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Sierra NevadaPale AleABV 5.6% • Vol 355 ml • bottle • USA • Mid-price • Flavour 7
• Bottle Conditioned
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This is a krausened bottled pale ale from Californian brewery Sierra Nevada. The beer is a golden colour with a light, bubbly, short-lived head. It has a very citrusy hop nose, with apple and cinnamon notes. The attack is very bitter and hoppy, but rapidly develops into a mixture of intense hoppy bitterness and complex citrus sourness (orange marmalade, limes and grapefruit), with a balancing sugary touch. The hops take over again in the finish, leaving a lingering citrusy bitter aftertaste. To summarise, this popular American beer is similar in many ways to a good UK IPA. It is clean, hoppy and refreshing, disguises its strength well, and is a good summer afternoon beer. OBBD reviewer: Sparks |
Review updated 18 June 1999
I would echo the comments about the similarity to a UK IPA. The immediate impression is of a strong hop character which lingers on the palate. However, the hoppiness doesn't quite overwhelm the beer - well judged. I'll be happy to try this again. 8/10 will do for me.
Nigel Morton
Hazy amber/brown beer with a pure white head which lasts quite well. Stunning earthy, resiny hop
aroma takes you into a perfectly carbonated beer of considerable complexity. Foremost is hops - not
perhaps as hoppy as I remember it, but citrusy and flowery against a background which is maybe a touch watery, the malt backbone seeming a bit more brittle than it ought to be. Nonetheless we have tangy grapefruit and some fruity esters (apples?) to be going on with, but on the whole the beer is clean and bone dry to a finish which is astonishly clean, fairly short but with resiny hops leaving a firm imprint on the palate.
Conclusion: Delightful beer of character and not inconsiderable class which improved by leaps and bounds as it warmed from fridge temperature. Perhaps let down a notch or two by a thinnish body and a little wateriness but I would put this down to the particular sample rather than the beer itself. Once again krausening, - a technique which is both underused and underated - adds a lot to this beer.
Very drinkable beer of distinction. Go out of your way for it. (score: 7.5)
Peter Alexander
The flagship of the Sierra Nevada Brewery. The Cascade hops are evident upon opening the bottle, and dominate the nose. There is never a inopportune time to have this beer, but it is especially refreshing in the summer, whether it be doing yard work or sitting on the porch. A world classic Pale Ale that is known and respected internationally.
Dustin Alcorn
A very good bottled pale ale, but it is one of those beers that are significantly better on draft. I have drank this beer dozens of times in bottles, and dozens of time on draft, and in my opinion, it is a different beer. In the draft version, the floral nose is much more pronounced, the flavors more intense, and the hop bitterness crisper. I give it a 7.5 in the bottle and a 9 on draft.
David Levine
The Pale Ale is terrific - very drinkable. The bitterness up front slowly fades, leaving you with
the variety of flavors that Sparks describes above! The citrusy, hoppy zing is worth spending an
extra couple of dollars at the liquor store!
Matt Azzara
I will prepare myself for the 'slings and arrows' after I say this. I cannot stomach the stuff. 'Grassy' flavour abounds in this particularly un-appetising brew. If this was the last beer on earth, I'd start drinking diesel fuel instead.
Trimtrabb
It is understandable Trim. Highly hopped American pale ales are an acquired taste. Same as very sour Belgian ales. And, when you are in the mood for one, it is wonderful, if not in the mood, it can be a struggle. As with all good beers, drinking it too cold masks the malt character, intensifies the hop bitterness, and in general throws everything out of balance.
St. Inebrius
A masterpiece only seen very fleetingly in the UK. Can anyone tell me where I can find some retail (for me) or wholesale (for my bar)? Or contact me if you are an importer who can get some for my business.
jeff@pickthall.freeserve.co.uk
Jeff Pickthall
This is a fine beer, but it never could touch the original bottle-conditioned Sierra Nevada, which in the late 1980s was the finest bottled beer made in the US. Like most American microbrews, this is strong, and while better balanced than most American pale ales, still shows a strong dominance of bittering hops.
