Got sold 14 month old SN Celebration - any good?

[p_p]

Hi, I live around London but do not go there very often.
My wife visited the city recently and agreed to go to a specialist shop and get me a couple of bottles. I compiled a long list of names. The list raised interest in the shop and despite not having any of these beers, they treated my wife as she knew beer and sent her off with some good substitutes.

I got a SN Celebration 2015 (drank it in November), very nice, quite harsh given it was young, but none the less I enjoyed it.

A month later my wife visited the same shop bought a second bottle of SN Celebration. This time they sold her a 2014.

I was quite pissed off at the beginning, but then when I drank it I did not dislike it as much as I thought I would. Aroma was subdue, but overall it was kind of ok.

Would you say a 14 month old example of this beer should still be sold?
Was the chap in the store taking advantage of my wife's total lack of knowledge?

What do you think?

 

[wahmbush]

A bar here in Chicago has a vertical of kegs on tap of SN Celebration 2012, 2013, and 2014. It is a wet hop beer but can age and let the malt dominate

 

[b-boy]

I got a SN Celebration 2015 (drank it in November), very nice, quite harsh given it was young, but none the less I enjoyed it.

A month later my wife visited the same shop bought a second bottle of SN Celebration. This time they sold her a 2014.

I was quite pissed off at the beginning, but then when I drank it I did not dislike it as much as I thought I would. Aroma was subdue, but overall it was kind of ok.

Would you say a 14 month old example of this beer should still be sold?
Was the chap in the store taking advantage of my wife's total lack of knowledge?

What do you think?

It's meant to be drunk young. In my opinion they shouldn't be selling it. I'd say that about any IPA or hoppy pale ale. I think SN would probably be upset if they found out that old versions of their product were being sold.

You thought it was harsh? Was it just the hops or something else? It is probably one of my favorite beers. I've never heard anyone say they thought it was harsh. Maybe it was the trip over the pond that did it?

 

[David_Trucks]

I'd guess that p_p, maybe you're not used to the bitterness of an IPA from SN, which to me isn't as smooth as others?

Not to take over the thread, but I thought celebration was very disappointing, especially after looking at the hop schedule, which includes 2 of my favorite hops. I'll have to try another to confirm.

 

[dierythmus]

I love SN Celebration, and look forward to it every year. One of the best IPAs for your buck (~$7/sixer in NJ area).

That being said, I was at a friend's house last week and grabbed a beer from their fridge. It was a Celebration. Popped it open and at the first taste, I knew it was off/bad. Looked at the bottle and it was a 2013. Not saying it doesn't age well, but it definitely didn't taste like a fresh one.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

Hi, I live around London but do not go there very often.

Do you mean London, England?

If so my thought is that the distributor is not likely to take back "expired" American beers as easily as something from the UK, given what I imagine is a lengthy returns process. So the shop is just trying to get rid of what they have on hand.

Often times here in Northern Michigan we'll receive shipments of "new beer" that is days away from the "expiration date." This is due to the fact that it can take months to get stuff here from the West Coast, Over Seas... Example: 2 years ago we didn't get any Sierra Nevada Narwhal until May. Not a problem for a RIS, but it's not ideal for an IPA.

Just my two cents.

 

[p_p]

You thought it was harsh? Was it just the hops or something else? It is probably one of my favorite beers. I've never heard anyone say they thought it was harsh. Maybe it was the trip over the pond that did it?

It was just the hops, I don't think there was anything wrong with it but it was the first time ever I drank a beer brewed with wet hops. Perhaps I shouldn't have said "harsh", let me change it to "very assertive".

I preferred the younger version, but was not all that disappointing with the year old bottle.

 

[p_p]

Do you mean London, England?

If so my thought is that the distributor is not likely to take back "expired" American beers as easily as something from the UK, given what I imagine is a lengthy returns process. So the shop is just trying to get rid of what they have on hand.

Often times here in Northern Michigan we'll receive shipments of "new beer" that is days away from the "expiration date." This is due to the fact that it can take months to get stuff here from the West Coast, Over Seas... Example: 2 years ago we didn't get any Sierra Nevada Narwhal until May. Not a problem for a RIS, but it's not ideal for an IPA.

Just my two cents.

Yes, London England.
Unfortunately like many other shops, they have to get rid of stock and I assume they offload old stuff to unsuspected customers. After all given the location of this shop, I guarantee most of their sales are to tourists which will never come back anyway.

Like I said in my post, when my wife showed with a list of beers, the salesperson did not hesitate to give her fresh beer .. But got an old beer the second time she visited the shop and was not following my instructions on what to ask for ...

 

[madscientist451]

Would you say a 14 month old example of this beer should still be sold?
Was the chap in the store taking advantage of my wife's total lack of knowledge?

What do you think?

Should the 14 month old beer be sold?
The store is a private business and its not up to anyone else to decide what they sell and what they don't. If you don't like the beer, don't buy any more.
What doesn't suit your tastes may be just what someone else is looking for.
It doesn't hurt to be knowledgeable about dates on bottles and buy what you think is best.
Was the store taking advantage?
I doubt it, because it doesn't take long for a poor reputation to get spread around. Repeat business is the lifeblood of most businesses. If you are happy or unhappy with the store, you can put a review on the internet.

