Celebration Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, CA) is a favorite among hop heads. This beer is an American IPA that uses three different types of hops over three stages in the brewing process. They've used Chinook hops for bittering, and Cascade and Centennial varieties for finishing and dry hopping.

Celebration Ale pours a beautiful copper color with red hues. The head is off white; about two fingers tall, and has strong retention and lacing. The aroma is unmistakably Sierra Nevada's hop profile with the pine, citrus, and a touch of floral bouquet from the Cascade and Centennial hops. There is a hint of the 6.8% abv. Despite the strong hop aromas, the taste is remarkably balanced. The taste includes a pleasing amount of Two-row Pale and English Caramel malts. There's doubt the beer is centered on hops, but it doesn't go overboard. The beer has a light to medium body with moderate carbonation; and like many hop-heavy beers, is a bit dry.

Celebration Ale offers a nice change of pace to most winter seasonal beers, and is a very drinkable brew if you're a hops aficionado. If not, you may find this beer to taste bitter. Since we love our hops, we've rated the beer 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, and we recommend having a Celebration Ale along with a nice grilled steak.

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