Beer Review - Celebration IPA

Gertie is Dressed to Celebrate

I had heard the legend!

I knew the hype!

I never had it!

But I had a theory where I could find it!


And BaseLine didn’t let me down!

Sierra Nevada’s “Celebration IPA” is a seasonal holiday treat that is a must-sip for many beer fans. Yet, I've never experienced it, likely because this time of year I’m hunting big Imperial Stouts. But recent beer posts hitting my feed reminded me that this beer is a highly desired yearly winter treat. Some call it the G.O.A.T. While Disney may not have a lot of unicorn beers on tap, I figured that Disney’s Hollywood Studios BaseLine Tap House would likely have it on tap since the seasonal is most often Sierra Nevada. Hoppy Holiday’s my friends, because my hunch was right.

Sierra Nevada’s website describes this Fresh Hop IPA as

“Freshly picked hops, rushed from farm to brewery, fill Celebration IPA with powerful citrus and pine flavors. When you’re on the slopes with friends or building a backyard campfire for the fam, you need a beer as fresh as fallen snow. Pure hops, balanced with rich caramel malt, make this a celebration in every sip.”

When we say fresh hops, typically a brew has hops that have been dried out and stored for for long periods. With fresh hops, they are harvested, processed, chosen, and then driven to the brewery as quickly as possible giving the beer hop flavor straight from the farm. Additionally, instead of using a big bag where some of the hops may not steep in the brew, a torpedo is used to ensure that as much of the hop oil as possible can be added to the mix.

"Celebration IPA" Says Happy Holidays

“Celebration IPA” is a 6.8% ABV with nice 65 IBUs. Those IBUs give it a big piney bitterness that can be tasted throughout the whole sip. The beer color is nice caramel red, with the malt giving almost a hoppy pale ale, I guess that would be an IPA, flavor. This is not a hazy citrus IPA, this is a pine forest. The color and the outdoorsy flavor on the tongue give you a true wintery feel and flavor. It’s a wonderful winter drink for a park that decorates for winter really well.

Who Drinks This? If you like IPA or pale ales, this is your must-drink at BaseLine. If you are a craft beer explorer, looking for great experiences, this is also a beer you need to check off your list. Honestly, Walt Disney World does not have a lot of chase beers unless they are a specialty for the park. I think until the keg kicks, I will be making this my only choice at BaseLine! “Celebration IPA” adds to the already wonderful and rich holiday theming at studios!

Warning - When I ordered I did have to ask as they did not have signage up yet. But I was reassured it was on tap!