Tropical, tropical, tropical. Everything’s a tropical IPA these days, ya know? Hop varieties like Mosaic that throw off notes of passion fruit, papaya, guava, pineapple are all the rage, and so we have Sierra Nevada taking a stab at same with Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo, a variation on their Torpedo Extra IPA. Tropical Torpedo retains the Citra hops and dispenses with the Magnums and Crystals, then adds in fruity Mosaics, Comets, and El Dorados.

Like its namesake, Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo is dry hopped with the “Hop Torpedo”, a Sierra Nevada invention that acts almost like decoction mashing, but with hops. Instead of ageing the beer on hops, the beer is funneled from the conditioning tank through a steel vessel containing hops and back into the main tank. Sierra Nevada believes this imparts a more even distribution of hop aroma.

From the label:

Inspired by the island life, we created an IPA completely disconnected from the mainland. We used our one-of-a-kind Hop Torpedo to deliver an intense rush of hop flavor and the lush aromas of mango, papaya, and passionfruit with every sip. Enjoy our tropical twist on the American IPA.

Ingredients from the website:

Yeast   Ale yeast 

Bittering Hops   Amarillo 

Finishing Hops   Mosaic, Citra, El Dorado, Comet 

Malts   Two-row Pale, Munich, Honey

Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo has an alcohol content of 6.7% by volume with 55 IBUs. It’s reasonably priced at $8.99 a six-pack.

Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo pours to a deep orange color with a thick foamy head and a luscious pineapple and passion fruit nose. A thick layer of Brussels lace forms on my glass. Taking a sip, the beer is thin on the malt but to my surprise does not seem as thin malty as most. It’s bursting with juicy fruit notes, though, oranges and papaya and passion fruit and pineapple. The finish is long and dry and bitter and I’m surprised how much I like this one.

I think the honey and Munich malts here help to support the juicy hops. A dash of caramel malt might make it perfect, but I like it as it is and would definitely drink it again.

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