Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Bottle/Can)

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Chico, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

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This was pretty tasty. It has quite a bit of bite and a smooth, long finish.

Has the color of honey, with a thick, white head. Smells sweet and sour with alot of hoppyness thrown in. Has a peachy, pineapply flavor with hop dryness on the finish. Hops are extremly well balanced with the malt.

Nice beer. I tasted citrus (grapefruit maybe) and alot of hops. The finish was very clean and dry. The aroma did not catch my interest, but the taste was great.

Fairly clear, watery and thin. No real taste, but high on carbination. Little taste of any hops - an average pale ale at best. An easy beer to drink, but no real character.

I find this a little thin for a pale ale - but then again, I love Summit. Tastewise, it’s really excellent and has an great aftertaste. And it looks gorgeous!

The great American Pale! Magnificent blend of hop bitterness with a distinctive malt . Absolutely a permanent resident on my ’Top10’ list. I love Bass, but this is even better - okay, a LOT better!

UPDATED: FEB 13, 2007 Wow, what to say about this one. Loads of fresh hops, none of that hop extract/hop pellets and it shows. Very bitter, exceptionally so for this style, but still manages to pull off a close to full bodied, round flavor. True the hops outdo the malt, but I enjoy that, and this beer was very original for its time. I have this beer periodically and though I am not blown away by it like I was the first time I tried it, I still find it to be just as good. I am still finding nuances about this beer that I didnt taste the first time i had it. I really enjoy the yeasty character towards the finish, this adds some more depth to the beer. It deserves all of the praise it gets, and I feel people giving it low ratings need to look at it again and consider if they are being cynical. 8/5/8/5/19

Rerate Well I figured it was time to just buy a bottle and start over with a fresh rating. Pour is golden-straw, light hints of rust, foamy white head, small bubbles, good retention and lacing. Aroma has notes of soft woody underbrush, faint hints of only moderately bitter grapefruit, some drying floral notes and a bit of spice and perfume. Flavor is full of pale malt, light hints of toasty caramel, and a mix of lightly herbal hops, green tea, some soft citrus, dry tangerine and a little woodiness. A faint hint of astringency detracts somewhat but it remains a well-made ale, IMHO, with nowhere near the flavor force of some modern APAs, but still flavorful and quenching, quality without force; finesse if you will. Balance is towards the hops, and that’s fine, it’s still got enough malt, I think. Low filtration gives a bit of yeast flavor that adds good depth. I still love this stuff. The rating above is for this experience.

Hoppy, Hoppy, Hoppy! I love Sierra Nevada’s hoppiness...This is a great summer brew.

UPDATED: AUG 18, 2004 Extremely refreshing grapefruit, lemon and orange hops perfuming great crunchy malt cookies…Strange cheesy leaves and hop flowers…Summer in the mountains…

Not much to be said that hasn’t been said already. Might have the best aftertaste of any beer I’ve tried.