Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

You know you're on to something when the bar staff refuse to pour anything larger than a middy of the beer you order.

In this case, that something is one of Sierra Nevada's flagship draughts: the mighty Hoptimum DIPA / IIPA. There's a dank green nose on this right off the bat: if you're a hophead this will fire you up from the very beginning. It's bordering on illicit green herbs country and in combination with the creamy white head leaves the mouth watering.

Then you drink it.. gee. Doesn't really hit like the 10.4% abv it represents.. not quite as dark as many in this range either. That's not to cast aspersions though - make no mistake this is a big, big beer, and will likely flat out kill anyone who's not been practicing in advance. It would be a great practical joke down the pub to cunningly swap it with someone's Carlton Mid if it weren't such a travesty to give this beer away.

It's pleasingly dead on 100 IBU and tastes every inch the centurion, but beneath that explosion there's some layered detail in the caramel malt and grassy green herbals.

Some people love big hopped DIPA / IIPAs and some don't. Personally I love them, and this is a legitimate yardstick for the style. 9.0