Sierra Nevada Brewing replaces Oktoberfest in seasonal lineup with Liquid Hoppiness juicy IPA
Legendary Chico, California craft beer pioneer Sierra Nevada Brewing has introduced a new fall seasonal - Liquid Hoppiness juicy IPA. Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of the fan favorite Oktoberfest which has been an annual collaboration with classic German breweries in recent years and is now discontinued from the regular distribution portfolio.
The change in the regular seasonal rotation for Sierra Nevada Brewing echoes another controversial lineup change when they eliminated the long-running summer seasonal Summerfest lager in favor of the new Summer Break session IPA. After beer lovers outcries heard ‘round the world, Sierra Nevada brought back Summerfest in a very limited capacity from the brewery, with a trickle of draft, and a small amount brewed for mail order direct shipping from their website.
Perhaps anticipating the renewed calls for a relaunch, the brewery is making Oktoberfest available in a similar way only from their tasting rooms and web shop. In the past, Sierra Nevada partnered with a different German brewery each year to create a collaborative Oktoberfest recipe, but now is sticking with their darker in-house designed recipe which they first released in 2021. This is a smooth and balanced traditional Marzen featuring German malts and hops with rich flavors and aromas of honey, biscuit bread, caramel and graham cracker, hopped with Hersbrucker, and Tradition. Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest will start shipping from the company website starting September 1st, but due to differing state direct-to-consumer shipping laws CA, DC, KY, NC, ND, NE, NH, OH, PA, VA, & VT.
Liquid Hoppiness is the new fall seasonal, a type of IPA that falls somewhere between West Coast and NE-styles by squeezing in the fruity and citrusy tropical flavors of hazy IPA into a clear modern American IPA format. Sierra Nevada says this is their juiciest IPA to date from Azacca, Cascade, Centennial, and Sultana hops. Liquid Hoppiness (7% ABV) has fruity notes of pineapple, grapefruit, orange and fresh berries. This IPA has oats added for body and slight haze, but it also features Munich malt, giving a slight nod to the season’s popular German-style festbiers.
“We developed this beer to help drinkers transition into the fall season,” said James Conery, Brewer and Innovation Manager at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. “So as the temperatures start to drop a bit, the daylight and colors outside start to shift, you’ve got this pillowy, juicy, highly drinkable IPA that fits in nicely anytime from the warmer days to the cooler days.”
Available nationwide August through October, Liquid Hoppiness is packaged in six-packs (12oz cans) for $9.99.