Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale Grand Cru

This American Strong Ale is one of four special beers brewed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sierra Nevada in 2010. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale Grand Cru is a blend of oak aged Bigfoot, Celebration and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This bottle has been aged about 2 1/2 years. The oak aged Bigfoot is dominating the Celebration and SNPA portions of this blended ale. Big caramel malts with strong notes of vanilla and oak from the barrel, if there was any alcohol heat originally it has faded quite a bit over time. The hops are still pretty impressive (even after 2+ years) giving this some much needed balance. This is a really nice sipper and if you’re a big Sierra Nevada fan it is worth seeking it out. Although maybe not readily available on shelves anymore there are still some dusty bottles out there, and if you can’t find one on a shelf I don’t think this would demand too much in a trade.