Marty, Edison, Wa., USA
St Inebrius has got it right... temperature is the key to enjoying any IPA. Fridge temp is too cold and does not bring out the best of the hop character. Try them from 14C to 17C, depending on the beer. Believe me, when it is 30C plus, an IPA at 15 is refreshing and eminently drinkable.
Jim Cinamond
A good beer, heavy and very sweet. Not an everyday drinking beer but a great discovery and strong. The sweetness can be a little overpowering.
Coyle
I rather like this Ale, and can get it at a local large liquor store for about $20 a case of 24.
Also sometimes available at Trader Joe's, a San Francisco based nationwide chain store, which has a high class line of food products. By having a smaller number of different items, they are able to give much better prices than do 'Super Markets', which are also generally more expensive in poorer neighbourhoods, and have lots of deplorable junk food mixed in which the few helthy things they do carry.
(Father) R. Geffen (retired Anglican priest)
It reminds me of 'Asphyxiation, Mon Plaisir' the beer brewed especially for Aspar Aaspar's South Bank happenings in 1998. I can't believe it's Californian. The hops taste Metvian to me. [
Keith Davison
This is the best beer ever. I can drink it all night long with enough stomach to spare with a late night snack. I love the way it makes me burp and the way it tastes better after the first. All you who bash this shit better bow your heads to a mercyful god.
Sevan Minassian
I used to think that Sam Adams was the best beer in the world, until I tried Sierra Nevada! This is the best beer I've ever had in my 24 years, I want to start homebrewing just because of it!
Dustin Greer
does any one know where it is easily available in the uk?
after a recent trip to the sierra nevada region, i found myself drinking nothing else.
mike m
Sorry mate. I`ve dedicated the best years of my life to trying to find it in the UK and there`s nothing doing. Your best chance of a taste over here will be at the Great British Beer Festival in August 2003 at which you will pay around £4 for a bottle. In the meantime if you love the taste of the cascades you`ll have to content yourself with Anchor Liberty which is readily available at Safeways.
Simon C. ( Nottingham, England )
Well, it is a quite good beer. There are a handful of British beers that are better (not that I've tasted them all, by a long shot!), and some Continental I've had which are as good (if different), but there isn't much on this side of the pond that are as consistently well balanced. Anchor has a few that manage to approach the Sierra Nevadan heights most days, Bell's is awfully close too, but that is about it, in my experience.
Hopalong
Quite simply, this is the best US beer - bar none.
Roy Macintyre
Where can I buy in the UK or online?? Please Help!!!
[Have you tried looking at our online list of beer shops yet? -ed]
Ex Yank
I am really pleased to get this - from what I understand this is the original American Pale Ale, a style which is making something of an impression over here in the UK, it's path having been laid by the popularity of the Golden Summer Ales which have a similar hop profile, though are softer and cleaner in the palate. The aroma is quite heavenly - delicate, floral and spicily citric, though that does die down after a while into something more grassy and rain like, even a touch metallic. When worked slightly the pale malt aroma does rise, but doesn't last long against the hops. The taste is surprisingly clean up front, but the sweet malt soon makes an appearance, slightly sticky but with a rounded body - a satisfying base from which the citric hops do their work, gradually taking over from the sweetness to emerge dark and tangy in the finish. A very pleasant beer.
Silk Tork
This is America's atonement for imposing Dishweiser on the world. In short, it's pretty damn good, best from the cask, but not bad from the bottle. Either way, it's a very strong competitor for the best of its British counterparts and certainly better than the Gordon Biersch rubbish I tasted around the same time when I was in CA.....
Incidentally Simon C, it was 'only' GBP2.60 per bottle at the GBBF, not GBP4. Sadly, it wasn't available on draft...
GB
Safeway and Waitrose are now stocking this beer as part of their specialty sections
Gareth
Attn. Simon C.
On the shelves of Safeway supermarkets and specialist shops anyday now (mid November 03)
Jeff Pickthall
A lovely apple-blossom and hoppy aroma overlaying a full-bodied palate packed with sweet lightly buttered fruit. A fine fizz lifts the sweetness and cleanses the palate leaving a long orange and butter twist to the slightly nutty finish. Very nice indeed.
