Last week, my wife wanted me to pick up a six-pack of one of her favorite beers, “Celebration Ale” by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. I felt a certain trepidation as soon as she mentioned it, because I don't normally like most American microbrews. Some of them- like the Lagunitas stout I wrote about recently- are as good as any British or Belgian beer. Most of them, though, are just far too hoppy.
This is a characteristic of American microbrews I just don't understand. The art of brewing a great beer is supposed to be in the balance, the perfect mix of the perfect ingredients. Of course, you can turn one of those ingredients up a notch for a distinctive taste, but it's a matter of tweaking the recipe, not piling on one of the ingredients until the beer is drowned in it.
The problem with American microbrews is that they all seem to want to be “intense,” which the brewers apparently interpret as meaning “as hoppy as possible.” Unfortunately, Celebration Ale is no exception. It's intensely hoppy, which in a certain way is not a valid criticism because it was obviously intentional. It also has a very strong flavor the company describes as “citrus,” but what it actually tastes like is orange peel. If you want to get a sense of the flavor of this beer, imagine orange peel combined with hops. If you like that combo- and my wife thinks I'm way off base on this one, so you'll be in good company- then you'll like this beer. If you agree with me and think that balance is the secret to great beer, you'll pass it up.