Harvest beacon detected out of Chico: Celebration season has entered the atmosphere. Sierra Nevada Celebration 2026, the 45th edition of the brewery’s winter Fresh Hop IPA, has begun shipping, and Earthlings should see it on shelves across the country through the second half of October, according to a Sierra Nevada press release published by New School Beer + Cider.
Some human holidays arrive by calendar. This one arrives by truck.
Sierra Nevada Celebration 2026: the specimen
Celebration was first brewed in 1981 and is now billed as an American-style Fresh Hop IPA, built with hops kilned shortly after the September harvest. Sierra Nevada recommends drinking it in the same season it was brewed, which is the brewery’s polite way of saying: do not let this one age in the garage next to the paint cans.
- Style: American IPA made with freshly harvested, kiln-dried hops
- ABV: 6.8%
- IBU: 65
- Availability: nationwide, October through December 2026
- Packaging: 12-ounce can 6-packs (MSRP $12.99) and 12-packs (MSRP $21.99), draft, plus 6-pack and 12-pack bottles in select markets
The brewery describes the flavor as “intense hoppy citrus and pine notes, accentuated by slight floral hop aromas, balanced with rich caramel malt flavors.” Its Celebration IPA page lists the same 6.8% and 65 IBU, names Cascade, Centennial and Chinook as the hops, and says the beer gets its own 800-mile road trip through Washington and Oregon to hand-pick them.
Celebration season is upon us and we’re so excited. This time of year the brewery is always buzzing with an extra energy as the freshly harvested hops arrive to the brewery and the aroma from brewing batches of Celebration Fresh Hop IPA hangs in the air. It’s a wonderful time of year.
Brian Grossman, chief brewer and second-generation owner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Translation for alien readers: the entire building smells like hops, and the humans inside consider this a gift.
Celly Drippins: the rarest pour of the season
Every Sierra Nevada Celebration 2026 brew day leaves behind a byproduct the brewery treats as treasure. Celly Drippins is made from the drippings of the dry-hop bags used for Celebration, which Sierra Nevada calls a more concentrated, hoppier version of the beer. Only a small handful of barrels are produced each year, and the brewery calls it its rarest offering.
- When: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, first pours at 3 p.m. local time, while supplies last
- Where: the Chico, Calif., and Mills River, N.C., breweries only
- How: draft pours on site; no crowlers or growlers
In other words, there is no tractor beam capable of extracting Celly Drippins from the premises. Human operatives must physically travel to the specimen.
Where to find Sierra Nevada Celebration 2026
Look for Sierra Nevada Celebration 2026 cans and draft at retailers and bars as the rollout continues through October; bottles show up only in select markets. The Bureau has been tracking this beer for many solar cycles, including its 2021 Celebration report.
The portal for Sierra Nevada Celebration 2026 stays open through December, per the brewery. After that, the harvest beacon goes dark until next fall.
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