Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
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Just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised by another IPA, I found myself in the sights of a Torpedo.
Torpedo Extra IPA was released in January of this year as Sierra Nevada’s first change to its list of year-round brews (since the brewery started in 1980). There’s been a lot of discussion about Torpedo in the beer community, and now I know what all the fuss is about. This beer had a huge flavor!
The Torpedo poured from the bottle looking like any other IPA — a nice amber, mostly clear and bubbly, with a narrow but fluffy head. But the strong citrus aroma, like a fresh sliced grapefruit (and maybe a touch of pineapple) was the first sign of something unusual.
And the taste, Wow! Such a “green” flavor; like biting into a delicious, extremely bitter vine.
From the Sierra Nevada website:
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA; bold, assertive and full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.
Torpedo is the first bottled beer to use the new “Citra” hops developed in part by Sierra Nevada. Due to the limited supply of Citra, only a small amount of these fragrance hops were used. But they definitely make their presence known.
According 
to PR from Sierra Nevada posted on BeerAdvocate.com, the name “Torpedo” comes from:
…an invention that Ken Grossman and the brewers came up with several years ago. The Hop Torpedo is a cylindrical stainless steel vessel that was developed to harness the essential oils and resins in hops, without extracting bitterness. The device essentially works like an espresso machine. A stainless filter basket is packed full of whole cone hops loaded into the vessel and sealed against pressure. The device is then placed in the fermentation cellars where beer from the cylindroconical fermenters is pushed down from the tanks, through the pressurized column of hops and back into the fermenting tank. The flow of beer out of the tanks, into the Torpedo and back into the fermenter can be controlled to extract different levels of flavor, aroma and bitterness. Essentially, it is a new way of dry-hopping that extracts all of the oily resin without the residual bitterness of the traditional method.
With an IBU rating of about 70, and an out-of-this-world aroma and flavor profile, this new addition to the Sierra Nevada lineup is going to be talked about for a long time. IPA lovers — this beer is a must-try!
Editor’s Note: The more I drank, the more the malt made itself known. The bitterness and aroma so focused my attention that I nearly neglected to mention the malt. Though I finished the beer maybe 20 minutes ago, what’s lingering in my mouth is a sweetness either from the malt or the Citra — my guess is the malt, but it’s faintly fruity. If you’ve had a Torpedo, please comment and let me know what you think.
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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5) Loading ...
5 Comments
February 16th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I just launched my first Torpedo a few minutes ago. I dig the Citra hops, I purposely waited a good hour after eating spicy mexican food, just to be sure to have full tasting capacity.
70 is a pretty low IBU for me, so the more floral hop characteristics pop out more than the bitterness. The first sniff reminded me of sticky green nugs or green tomato plants.
Most of the way through the beer now, the taste on the back of my palette is kinda like I’ve been eating Sour Patch Kids.
A good drinkin’ beer, thirst quenching for being so hoppy. Kinda like drinking a Squirt. It’ll be a good backyard beer come summertime.
February 17th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I agree with John, its pretty amazing what they were able to do with just 70IBU.
February 17th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
hope they get it locally! pretty stoked to try it. in unrelated news, i missed a golden opportunity to try Bohemia Friday night in Lyons at Cinco de Mayo. The guy asked for our drink orders before I opened the menu, and out of habit, I ordered a 32 oz bud light.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Corbin, if you have a liquor store with a good beer supply — you should ask them to get a case or two. Most stores will try to stock what customers ask for, you might just have to ask for the manager.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
The new Big Red by Wal-Mart on the west side of B-town has a “beer cave”. it’s pretty awesome, and the guys in there seem pretty knowledgeable. will have to stop by there again sometime. it’s where i got the Hop3 and the Hop Devil