I had the privilege of enjoying both of these beers while chatting with Bill Manley , the communications coordinator for Sierra Nevada Brewing and the face behind @SierraNevadaCA on Twitter at Rattle 'n' Hum's Dogfish Head / Great Divide event. Chatting with Bill gave me new insights not only about the beers I was drinking but also about Sierra Nevada Brewing and craft beer in general.
Life and Limb (10.2% ABV, 50IBUs):
Appearance: Dark brown color with hints of ruby red around the edges, a one finger off while head that quickly dissipated, in the end their was some good lacing left on the glass.
Aroma: Tart dark fruits like cherries and prunes, hints of citrus from the hops, and an inviting blend of molasses and roasty character.
Taste: The alcohol esters and dark fruit blended really well together through out the beer and give off some tartness which I enjoyed with each sip, despite being a little perplexed at first. As the beer warmed up more of the malts came into the picture along with the two types of molasses used to give the beer some nice notes of coffee, brown sugar, and of course molasses.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Became a little more smooth and heavy on the palate as the beer got closer to cellar temperature. For the most part the mouthfeel and body were mostly on the medium side. The finish was slightly dry, but not a bad dry. As for drinkability, I feel that the high ABV was well masked and I could drink at least 2 pints with no problem.
Limb and Life (5.2 ABV, 49 IBUs):
Appearance: Dark amber color with some haze to it, one-finger off white/creamy head, and moderate carbonation.
Aroma: Faint citrus hops, toasty caramel maltiness, on the sweeter side but very balanced.
Taste: Nice and smooth malt character which was predominately light caramel and toasty in flavor. Not too strong of a hop bite, but on that left a nice impression on my palate. Floral and citrus hop notes of oranges and grapefruit.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Smooth/creamy mouthfeel, medium body. The hop bite was more intense in the beginning, but as the beer warmed it faded better and made for an easy drinking table beer. The hops left a great sweet citrus flavor on my tongue that made me want another pint. I could see this as a good session beer.
Availability: Bottles of Life and Limb should be on Manhattan store shelves by next week. You can find it on tap at both Rattle n Hum and Blind Tiger Ale House, but get there ASAP because the kegs will be done fast.
CHEERS! Barry
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