Sierra Nevada Springfest IPA
 

Review Date 1/19/2026 By John Staradumsky

  Style: India Pale Ale   Brewery: Sierra Nevada   Country: USA   State: California   $ Per OZ: $.16 (B)   ABV: 6%

Spring has sprung! Well, not spring as in the season, mind you, but spring as in beer. Beer seasons always run early, don’t you know, with Christmas ales hitting the shelves in early November, Octoberfests arriving in late July, and spring beers showing up in the middle of winter.

Such was the situation on a recent shopping trip to Publix early one Saturday morning in mid-January. Not that I needed beer as I was well stocked with leftover holiday brews, but I always look at the beer section. It’s what I do.

First thing I spied was the Samuel Adams Spring Favorites variety pack featuring perennial favorite Cold Snap. I almost bought that, and surely will before spring actually arrives, but then Sierra Nevada Springfest IPA caught my attention, and into my cart it went.

This is (or seems to be) a new beer from Sierra Nevada, no stranger to seasonals are they. Celebration is perhaps their best known such brew, but they also offer a crisp and refreshing Summerfest and a Harvest Fresh Hop Ale in the fall. All of these beers prominently feature hops.

Sierra Nevada Springfest IPA is also heavy on the hops. Sierra Nevada says:

We owe everything to the land, and to those that cultivate it. Springfest IPA is our tribute to farmers who make it all possible. A vibrant celebration of Spring, this radiant IPA blooms with citrus blossom aromas drawn from organic hops and sustainably sourced barley. It’s a small taste of our larger commitment: to source half our ingredients through sustainable farming by 2030.

Ingredients from the website:

Malts Carapils, Malted Wheat, Pilsner

Hops Centennial, Centennial lupulin, Citra lupulin, CTZ lupulin

Sierra Nevada Springfest IPA has an alcohol content of 6% by volume with 38 IBUs. I paid $11.79 for a six-pack at Publix and my cans are stamped PKGD 120525.

Sierra Nevada Springfest IPA pours to a brilliant straw color with a thick and fluffy, rocky white head and a nose of robust lemon and grapefruit citrus. Taking a sip the beer is light to medium in body and immediately bursts with grapefruit zest and peel, lemon, and fresh resiny pine. Finishes dry with a long lingering bitterness.

Zesty and delicious, Sierra Nevada Springfest IPA is definitely a beer I will buy again. I may have to; I have a feeling this six-pack is not going to make it to spring.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??