Michael Van Cise

For some reason, New Belgium, a Colorado brewery, (makers of Fat Tire) has just begun distribution in the state of Georgia.

The bottle describes New Belgium's "Fat Tire Amber Ale" as follows:

toasty biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness.

According to the New Belgian website, Belgian beers use a far broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles.

My wife and I fell in love with the style after having the Belgian brewed by the Santa Fe Brewing Company. We haven't found one we like as much as theirs, but we're still searching.

I have been thinking about keeping track of my thoughts on new wine and beer; a sort of "beer/wine journal." Today as I sit in front of the television watching the last hours of the Masters tournament, I'm enjoying Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Extra IPA ale.

According to Wikipedia, an IPA, "is an ale that is light amber to copper in colour, medium to medium-high alcohol by volume, with hoppy, bitter and sometimes malty flavour." Torpedo is 7.2% alcohol by volume--certainly higher than most beers. It's also hoppy and mildly-bitter, but not to the extreme on either count. Torpedo does not leave a bad aftertaste, and while bitter, is smooth in that it does not have a "bite" at the end, but your mouth will lightly bear the remnants of the brew and your tastebuds will remind you of the hops in the beer. Overall, Torpedo is worth trying, and perhaps worth repeating.

The description provided by Sierra Nevada is

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA, perfectly balanced yet full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.

Sierra Nevada is brewed in California. According to the Sierra Nevada website, they sell five labels year round: Pale Ale, Porter, Wheat, Stout, and the Torpedo. To give you an idea of the higher alcohol content in the Torpedo, the S-N Wheat has a 4.4% and the Pale Ale a 5.6% alcohol content by volume. Sweetwater 420, an "extra pale ale" brewed in Atlanta, has an alcohol content of 5.4%.

I do not consider myself a beer expert by any means. I do not have the palette or the vocabulary to accurately describe the flavor or the experience of any beer. I'll answer some questions on my own personal opinion and feeling about the beer. I hope you'll find this, and my future reviews, helpful.

Why did I try S-N Torpedo? (1) It was on sale at Whole Foods Market, (2) My friend David Hall and I recently had a conversation about beer and he mentioned both that he really enjoys IPAs and that he likes the Sierra Nevada brewery.

Would I buy it again? Yes; but I might choose another beer first.

To what is S-N Torpedo similar? Sweetwater 420 is similar. 420 is also hoppy. The Sweetwater site describes it as "a Tasty West Coast Style Pale ale with a stimulating hop character and a crisp finish"

What did I pay for Torpedo (six pack)? $7.99