After the disappointing beer yesterday I decided to go with a long-time favorite today, Sierra Nevada's Celebration Fresh Hop IPA. This is an annual favorite for me and right up there with my favorite beers overall. It's just not the holidays without this beer.

I'm sure I'm biased due to my long history of loving pretty much everything Sierra Nevada does. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, along with Anchor Steam, are the beers that blew me away and first got me into craft beer and homebrewing back in the early 1990s. Across three decades now Sierra Nevada is consistently great and their Celebration IPA is no exception. (As an aside, one of my other favorite holiday traditions is Anchor Christmas Ale but sadly last year was the final release of that always excellent beer.)

Nostalgia also plays a huge role in my love of this beer. I remember first drinking it with friends on freezing porches in cold Nebraska winters and through all life's changes I always associate this beer with good feelings, good friends, and a time to relax, reflect on the year that's nearing an end, and look ahead to the year that's inevitably coming.

That's a heck of a beer!

All that aside, this is simply an incredibly well-made beer. Every aspect of it is on point, and it's a testament to the meticulous attention to detail and quality of Sierra Nevada. The color is a gorgeous, deep reddish-copper, the aroma is big on pine with a hint of floral and citrus accompanied by a bready malt scent, and as a lover of old-school West Coast IPAs it puts a huge smile on my face.

Taking a sip, the flavor is bright, crisp, and absolutely delicious. At 65 IBU the hops (the classics of Centennial, Cascade, and Chinook, I believe) are very prominent but it's balanced against a rich bready/toasty malt backbone making it full, rich, and super drinkable.

I'm not sure what else I can say other than this is one of my absolute all-time favorite beers, and it's just not the holidays without it. You'd think it'd be easier to talk about a beer I love so much but I think I'll just say "Cheers!" and get back to enjoying this amazing beer.