TMS Beer Project: Sierra Nevada's Southern Hemisphere Harvest

With the name Saloon included in our moniker, one could surmise that we here at TMS like to drinky drinky. One that would make such an assumption would be correct, thereby throwing out the whole, 'when you assume you make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me' bullshit. We also like to plagiarize each other. In the same vein as the Wrigleyville Bar Project, we are proud to bring you another installment of the TMS Beer Project. The premise is simple: we review beers. Each rating will feature a variety of scores from 1-10 and comments from the bartender. This is a public service damn it. We don't want you to be the sucker who pays $15 for a six pack of some overrated Belgian cat piss. Now, we all drink massive amounts of beer so we know what we speak of. Each of us seem to have a favorite style of beer though. I myself like cerveza from south of the border. Will we be reviewing macrobrews like Bud and Coors? Oh you bet your Aunt Susie's ass we will. For purposes of this science experiment, and it is in the name of science, those will be the "control" group. Use them as a base line for when we review lesser known imports and microbrews. Without further ado, I bring you our next beer:

Southern Hemisphere Harvest

Brewery: Sierra Nevada, Chico, California
Type: Specialty Hop Ale
Recepticle: 24 oz. Bottle

Drinkability (1 being Jim Jones' kool-aid, 10 being the nectar of the gods): 8 - Really this is a matter of personal preference, but to me, the Harvest goes down really smooth. While still bitter the spice snaps on your palate and dissolves, quickly leaving the aftertaste commonly associated with a pale ale.

Heartiness (1 being fresh mountain spring water, 10 being a pureed British steak infected with mad cow disease): 5 - The Harvest is fairly moderate, not so dense as to frighten a weaker man, but thick enough to tell you that it shouldn't be taken lightly or chugged. The hops from this beer were harvested in New Zealand and flown to California to be brewed.

Intoxication (1 being your friend's weird pentecostal grandmother high on Jesus, 10 being Boris Yeltsin on a week long bender in the Crimea): 8 - On a clean, filtered stomach, I'm feeling pretty good after 12 oz. Two of these bottles would get you a long way toward a hangover. 6.7% alcohol by volume.

Celebrities You May See Drinking This Brew: Any celebrity that is a closet pot-smoking hippie. Celebrities that like camping. Emile Hirsch comes to mind, but only because he played that selfish Chris McCandless asshole in that movie last year. The book was overrated too.

Affordability ($ being chicklets in Tijuana, $$$$ being diamond encrusted braised lamb shank from a trendy cafe on the Champs d'Elysee): Well, it's $3.59 for 24 oz., and considering the alcohol content, you're getting your fucking money's worth. I'd rate it at $$ for these purposes. You're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Overall: 9 - Maybe this seems like a high rating, but considering the size, the taste, and the alcohol content, this beer is fantastic. Though this is Sierra Nevada's initial stab at the Southern Hemisphere journey, I'd like to think that it will not be the last. I could see this as a seasonal specialty in the future. The hops in New Zealand are harvested opposite of when they would be harvested in the U.S., so assuming sales met expectations, it would hopefully be worth Sierra Nevada's while to make this beer a yearly treat.