Hoppy Thursday : Week 5

The hops are still growing very quickly! Do you remember last week's Hoppy Thursday post?  Our tallest sprout was 43".  Check out the photos below, we're now at 61"!  That's an average of over a foot a week!  We're getting closer to transplanting them outside which I'm excited for because A) I hope they thrive and I can't wait until they get really big! and B) the photos will be a million times better!

The big goal of growing your own hops is of course eventually using them in a home brewed beer.  We haven't thought about a beer recipe using our homegrown hops.  An IPA style beer (indian pale ale) would be a good contender since they are known for being very hoppy and it would showcase all of our hard work.  For today's beer review I chose a brewery known for their IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  However, the beer I'm reviewing is much more special.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Estate

{Image from www.sierranevada.com}

I'm sure you've heard of an estate wine before.  They tend to be more expensive and that's because all of the grapes come from the vineyard where it's made.  It's special to be an estate wine because not all grapes grow in the same climate and most vineyards needs to use grapes from another region combined with their grapes to produce wine.
Sierra Nevada has brought this traditional wine practice to the beer world with Estate - a homegrown Ale.  Beer is made from four ingredients, barley, hops, yeast, and water.  In Estate, the water is from Sierra Nevada Brewery's land, the barley and hops is grown in their rich California soil, and the yeast is proprietary.
Buy it if: You can find it! They don't make much of the Estate Beer each year so grab it if you see it. \
Buy it for: a gift.  Do you know someone who might be really into wine and dabbles in beer? This would be the perfect gift.  It would also make a great host gift for a foodie.
Don't buy it if: you're not into the cost
Cost: $10 for a bomber (22oz bottle)