Due to a lackluster harvest of its estate barley, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. won’t release its Estate Ale this fall. Instead, the brewery is using its thriving estate hops to brew a black IPA called DevESTATEtion.
According to a post on the brewery’s blog, the main culprits of the poor barley harvest included strong winds and increased rainfall.
These stressors changed the normal course of barley maturation. What we did harvest had a higher than normal protein content—nearly double our target—which sacrifices sugar content and brewing efficiency. Malting the barley and putting it in our kettles would have invited challenges not worth battling.
DevESTATEtion, which will feature estate hops and organic malts sourced from the Northwest, is scheduled for release in September.