(Chico, CA) – Sierra Nevada Brewing will come out with its first run of an Imperial Oatmeal Stout though it will be draft-only. I am not yet privy to production level details but expect this to see cross-state distribution. Despite the popularity of imperial stouts in beer ratings, Sierra Nevada becomes only the 2nd of the top five craft brewers to produce one, Pyramid being the other (and that beer has received very few reviews). The beer should be available beginning late October.

With close to 1400 cases of Chico Estate Harvest Ale out the door in the past week, the brewery has little time to prepare for the next releases. The next release, Harvest Ale, brewed with hops produced in Yakima Valley, will come in just two weeks. According to Bill Manley, Sierra Nevada Communications Coordinator, “We got a shipment of 26,000 lbs of fresh hops on three semi-trailers here at the brewery at 4 am Wednesday morning August 28. Our brewers started working immediately on the brew and the kettles ran non-stop for 4 straight days. We produced something like 4000 bbls. About 1000 more than last year.”

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale will come next, arriving in stores in mid-October. Another fall release, Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest should begin to be tapped as early as this week.