Upland Harvest Ale 2014 – A First Sampling

A big thank you to Emily over at Upland for hooking me up with a sample of their Harvest Ale 2014.  After bringing you a peek at this beer back in Aug, I was really excited to sample this Wet Hopped Pale Ale last night, but alas the gods of refrigeration did not cooperate, so I decided to wait until tonight.

Let me first say that the packaging looks great.  If you haven’t seen the Upland Brewing packaging, you’re in for a treat.  Harvest Ale comes packed in 12oz bottles in 4-packs and be sure to check out the new logo bottle caps….they look great.

First up the beer pours a really gorgeous dark golden color with a picture perfect head that had great head-retention.  You can’t help but notice the aroma as you pour and I’ll admit I stopped and restarted pouring just to take in the notes of citrus and grapefruit.  These aromas were even more prominent and fully developed when I actually stopped to smell Harvest Ale in the glass.  If you like tropical fruit in the nose like I do, this one is for you.

The beer has lighter mouthfeel with a balanced level of carbonation and with lots of Citra hops on board, the flavors are exactly what you would expect.  Lots of tropical fruit, citrus, grapefruit and even a bit of tangerine or sweet orange.  The finish is decidedly hoppy and well balanced and enjoyed it so much the 12oz bottle snuck away from me much faster than I expected.

I love fresh hop harvest ales and I really enjoy those that feature Citra hops so it’s no surprise I really enjoyed Upland Brewing Harvest Ale 2014.  If you haven’t had a chance to try this one, DO SO.  If you have had a chance to try the 2014 version, please let me know what you think.  Either way, I think Upland has a winner on their hands here and I can only hope the harvest season lasts a little longer.

FACT SHEET

Beer Description : An American Pale Ale by design with a hop back of freshly harvested Citra hops. Expect huge wafts of tropical fruit notes, balanced by a moderate bitterness and light tasted malt character. A showcase for one of our favorite ingredients and a delight for all the hopheads.

ABV: 5.5    IBU: 62   SG: 14   SRM: 13