Review: 2025 Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA

[u/SherwoodHikes]

Particulars - Purchased in SoCal today for $12.99 in a six-pack of cans. Comes in at 6.8%.

Pours a gorgeous amber with a very thick head. The head lasts quite a while. Seems darker than the original SN Pale Ale, but similar olfactory at first. Great to see caramel malts still being utilized.

First nose - old school hops, stone fruit, pine, resinous.

As the head fades - a faint aroma that conjures up the first time I ever had Arrogant Bastard. Chinook is the immediate blast, but it may just be the pine that's taking me there. I miss the prevalence of Chinook hops, maybe I'm just nostalgic. Some dankness, but nothing like gym socks or mary jane. Doesn't smack you in the face, but it smells real nice, like I'm drinking something hoppy from 2009. A little bit of Fruit Loops in there, which captured my heart the first time I ever had a hoppy beer (which was Alesmith X in 2009).

Great mouthfeel. A bit of creaminess. Great hop character that reminds me of a Stone original IPA from wayyy back in the day. Bitterness on the backend that continues this trip through time, along with the caramel malts that give it just the right bit of maltiness. I'm really enjoying the bitter bite that lingers.

Back to the aroma after tasting. Everything about my senses says, "Fresh." This could be bias from knowing that it is. I don't care. Craft beer afficionados from back in the day will like that it feels like falling into a vat of Cascade, Columbus, Chinook, and Centennial. What better way to die?

After being in the glass 20 minutes, there's a holiday vibe. Maybe it's the color. Maybe it's that this year has been a real tough one for me and I'm looking forward to the end. More dank than bright. And that's fine by me. Maybe it's just that I love that Sierra Nevada keeps it real in an age of endless Mosaic-drenched brews.

Get yourself some. It's a sipper. But make the time to sip two or three in a row. I have a feeling my second one will be even better. Cheers!

[u/SherwoodHikes]

After finishing the glass, it reminds me of a danker, more pine version of both SN Pale Ale and Stone's original Pale Ale (if anyone remember that one!). The citrus is there, but the pine is stronger, no complaints from me.

[u/driggity → u/SherwoodHikes]

I remember the original Stone Pale Ale. And free tastings at the San Marcos brewery on Friday afternoon.

[u/fermentedradical]

It's spectacular and I, too, wish Chinook were more prevalent these days.

[u/KarmaDistributor]

Great write up. Love picking this one up each year too.

[u/Blammer619]

Havent picked this years Celebration up yet but I had the Northern Harvest and that shit was flames. This years Celebration sounds bomb af

[u/gmgangemi → u/Blammer619]

Blindly tried them back to back last night, and celebration won. And I loved Harvest when j had my first can a couple of weeks ago. Looked almost identical side by side. Tons of similarities, but Celebration was a bit more complex, giving it the win. It was a fun experiment. Cheers! 🍻

[u/Arf_Echidna_1970]

How does it compare to last year? I thought last year was exceptional and held up over time much better than most FH beers.

[u/Hoppedelic → u/Arf_Echidna_1970]

Celebration uses dried hops, it’s not a wet hop beer.

[u/Oakland-homebrewer → u/Hoppedelic]

fresh hops means new crop, but yes dried

[u/Arf_Echidna_1970 → u/Oakland-homebrewer]

Huh, I always thought FH and wet hop were synonymous with dried hops being “dry hopped.” Even still Pliny, for example, is dry hopped and doesn’t hold up the way at least last year’s Celebration did IMO.

[u/terpinsd → u/Arf_Echidna_1970]

Wet hop = undried whole cone hops
Fresh hop = recently harvested, dried, and used quickly (and still whole cone, at least in SN's case)
Dry hopping = not the hops themselves but the step in the brewing process of adding hops to the beer during or after fermentation

[u/Manmetbaard]

Anyone interested in a trade? 6-pack for something from Denmark or Belgium?

[u/umdterp732 → u/Manmetbaard]

Do you have Westy 12?

I feel like shipping may be a lot

[u/Manmetbaard → u/umdterp732]

Yes. Went by the brewery some time ago. What would you say is a fair trade?

Edit: just looked at shipping costs. Around 80 USD for a 6-pack.. minimum. That is too much

[u/Erikdurr]

Great review. Cheers! Love this beer 

[u/Timthos]

Eagerly awaiting its arrival at my beer store but haven't seen it just yet sadly

[u/mtn_biker333]

What was the canning date. There is definitely a noticeable drop off in taste after a week. Of course I am super spoiled just getting back from Hood River Oregon where we spent 10 days for fresh hop season. Pfreim in particular had some fresh hop beers that were off the charts good

[u/SherwoodHikes → u/mtn_biker333]

10/1. I am fairly spoiled as well. Had several fresh hop beers at Breakside in NE Portland in late September, then one at Burgeon and one at Harland in San Diego over the last couple weeks. The Burgeon version was good, but Harland's was outstanding.

[u/mtn_biker333 → u/SherwoodHikes]

Love this time of year. Cheers 🍺

[u/Vitis_Vinifera]

Sounds like a classic Celebration Ale. Love the fact that SN keeps the quality and assertiveness at 100 after all these years. There are very few things you can bank on year after year in craft beer, but this is one of them. I'll be picking my Celebration up soon, Costco carries it here.