The day after the tasting, I took one bottle of each to my neighbor's house. We did an identical tasting (except for more volume each and no Sierra Nevada brewmaster commentary) as we watched the Miami Heat go down in flames in game 7 to the Toronto Raptors. Was pretty sweet!
The other six bottles remained so I could really check them out here. I started with West Latitude Session Rye, just randomly. This was a collaboration of California's breweries (Bear Republic, Faction, Mad River, Magnolia; and duh, Sierra Nevada) along with Hawaii's Maui Brewing, which contributed the "aloha" of hibiscus flowers. 5.5% alcohol. PKGD 04/04/16
Very flowers and hibiscusy aroma! Lemony citrus bitter to start. Those flavors were enhanced mightily by an inordinate amount of rye spiciness and a super-aggressive floral sharpness. So far, this is a palate killer.
Citrus, dank hops, a touch of burnt caramel add interest. Maybe you can convince me there's also a little fruity sweet balance way behind the scenes.
Lots of Type A personalities competing here. Interesting but I'd have loved WAY more harmony. Honestly, Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye is much more balanced than this beer, and I love that one. I think the Hibiscus is the downfall to the beer. One of my least favorites of this package!
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