It is an estate libation, made entirely from bounty grown on a single estate in California's Central Valley, and it sells for about $8 a bottle.

And it's not a wine, but a beer.

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico earlier this fall released this "Estate Ale," brewed with its own barley, its own hops and its own yeast, making it "one of the world's only estate-made beers."

According to the pioneering craft brewery, it was "inspired by the renowned winemaking region of its Napa and Sonoma neighbors" to become "the first brewery to develop its own terroir." That term, the release explained, is one the wine world uses to describe "the individual flavor characteristics that [a wine] takes from its environment. This terroir is present in all growing things that are tended with passion and care. The environment that builds flavor is more than simply the soil or the climate. It is also the passion and commitment of the grower."

Sierra Nevada certainly has been getting a lot of attention for this brew, which became available in Pittsburgh late last month on draft and in 24-ounce bottles. Quantities were limited, but you should still be able to find it in better beer bars, distributors and bottle shops.

Fat Head's on the South Side got a single sixtel -- one-sixth of a keg -- of the draft and some of the big "bomber" bottles.

Another place that had the bottles ($9.95 or $8.95 to go) was Barley's & Hop's in the South Park Shops. Owner Tim Santoro really likes the stuff.

"It has always been a dream of mine [if I hit the lottery] to run a farmhouse brewery, and grow all of the ingredients on site," he said. "You can have no better quality control of ingredients than if you grow them yourself."

He described the Estate Ale as "a nice blend of maltiness and hoppiness, with the hops being a bit more aggressive after you swallow. They stick to your tongue. The hops have a pungent soapy taste, but in a good way that makes you want to take another sip -- kind of like eating something that is almost too spicy, but you keep going back for more."

I agree: This is definitely a hops-forward India pale ale, weighing in at 6.7 percent alcohol by volume. I enjoyed it, too.

The special ale is a project that started back in 2003 with an experimental planting of a hop yard next door to the brewery. Last year, Sierra used those "homegrown" hops for the first time in Chico Estate Harvest Ale, which was a hit. Sierra decided to go all the way and grow its own barley for the malt, too, and so this January it added to its nine acres of hops 26 acres of two-row barley. Despite the hot, dry climate, the barley grew so well that the brewery was able to make the Estate Ale.

One of the first "microbreweries" before it grew too big to be called that, Sierra Nevada started in 1980 and its eponymous pale ale remains a true classic. Lately, the brewery been shaking things up with a series of special brews. The latest, just coming to market in mid- to late November, is a very unusual collaboration with a craft-brewing powerhouse on the opposite coast: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Lewes, Del., which has been pushing the artisan beer envelope since 1995.

Sierra's founder Ken Grossman and Dogfish's founder Sam Calagione -- rock stars in the brewing world -- got together in Chico in September to brew what they dubbed Life and Limb Ale.

It's dedicated, according to a news release, "to the family of beer drinkers and enthusiasts worldwide who continue to support the little guys, iconoclasts, entrepreneurs and pioneers who risk life and limb to shape the vibrant craft-brewing community."

Mr. Calagione said, "We have designed this beer to intertwine signature aspects of both of our breweries' creative approaches -- from sustainability to exotic sugars, from bottle conditioning to cellarability."

What they came up with is a strong beer -- 10 percent alcohol by volume -- that "defies style characteristics." They made it with Sierra's barley and maple syrup from the Calagione family farm in Massachusetts, as well as a blend of both breweries' house yeasts. The yeast work in the bottle to "bottle condition" it for added complexity and shelf life; it's naturally carbonated by the yeast munching on added birch syrup from Alaska. The brewers say "it is the first beer we know of ever to use birch syrup in the brew."

They say that if properly stored in a dark and cool area, the ale should age for years.

Distributed through Sierra Nevada's channels, Life and Limb is to be available this month in 24-ounce bottles and limited draft. Very limited.

Sierra spokesman Bill Manley told me, "This is a super-limited release and there are only about 3,000 cases for the entire country. Pennsylvania is getting a decent amount, though I have to admit, I expect the lion's share to go to the Philly area." Suggested price is $9.99 to $11.99 for a 24-ounce bottle.

Sierra and Dogfish also made a brew from the second runnings of this brew, which they are calling Limb and Life Ale. It's a low-gravity, lower alcohol (5 percent by volume) small beer or session beer -- one that you can drink several of at a session. Bars and restaurants started serving it in October as a draft-only precursor to the big beer to come.

Dogfish Head, which got a sixtel of Limb and Life for its brewpub, on its Web site described it as having "a roasted malt flavor reminiscent of dark roasted coffee and toasted bread, combined with a pronounced hoppiness from the use of bold and aromatic American hops."

Mssrs. Calagione and Grossman were to host release parties for Life and Limb -- five-course beer dinners for 70 and 75 people, respectively -- on Nov. 8 in San Francisco and on Nov. 14 in New York (sold out). The project even has its own Web site: life-limb.com (it includes suggested food pairings).

It'll be interesting to see where the collaboration goes. If nothing else, as Sierra's Mr. Grossman put it, "As the bottled beer ages and changes over time, it will be great to see our families share this beer over anniversaries of their own."