Andrew Barrow
A really good one. This might be the one I would choose if I had one choice on a desert island, now that Ballantine's IPA is dead. Enjoy!!!
Dr. Bob
Yes it's good one, I give it a 8 out 10. My favorite pale ale is Summit Pale Ale (not the I.P.A.) from St. Paul, MN
Summit pale is a little heavier and complex than this pale ale.
MillerMan
Also available at Sainsburys ( well, the Oldham branch at least...)
John Lees
This is one of the very finest beers available in a bottle. It will appeal particularly to lovers of the classic India Pale Ale, but with a character all its own. Refeshingly delicious either cold or not so cold, its complex character disguises its strength.
Roland Rodgers
This is truly a great beer.I used to be a dedicated Anchor drinker (Steam and Liberty Ale) but since trying this brew a few years ago, it's now in my regular rotation with those fine brews.
And I agree with St. Inebrius that, the taste of this type of brew will give you different experiences on different occasions. And if you simply don't like this type of beer, all of the great reviews you read are not going to change your mind.
Larry Grohman
Available in UK from Safeway/Morrisons
Steve
Available in Asda apparently, they say Oct 04 - can't wait
Ted
Excellent beer. Tastes smooth as well as being bitter. Seems to be weaker than the abv suggests. Its also good drunk out of the bottle in my experience.
William
yes-yes-yes
the 2004 is the first ive tasted
and .....wow...ipa to another..level.
ive.;tasted better but this is must
vinnii taylor ..uk
An excellent beer. It is on a different plane from the mass-produced chemical muck that the US fizz-factories produce. My recent stay in Florida was made bearable because my hotel had Sierra Nevada in its bar.
Strangely, if you asked what beers they had the usual response was a list of the the chemical fizz brands; it was only by asking specifically that SN was offered.
Richard English
I lived and worked in Gainesville, (Gator country) Florida for 14 years from 1989. During that time there was a revolution in the American brewing industry, particularly with the rise, establishment, improvement in variety and quality of the products of micro breweries. To my taste Sierra Nevada Pale is number two. On the other hand, to find it stocked in Sainsbury's in Kidlington, north of Oxford was a delight. Living in Chesterton near Bicester we shop mostly in Tesco's but we make expeditions to Kidlington from time to time and buy up almost all that is on the shelves. The last time but one there were no bottles. The person I asked about supplies assured me that they would be having more, but remarked that she noticed a great depletion of stock from time to time!!!
Your standard American beer is a lunchtime drink for warm weather - as is 'lager' in Europe. These microbrews, and top British bitters - did someone say Hook Norton or Wychwood - are beer drinkers beers.
Two other comments. I have always stored and drunk Sierra Nevada Pale at room temperature. I have even educated Americans to drink it this way. So, in spite of what it says on the bottle, try it 'warm' sometime.
My #1 USA beer is Anchor Liberty. This is even hoppier than Sierra Nevada Pale.
Three years ago, I attended a scientific meeting in Tahoe, California. During the session for 'posters' Sierra Nevada Pale was being served out of Barrels!!!! The poster session was the best I have ever attended.
So, to whosoever is importing Sierra Nevada Pale I say a large 'thank you' and keep up the good work.
If you find any typos in the comment you know the cause!
David A Jones, Chesterton, Oxfordshire.
David A Jones
350ml bottle, bought in Denmark. Deep golden / amber colour, slightly hazy, large head. Pleasant hoppy aroma with strong fruity notes (citrus, raisins, prunes). Hoppy flavour on a decent malty base, notes of fruits (grapefruit, raisins) and spices. It’s easy to understand why this beer has become part of the staple diet of many American beer afficionados. 8/10
Sigmund
it is available in asda (grantham lincs), bought entire stock (8 bottles)
Jim Bob
This has been a favourite of mine from the time I discovered it in the late 80s when it was, at that time, one of a few good beers available in the US (I was living in California at the time). It never fails to please and I was delighted to find that my local Sainsbury's started stocking it over a year ago. I regularly buy out all the stock!
This beer really does put a lot of UK bottled equivalents in the shade.
