Sierra Nevada Rolls Out Bottles of Freshly-Hopped Harvest Ale

The first year Sierra Nevada made its Harvest Ale with fresh hop flowers, they made only one 100-barrel batch. Also that first year, an entire UPS truck was filled with small boxes of fresh hops bundled together with holes poked into the boxes for freshness. Today, they’re overnighted in mesh onion sacks laid out flat in a single layer of a 18-wheel refrigerator truck. Over the last eleven years, the most Harvest Ale Sierra Nevada has made in a single year has been around 800-900 barrels, and has been available on draft only; that is, until now.

This year, Sierra Nevada is planning to brew 3,000 barrels, using 16,000 pounds of fresh hops in two batches. And more exciting still, two-thirds of it will be available nationwide in 24-oz. bottles! Harvest Ale WILL sell out fast, though, so if you see it – grab it (and drink it right away, too, as its not meant to age; not even a little bit). If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one in the coming weeks, crack it up and celebrate the best time of the year with the fruits of the Harvest!