Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

This week’s Throwback Thursday beer is a biggie for me…

So this is the one that started it all for me. I’ve talked about Sweetwater 420 being my “gateway” beer, but Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA is the one that sent me over the craft beer cliff. I don’t believe I would even be writing for this website had it not been for this one. I remeber we were visiting Savannah in 2009 I think, and I happened to notice this at the local grocery store. I’m sure I’d seen it before, but that was the first time I’d noticed it. I figured I should try this other Sierra beer since I like the Pale Ale a lot.

Needless to say I was stunned by how good it was. The caramel sweetness is followed by the strong, bitter, and spicy hop character. It was literally life changing. I think I actually said “wow”, out loud, after the first few sips. I remember informing everyone that night about how they needed to try this beer, about how good it was. Most people probably took a sip just so I’d shut up. I still buy this beer today, it’s a great value and a great beer!