Chico , CA July 17th 2008 – TMRZoo.com -Fresh from the field to the glass with no stops along the way.
With the third installment of Sierra Nevada’s Harvest Ale Series, they introduce a beer that is close to the brewery’s heart. Chico Estate Harvest Ale is a beer made with hops grown just feet from the brew house. They grow the hops themselves, pick them, and put them directly into the beer, still bursting with the signature flavors that have put Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. on the map. Hops this fresh can be found nowhere else.
By stealing a page from the winemaker’s playbook, Chico Estate Harvest Ale will use all of the hops grown in the brewery fields for one big full-flavored Sierra Nevada beer. Typically, hops are collected and dried for use throughout the year, but as they dry, the precious oils and resins break down and some of the big flavors become muted. With Sierra Nevada’s Harvest Ale series, the brewery takes care to use the freshest hops possible, and in the case of Chico Estate and fall Harvest Ales, they use only “wet” or undried hops to add not only bitterness, but the full range of character and flavors that the small but mighty hop has to offer.
Sierra Nevada is one of only a handful of breweries anywhere in the world with the space and the dedication to produce an estate harvest ale, and they remain committed to the versatility of the hop. Previously only available on draft as “20th Street Ale,” Chico Estate Harvest Ale will be bottled for the first time and available in limited quantity at the end of August.
As the pioneers of using fresh-harvested, wet-hopped beers, Sierra Nevada adds Chico Estate Harvest Ale to the trinity of their beloved harvest ales.
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s first microbreweries and remains highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and ingredients of the highest quality. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for a line of beers and ales, including the flagship Pale Ale, Wheat, Porter, Stout, five seasonal beers and a host of draft-only specialties.
