California's Sierra Nevada Brewing Company celebrates autumn a little bit differently than most of the craft operations. Instead of a spicy pumpkin ale or an Oktoberfest lager, their fall seasonal is a variation on the English brown ale style. The twist on the style is the painstaking crafting of a beer that truly tastes like the season it represents.
One can imagine strolling along the creek through the blazing-bronze autumnal forest bundled in a brown corduroy jacket and taking a brief respite from the late September chill in the stone cabin pictured on the label; here is where you are served a Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. The hermit who lives in the cabin claims that the beer is brewed with the dried leaves of the year before, and you believe him. Before you know it, the western sky begins to echo the colors of the treetops, and you realize that you've spent your evening in proper fashion, enjoying a fine beer that compliments the beauty of the landscape.
Using freshly roasted malts, Tumbler has a big dark body with a strong caramel flavor profile, quickly put in check by a healthy dose of Challenger hops. The result is intense, yet unexpectedly smooth and creamy. At 5.5% abv, both drinkability and utility make this beer a wonderful sessioner for the cool nights of September and October.
09.13.10
About Beer Geek Steve:
Steve spends as much time as his wife will let him tracking down rare beers and trying to analyze the intersection between quality beer, hype, and viral marketing. When he's not reviewing beer for Drink Philly, he writes about his adventures in chasing bottles and taps at his blog, Beer Geek Steve. You can also follow him on Twitter, where he tweets about happenings in the craft beer industry and often locates some of the best barrels in southeast PA.
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