Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo
Much like the newly released Sidecar Orange Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada is unleashing Tropical Torpedo as a new year-round offering. Unlike that fruit peel infused ale, however, this version of the company’s Torpedo IPA (6.7% ABV) gets its tropical flavors solely from dry hopping via their proprietary Hop Torpedo.
An array of Amarillo, Mosaic, Citra, El Dorado and Comet hop varieties are employed to create an earthy, fruit-forward IPA. Notes of pineapple, mango and passionfruit present themselves throughout the drinking experience — all derived from that dry-hopping process without the addition of any fruity adjuncts. Tropical Torpedo isn’t an overly fruit-juicy IPA, but instead is a well rounded and earthy IPA packed with a decent amount of bitterness (55 IBU) which keeps it from becoming one-dimensional.
I’m a big fan of the company’s standard Torpedo IPA and this tweaked variation of that beer is just as good. The fruit flavors are a welcome touch that are inline with modern IPAs, but are presented along with a balanced hop bite that many of those beers lack. It’s a combination that I personally enjoyed quite a bit. An IPA without that bite just doesn’t do it for me. Tropical Torpedo keeps that tell-tale hoppy characteristic in tact while adding in a good bit of natural, earthy fruit flavors.
While Sidecar Orange Pale Ale adds new flare to the company’s year-round offering, Tropical Torpedo not only does the same, but does so while still retaining that West Coast hoppiness that Sierra Nevada is known for delivering. This IPA will certainly make further appearances in the Barley Blog HQ fridge throughout the warmer months.