If you are in California also try Red Tail Ale from Mendocino Brewing Company - another wonderful Californian beer which I do not think is available in the UK. This is not bottle conditioned but well worth finding (and drinking, of course).
Martin Smith
I dont like this very fruity taste in a beer. If i like to order a fruit basket i order a fruit basket - not a beer. i was very disappointed when i tested it in CAL this year -ok just not my beer
Harry Haegar
This beer has been available in Sainsburys in the UK for a while now.
PK
Fabulous Cascade aroma on opening. Complex blend of sweet/bitter on the palate. And I agree 100% with the people who've said not to drink it at refrigerator temperature. Alas, it is not available in Australia, but if you're Brisbane, check out the Oxford 152 pub/brewery in Bulimba; the brewer there has done a very good job of cloning SNPA.
John Shepherd
This beer makes me proud to be a Californian. I have tried a lot of ales and I like this one the best.
Zack the Yank
Recently discovered this gem in my local Co-op (Wakefield,W.Yorks). SUPERB ale. Bottle conditioned too. Still tastes as original reviewer wrote! Sadly only in 350ml bottles though...whats the point?
Aleman
available in larger tescos! 23/06/06
p des
Credit to the brewers for their American take on a classic British style of beer. The family resemblance is still there but this is something quite different at the same time - more intense and interesting, less mellow. Cascade hops (not overdone, thankfully, as in some other US craft PAs) dominate with an underlying maltiness. Threatens to become unbalanced but never does. Although the flavours are different, it reminds me somewhat of Cooper's Sparkling, another potent bottle-conditioned ale. Cousins, perhaps? Superb beers both.
Mark, Australia
This beer lives up to everything the postive reviewers say about it ! Mind you I store my beers at room temperature - I don't think I'd want to drink this one cold.
Now available in most UK supermarkets (Nov 06).
It was the first beer I ever drank in the USA - on draught at a Pizza parlour.
Also available at the Palm Springs Canyon resort in Borrego Springs, CA - served by an English barman !
Martin Grosberg
I have to dissent from the positive reviews above. It's great for what it is, yes. It was a flagship of the awakening of good American beer. But it has always been too heavily hopped for me. SN pale ale has inspired hundreds of American beers, overdoing the Cascade hops. It's more like a very well done Cascade hops extract than a beer to me, which is fine, when I'm in the mood for hops extract (bedtime, anyone?).
Rizla
Lovely pale ale served cool, as i was drinking one the other week i suddenly thought i was drinking landlord, does anyone else find them similar? nice beer anyway.
yorkshire terrier
I'm a relative amatuer here, but Sierra Nevada rocks!
www.southsideiron.com
I prefer olde english 800, country club malt liquor and colt 45 because they pack a bigger punch.
Slickback
Quote, "...I prefer olde english 800, country club malt liquor and colt 45 because they pack a bigger punch..."
I notice you've said this about many other beers that don't happen to be your favourites. I haven't bothered to comment since many of the beers you have criticised are of poor quality and probably no better than those you cite. However, I feel that your comments are unjustified in the case of Sierra Nevada which is a fine brew with a good depth of flavour and complexity.
Where are the beers you mention reviewed? I have only ever seen one Colt 45 and that seems to be a pretty standard US fizz that's not even bottle-conditioned. You say that your chosen beers "pack a bigger punch" Do you mean they are stronger? So what strength are they all? Colt 45, I see, is just 5.6 - exactly the same as Sierra Nevada. Olde English 800 is brewed by Miller and unlikely to be of any great quality.
Maybe you should submit a proper review to substantiate your claim.
Richard English
I disagree with the comment from "Rizla" as to the Cascade intensity. After all this beer is an APA not an English Pale Ale. It's all about the Cascade hops...............
