This Sierra Nevada beer was given to me by a guy on a bicycle. He pulled it out of one of the back pockets of his cycling jersey and gave it to me. He had sunglasses on, his feet were unclipped from the pedals, and his legs were straddling the bike as he handed me the beer. This happened tonight. I was about halfway through an Ommegang while grilling. There was a knock on the door. I had a feeling the knock was coming from the guy on the bike. He had just texted me moments earlier, asking me if I wanted to ride. I told him I couldn't, as I was in the middle of cooking and about to eat. Last night he told me he landed a case of the Torpedo, said it was really good, said it was one of his favorites. Of course, he's really into IPAs. If you give him a beer that says "extra IPA", he's like a pig in slop. I like IPAs and Pale Ales. The double IPAs and extra IPAs, however, are usually a little too much bitter for my sweet tooth. This one, the Torpedo, had a bitter bite. Actually, it was more than a bite. It was more like a chomp. The label on the bottle says, "...aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal characteristics of whole-cone American hops". The citrus was evident, as it is in most hoppy beers. The pine? Tried as I might after a couple of sips, I couldn't detect it. Pine? There was no pine. Not that I've actually tasted a pine cone or anything. I mean, I've smelled pine before. I've had the pine air-freshener thing in my car that dangles from the volume knob on the radio, like everyone else. Taste and smell are two senses that are linked closely together, or so say the human perception psychologists. I get all that. It makes sense. But i couldn't even smell the pine. I don't know the pine taste. The smell of pine? I know it well. So, I'm reading the label, logging on the blog, watching game 4 of the Flyers-Devils playoff series. I'm getting settled in the easy chair, sipping and tasting, waiting for my beer thoughts to come...and then, BAM, I taste the pine! I can only imagine what pine tastes like as I've only smelled it before. If your olfactory nerves are linked with the taste buds, then by holy ham on a sandwich I can taste the pine. Suddenly this beer is magical. It's like one of those 3-D halograms that you stare at, and stare at, and stare some more until you have to go shave again. Out of nowhere the image appears, a slap in the face from a ghost. The Sierra Nevada Torpedo advertises pine, and it subtly creeps into your palate. I wasn't digging this beer at first sip. The hops were a little overwhelming. Grow on me, though, it did. I was liking this beer more as it went down. I don't know that I'd buy a case of this stuff, don't know if I'd turn one down, either. This is a great springtime beer. It fits with the season. I've always liked the smell of pine. Now, I guess, I like the taste of pine too. Tomorrow, I'm going out to the yard to collect some pine cones. I will marinate them and grill them, eat a whole plate of pine. With a side of Torpedo.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sierra Nevada Torpedo extra IPA
This Sierra Nevada beer was given to me by a guy on a bicycle. He pulled it out of one of the back pockets of his cycling jersey and gave it to me. He had sunglasses on, his feet were unclipped from the pedals, and his legs were straddling the bike as he handed me the beer. This happened tonight. I was about halfway through an Ommegang while grilling. There was a knock on the door. I had a feeling the knock was coming from the guy on the bike. He had just texted me moments earlier, asking me if I wanted to ride. I told him I couldn't, as I was in the middle of cooking and about to eat. Last night he told me he landed a case of the Torpedo, said it was really good, said it was one of his favorites. Of course, he's really into IPAs. If you give him a beer that says "extra IPA", he's like a pig in slop. I like IPAs and Pale Ales. The double IPAs and extra IPAs, however, are usually a little too much bitter for my sweet tooth. This one, the Torpedo, had a bitter bite. Actually, it was more than a bite. It was more like a chomp. The label on the bottle says, "...aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal characteristics of whole-cone American hops". The citrus was evident, as it is in most hoppy beers. The pine? Tried as I might after a couple of sips, I couldn't detect it. Pine? There was no pine. Not that I've actually tasted a pine cone or anything. I mean, I've smelled pine before. I've had the pine air-freshener thing in my car that dangles from the volume knob on the radio, like everyone else. Taste and smell are two senses that are linked closely together, or so say the human perception psychologists. I get all that. It makes sense. But i couldn't even smell the pine. I don't know the pine taste. The smell of pine? I know it well. So, I'm reading the label, logging on the blog, watching game 4 of the Flyers-Devils playoff series. I'm getting settled in the easy chair, sipping and tasting, waiting for my beer thoughts to come...and then, BAM, I taste the pine! I can only imagine what pine tastes like as I've only smelled it before. If your olfactory nerves are linked with the taste buds, then by holy ham on a sandwich I can taste the pine. Suddenly this beer is magical. It's like one of those 3-D halograms that you stare at, and stare at, and stare some more until you have to go shave again. Out of nowhere the image appears, a slap in the face from a ghost. The Sierra Nevada Torpedo advertises pine, and it subtly creeps into your palate. I wasn't digging this beer at first sip. The hops were a little overwhelming. Grow on me, though, it did. I was liking this beer more as it went down. I don't know that I'd buy a case of this stuff, don't know if I'd turn one down, either. This is a great springtime beer. It fits with the season. I've always liked the smell of pine. Now, I guess, I like the taste of pine too. Tomorrow, I'm going out to the yard to collect some pine cones. I will marinate them and grill them, eat a whole plate of pine. With a side of Torpedo.
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