as one of the beers we’d brought in didn’t hold up so well. Lacking a hoppy beer for this months pack I needed to source one that was already in the country. I didn’t think it would be that hard, but there really weren’t that many options available that fitted the criteria.
Slightly self-indulgently I’ve grabbed a beer from one of the US pioneer breweries. I almost opted for the Pale Ale, as this beer was something of a game-changer in its day. But this beer was a great memory for me, and I hadn’t had one in some time.
Holidaying in the US around 2005, we went to a San Francisco 49’ers game, which was a great spectacle. A visit to the canteen sourced a ‘monster dog’, and to my surprise and delight, the bar offered up a range of Sierra Nevada beers with Torpedo being my favourite. That’s how you cater a sporting event!
Even after all these years, I really enjoyed having this beer again. (And I’ve subsequently had a few now!) It is just a very solid West Coast IPA. The ‘Hop Torpedo’ that Sierra Nevada devised for dry hopping this beer also gives the name. Whole cone Magnum and Crystal hops in the boil give the punchy 65 bitterness units, while dry hopping with Crystal, Magnum and Citra give citrus, tropical and pine notes, with a solid malt body carrying it all. I’m sure more than a few of you have had this beer before, but hopefully everyone is happy to enjoy it again.