Hoptimum Overdrive

22 oz. capped bottle, split with several friends
Sampled: Feb. 19, 2011

Beers like Hoptimum don't enter my life often anymore. I’ve grown exceptionally bored with “hoppier than thou” IPAs , double IPAs and Imperial IPAs.

The disdain just wells up whenever I see a new one – Hoptastic, Baron Von Hoppenstein, HopVengeance, Emperor Hopohito, or whatever craft brewers dubbed their latest palate crusher. Very rarely do those names stack up to an intricate ale.

Then came Sierra Nevada Hoptimum. Despite its underwhelming 30th anniversary series, Sierra Nevada always gets a pass. For a mass-producing craft brewer, they patiently shape their recipes to get the beer right. Look at Torpedo – it took almost 30 years for SN to add an IPA to its standard lineup. Torpedo instantly became our store’s most popular IPA.

For the hundreds of Torpedo six-packs we sold, the store received but a case of Hoptimum, its whole-cone Imperial IPA. With its cult beer reputation, it lasted a solid day. Hop burnout or not, I had to see what Sierra Nevada produced.

Hoptimum's transcendent nose erupts with the hop citrus, multi-faceted herbal tones and a vein of white pepper. The flavor blossoms with aromas of grapefruit, tangerine and a firm line of peach.

The hops burst forth with oily and grassy flavors I associated with Sierra Nevada’s fresh hop ales. I get no indication that those ingredients are actually present, but the hops positively sparkle with dimensions few other imperial IPAs can provide.

Even my previous favorite, Avery’s Maharajah, lacks that level of hop complexity.
The finish coats the mouth with supple citrus, never turning pushing beyond ambient levels of hop residue. I can scents of chamomile and lilies lurking between the hop might, which never threatens to turn excessive.

Strong IPAs rarely classify as elegant, but the non-beer drinkers in the room also gave their approval. Hoptimum is by no means an everyday libation, but a celebration of how the right techniques can lead to balanced, drinkable extreme ale.

The early fall is always full of anticipation, when SN releases its North American Harvest and Chico Estate Harvest ales. With Hoptimum, beer enthusiasts now can eagerly await January, if they can land this elusive monster.