 

[GrogNerd]

I have a couple '06 & '07 in my cellar, maybe even an '05

Might have to pop one to ring in 2016

 

[hanuswalrus]

This, to me, is a case of 'buyer beware'. Shops aren't going to pull old bottles from their shelves just because the hops have faded. It's up to you to check dates on bottles. I never buy hop-forward beers unless there is a date on the package, or I know that the beer just came in.

IMO, Celebration should be consumed as fresh as possible. I had some from this year's batch and thought it was good, but not as good as I was hoping. Their Hop Hunter is much better to me.

@wahmbush What bar in Chicago has a vertical of Celebration? Seems like a really weird beer to choose to hold onto kegs of for a vertical.

 

[b-boy]

It was just the hops, I don't think there was anything wrong with it but it was the first time ever I drank a beer brewed with wet hops. Perhaps I shouldn't have said "harsh", let me change it to "very assertive".

I preferred the younger version, but was not all that disappointing with the year old bottle.

I would agree with 'very assertive'. It's got a bite to it for sure. It seems to change year to year as well. It always has a different profile. Some years it's a little maltier than others.

 

[b-boy]

Should the 14 month old beer be sold?
The store is a private business and its not up to anyone else to decide what they sell and what they don't. If you don't like the beer, don't buy any more.
What doesn't suit your tastes may be just what someone else is looking for.
It doesn't hurt to be knowledgeable about dates on bottles and buy what you think is best.
Was the store taking advantage?
I doubt it, because it doesn't take long for a poor reputation to get spread around. Repeat business is the lifeblood of most businesses. If you are happy or unhappy with the store, you can put a review on the internet.

The place I go will generally put older beers on a special display and discount them. I think that's a better way to handle something like this. At least you know what you're getting.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I drank a 1990 Celebration. A couple weeks ago. The owner has a couple from each year. It completely changes and I would keep it longer if you haven't drank it. The one I drank was a twist off but still had carbonation in it after 24+ years.

 

[Beezer94]

Given options if a place has over year old IPA's in stock I would go elsewhere. There are lots of places I found mostly old beer and stopped shopping there. Most beer is best fresh as possible.

Celebration is NOT wet hopped! They use misleading terminology, but they get asked enough that they even put information on there webpage for Celebration explaining wet hops vs "fresh" hops.

http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/seasonal/celebration-ale

Wet Hop versus Fresh Hop

Over recent years, there has been some confusion about the difference between fresh and wet hops. While it may seem like semantics, to us it’s an important distinction.

Wet Hops are un-dried hops, picked and shipped from the growing fields within 24 hours.

Fresh Hops are the freshest dried hops to come from the fields, typically within seven days of harvest.
Over 90% of the world’s hop harvest happens between August 31 and October 31, and these hops are used throughout the calendar year. Can hops possibly be the same on November 1, one day after harvest, as they are on July 25, nearly one year after growing in the fields? The answer is no. We think of hops like dry kitchen spices—the flavor of thyme or rosemary right after the jar is opened is far more intense than it is six months later. The same can be said for hops. There are ways to control the way hops age and to reformulate and readjust as some of the aromas fade, but there’s nothing like the magic of the first bales of hops as fresh as can be. That is the stuff dreams are made of!

So they are "fresher" than what we can normally get, but they are still dried hops. Kind of funny though that they go out of their way to use the "freshest" hops, but then store it for way to long for a hoppy beer before shipping.

 

[tagz]

I have a 2012 meatloaf in my basement. I hear it changes with age. Hoping to collect enough to do a vertical at some point.

On topic: I try to catch Celebration in the first couple weeks it's out. After that it's a little too sweet/malty without bright hop flavors.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Came here to point out the fresh hop v wet hop business, see it has been taken care of

I've also done a vertical on celebration...not quite as much fun as bigfoot verticals but its still a good beer.

 

[slym2none]

I'd guess that p_p, maybe you're not used to the bitterness of an IPA from SN, which to me isn't as smooth as others?

He already said he'd had the '15 and liked it.

 

[David_Trucks]

He already said he'd had the '15 and liked it.

He also said that it was "quite harsh" which I believe is a description of the bitterness.

 

[Spartan1979]

I've done a 4 or 5 year vertical of Celebration Ale. It's better fresh, but the vintage versions were still good.

 

[Pantherjon]

Yes they are..SN is kind of a 'cult' favorite of mine as I am from Chico, CA..


Do a little research and you will see why...lol

 

[TimH]

I have had a continual problem getting old SN out by me. Even though I live only less than 200 miles away from there NC brewery. Pisses me off like no other. To the point I don't even buy it anymore. I loved SN but will not put up with it anymore nor do I need to since I can brew it myself.

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

Don't know why anyone would intentionally age a hop forward beer, theyre meant to be drank fresh. The only thing I've ever got from an old IPA, is malts! I say 6 months is the limit on a IPA being "fresh" after that, its a roll of the dice. Just had a yr old Founders Centennial the other day. As soon as I cracked it open I could tell something was wrong, checked the date, yr old. I returned the other 5 bottles.

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

I've also done a vertical on celebration...not quite as much fun as bigfoot verticals but its still a good beer.

I would think so as they aren't comparable styles. Bigfoots a barelywine, meant to be aged.

 

[Brettomomyces]

It aged pretty well to be honest, it's hop forward sure but they're also bottle conditioned and has a nice malt backbone to it. I think the oldest I tried was 3 years.