Spring to a craft beer aficionado normally means one thing - the release of a multitude of hoppy beers. One that has become a favorite is Hoptimum Imperial IPA by Sierra Nevada. They don't come more hoppy than this one. This is one, and there are a few special ones, that you wait to show up on the shelves.
Here how they describe this brew...
Hoptimum is a hurricane of whole-cone hop flavor. Hopped, dry hopped and torpedoed for incredible hop flavor and complexity, Hoptimum is the pinnacle of whole-cone hoppiness and the biggest Imperial IPA we have ever produced. It features resinous hop varieties: Magnum, Chinook, Simcoe and a new experimental hop variety exclusive to Sierra Nevada. With intense hop flavors and aromas of grapefruit rind, pine, herbs and tropical fruit, Hoptimum is an aggressive drinking experience. Originally created as part of our Beer Camp program, Hoptimum throws down the gauntlet to all other IPAs.
Dry Hops We work hard to get strong hop flavors into our beers and one of the ways we do that is through dry hopping. Dry hopping refers to the addition of whole-cone hops to the fermentation tanks. The addition of hops to cold beer allows the aromatic oils and resins to infuse the beer with flavor and aroma without adding any additional bitterness.If you love your hops, don't miss out on this one while its still available.
Ratings Beer Advocate :: 93 pts | Rate Beer :: 100 pts
Location Map
Style Imperial IPA
Vitals
Original Gravity: 22.8 Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5 Plato
Bitterness Units: 100 IBU
Color: Orange Amber
Bittering Hops: German Magnum
Aroma Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Dry Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Torpedo Hops: Citra & Chinook
Malts: Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat
Yeast: Ale
They take their hops seriously (not that they don't with their other offerings) by using a dry hopping method to get even more hop flavor into the beer.