I'd be lying if I said part of me wasn't galvanised by the super gorgeous deco to pick up this collab brew between Australia's Mountain Culture and America's Sierra Nevada.

But also, aside from the really cool design of the beer can, a name like Sierra Nevada's is sure to get the people going, after all they're one of the OGs of the craft beer movement in the US, and have consistently brewed great beers that seem to never lose relevance, their claim to fame being their focus on brewing really hoppy and dank West Coast style IPAs.

Mountain Culture themselves are no slouch, and are a real up and coming brewery from Katoomba, in the New South Wales' Blue Mountains, having been founded only in 2019 by DJ McCready and his wife, Harriet. Despite their relatively young existence, they've done a great job of establishing themselves with expressions such as Status Quo Pale Ale and the Cult IPA, with a similar focus on hoppier beers.

Part of the craft brewery starter pack is a cool back story, for which Mountain Culture can claim its origins in an old Civic Video store that once housed a local newspaper company, which McCready and Harriet turned into a brewpub.

There's not much else mentioned about this specific collab brew aside from it being a "blending of the two brewing styles" and both breweries sharing a provenance of being based in mountain towns.

Let's give it a go! Onward.

Summer Pale Ale, Mountain Culture x Sierra Nevada - Review

Tasting Notes

Color: Pulpy Orange Juice

Aroma: Freshly squeezed orange juice, light bit of pomelos, grapefruit and pineapples - it’s a mix of sweet, bitter, and lightly musky.

Taste: Medium-bodied, velvety, really almost feels pulpy even. It’s slightly bitter, again much like freshly squeezed orange juice, lightly sweet, with more citruses backing it up - pomelos and grapefruit, with some of the rinds in as well. Over time it gets alittle more grassy and bitter.

Finish: Initially a tad bit more sweet of fresh juice, but as it warms up, the bitterness takes a bigger hold and carries through more. It’s a mix of pulpy citrus fruit bitterness and grassy dankness.

My Thoughts

This really felt like a boozy orange juice - very easy to drink, super enjoyable, and where it stands out is how well-balanced it is between sweet and bitter notes, neither being overly dominant, whilst overall it keeps this great freshness about it. It has a good slightly thicker body here to make sure it goes down smoothly and satisfyingly.

It’s considerably friendly, and of course no sharp edges to be found here, pretty smooth and well-rounded. Overall, pretty solid classic new world IPA, heavy on the fresh citruses, nothing to crazy, but it’s a classic that’s well executed.

I really liked the velvety texture, the balance of the flavours, it’s not overly sweet or sour, and of course the freshness was great. Solid for a bbq party!

My Rating: 8/10

Score/Rating Scale :

• 9-10 : Exceptional, highly memorable, 10/10 would buy if I could.
• 7-8 : Excellent, well above most in its category, worth considering buy-zone.
• 4-6 : Good, okay, alright; a few flaws, but acceptable; not bad, but not my personal preference; still worth trying, could be a buy if the price is right.
• 1-3 : Not good; really did not enjoy; wouldn't even recommend trying.
• 0 : Un-scored, might be damaged, new make, or very unusual.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot