A recent mission enabled me to add to my current stocks with a visit to Utobeer. Put some beers outside (it’s turned a bit colder again at night in the countryside but 10 C is a good temp) and for no real reason decided to pit the Sierra Nevada Torpedo against the Victory Hop Wallop.
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.
We celebrate the pioneering spirit of old Horace ‘Hop’ Wallop and those who dare mighty adventurous things in this vivid, robust ale. As our annual homage to the hop harvest, expect loads of aromatic splendor and bitter beauty.
Below are my tasting notes:
- 16. Sierra Nevada, Torpedo; Dark amber. Woody, nutty & boozy. Alkaline & thick bodied. Balanced hop bitterness w fruit cake complexity coming through
- 16. Victory, Hop Wallop; Golden. Grainy, floral nose. Well-rounded mouth. Lovely subtle Harvest brew that is one to see out
Both are awesome beers and would have either of them again in a second (in fact, you’ll see I’ve given both of them 16s) but I have to pick a winner and it’s got to be the Hop Wallop, probably just for the name (but maybe for the subtle approach they seem to have taken).
This is my first Victory beer and as Utobeer has a few more from the range, I’m going to make a visit next week a priority to pick up a few more bottles.
Final note is that on first sip of the Wallop, my immediate thought was I’d really like to see how Thornbridge Kipling stands up against this.
April 26th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Loving the Saturday night showdowns… Next thing is to start adding some video. It will be sort of like celebrity death match but funnier!