6470zzy
While it is true that most of the "beer" I drink comes in 40 oz bottles, it doesn't mean I haven't ever tried anything else (I tried Sierra, and I just wasn't all that impressed...sorry if it hurt your feelings, but, it's a free country and it's how I felt about it and so my comments are perfectly "justified" in an open forum). All I am saying in my posts is that when I want to get my drink on, I prefer something that I wont have to drink to excess in order to catch a buzz (packs a punch: for instance, the OE 800 is 7.5%), and, also is affordable for someone of limited means like myself. From what I have read, I figure there are at least a few people who read/ make posts to this site that have similar expectations. Maybe I shouldn't even bother with this site, since I really cant afford to drink most of what was reviewed with any regularity, but, that's no reason to be all snobby with me. I have tried other beers, I did recently try Spaten's Optimator, and I really enjoyed it, although, the last one out of the six pack seemed a little heavy going down. No way I could afford to drink that every day, but, I will try more as I have the chance. Regardless, you shouldn't hold my lack of beer experience against me. Maybe you didn't mean to sound elitist in your post Richard (and I will give you the benefit of the doubt), but, you still came off that way. You shouldn't be so judgmental and accusatory of others, either. Relax bother man...it's just a beer.
Slickback
I bought some because it was on sale, but I didnt like it. It just tasted way too fruity to me. If I wanted to drink something fruity, I would buy some boones farm like what I get for the girls. I also agree with Slickback that it didn't pack a big enough punch.
Tyree in da ATL
Tasted too fruity to me. I like a beer that tastes...well, like a beer. Some of you beer snobs out there wont like that statement (if this even gets posted [we may be slow, but we try to be inclusive - Ed.]), but, it's an honest opinion. If a fruity beer is what you like, then be sure to have a go at this one and you wont be disappointed.
Patty O'Furniture
I am being neither judgemental nor accusatory. There are no reviews of your favourite beers on this site but you have suggested, several times and in several places, that they are better than certain other beers. It seems that your preference is based on their strength (although this supposition is actually false in the case of Colt 45 as related to Sierra Nevada).
There are others who judge their beer by its ability to make its users drunk as quickly as possible; you have the right to have that preference.
I prefer to judge my drinks (spirits and wines as well as beers) by their taste, not simply how cheaply and quickly they get me drunk. I have that right. There is not necessarily any relationship between price and quality - in the UK Dudweiser and Stella Artois, both beers of little merit in the eyes of beer afficionados - are actually more expensive than true classics.
To prefer a better quality item, be it a drink or anything else, is a matter of preference. Unless that item is so expensive that few but the wealthy can buy it, there is nothing elitist about such a preference.
Richard English
Quote "...I also agree with Slickback that it didn't pack a big enough punch..."
5.6% is a fairly strong beer. How much punch do you want in a beer - a drink generally intended to be drunk in quantity?
Welton's Pride and Joy, an excellent British cask-conditioned beer, is less than half the strength of Sierra Nevada, but still manages to be full of flavour and an ideal drink for those hot summer days when you need the liquid and don't want to get pickled.
Strength does not automatically equal quality - except in the eyes of those whose sole purpose in drinking is to get drunk as quickly as possible.
Richard English
Tyree: try some of Spaten's Optimator. Trust me, at 8% it will get you where you want to go.
Rich: have you ever tried it? I have had to go back for more because I loved it so much. OE just doesnt stack up. I also tried the Sierra again, and the fruitiness didnt bother me so much as last time. Not bad, really.
Slickback
Spaten's Optimator I have never seen for sale in the UK and I've not tried it. I have drunk several 8% plus beers - many Belgian beers are thus. But I prefer to drink more of a weaker beer. I drink for the enjoyment of the taste, not simply to get drunk. If drunkenness were my aim I'd probably simply drink neat Scotch.
Richard English
I first discovered this beer while working in CA, so was absolutely delighted to see it sold in the UK. I think it's one of the best American beers you can find.
Sandy
Of all the Pale Ales Sierra Nevada very much reminds me of an IPA due to its hoppiness. Not that I'm complaining, I love it...During College this is what I drank on warm summer days and camping during road trips through college. Very tasty, Very Satisfying; have to say one of the best pale ales out there.
Snyderman
First ran across it in 1996ish on a train ride in California.. its been one of my favorites since. Great hoppy taste that lingers... I like to enjoy this one in little quick sips and let each sip roll around in your mouth.
Tej
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