Sidecar Orange Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Sidecar Orange Pale AleSidecar Orange Pale Ale
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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #954
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
83
Ranked #23,725
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 10.33%
Reviews:
201
Ratings:
769
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 03, 2023
Added:
Jul 18, 2014
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  191
We love hops with a bright, citrus-heavy character. We always wondered what it would be like to punch up the citrus while maintaining a crisp hop bite and balance. The result is this new take on the hoppy pale ale brewed with Cascade, Equinox, and Mandarina hops with a hint of orange peel from additions in both the brew kettle and the fermenter that tweak the classic hop profile and add a zesty pop of bright orange flavor.

BITTERING HOPS: Magnum
FINISHING HOPS: Cascade, Equinox, Mandarina
MALTS: Two-row Pale, Honey malt, Munich
OTHER: Orange

35 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StoutHunter:
Photo of StoutHunter
Reviewed by StoutHunter from Michigan

3.81/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I picked up a six of Sierra Nevada's Sidecar Orange Pale Ale at Meijers Last week. I bought a six pack a month ago and it ended up being recalled, so now that a new batch showed up I thought it would I would give it another try, so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks nice, it goes well with the name and it's a little eye catching. It poured a darker orange color which took on more of a golden orange color when held to the light and ti had two fingers worth of fluffy off white head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left some spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with the orange being the first to show and it impart a big citrus and orange aroma that's a little juicy and it's the aroma that shows up the most in this beer. Up next come a slight bit of doughy yeast that and that leads into the malts which impart some pale malt, light bread and light grainy aromas with some sweet malts showing up in the background. Towards the end comes the hops which are a little on the lighter side and impart a light spicy, light floral and light green hop like aromas. This beer has a good aroma, it really lives up to it's name.

T- The taste seems to be very similar to the aroma and it starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with the oranges still being the first to show up and they still stick out the most in this beer while imparting all those same nice orange aspects that it did in the aroma. Up next comes the doughy yeast which is barely noticeable and that goes into the hops which impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma and they are just as light. Towards the end comes the malts which are just a little lighter than they were in the aroma and it's the pale and sweet malts that seem to stick out the most. On the finish there's a lighter amount of medium bitterness with a nice orange and light hoppy aftertaste. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, the orange is very dominant and the malts and hops show up just enough to remind me that it's still a Pale and not shandy.

M- Smooth, refreshing, a little crisp, medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is pretty nice and it works well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and it's a solid example of the style, I like it, but to me it came very close to being like an orange shandy and I think if the malts and hops showed up just a little less it would would pretty much be a shandy, so I think it's teetering on the edge. This beer had nice drinkability, I could drink a few of these, especially when it's hot out. What I like the most about this beer is the aroma, it's very nice and it seems to have a little better balance than the taste. What I like the least about this beer is that it wasn't just a little more balance, it's pretty close to shandy territory. I would buy this beer again in the summer time and I would recommend to anyone looking for a beer with strong orange flavors. All in all I liked this beer and I thought it was solid, the balanced could be worked on and it could be better, but as it stands now it's solid. It's not a favorite Sierra Nevada beer and it's a solid example of the style. Nice job guys, this beer really delivers on the oranges, keep it up.
Mar 02, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.24/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Draft at BWW Boise. Orange golden body with medium fluffy head. Faint aroma of orange zest. Taste initially has a burst of orange, which fades fast. Dries out considerably at the end. Nice summer, so so all other times.
Jun 03, 2023
 
Rated: 3 by carolinabeerguy from North Carolina

Jan 06, 2023
 
Rated: 3.29 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Dec 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.41 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by Urk1127 from New Jersey

Dec 01, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Aug 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by BrinkingDeer from California

Jun 13, 2020
 
Rated: 3.98 by moltch from Massachusetts

Jun 01, 2020
 
Rated: 2.75 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 07, 2020
 
Rated: 3.64 by Van_boi from New Hampshire

Oct 02, 2019
Photo of SmokySignals
Rated by SmokySignals from North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Too much orange to take seriously
Sep 26, 2019
Photo of spectru
Reviewed by spectru from Florida

3.69/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Clear amber, white head, dissipates to a bubbly film, lacy; Not much smell, no hint of orange; Mild flavor, still no orange, not bitter, not sweet; good mouthfeel, good carbonation; Not bad, a pleasant beer.

My bottle has a different label from the one shown here on BA and, it says Orange IPA instead of Orange Pale Ale
Sep 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by Dduquette from Maryland

Jul 11, 2019
Photo of Sgt_1991
Rated by Sgt_1991 from Georgia

3.86/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Just an orange apa not much else too it. Smells better than it tastes. Not very filling though. Definitely have had much worse
Jun 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by kdivers from New Hampshire

Apr 28, 2019
 
Rated: 3.74 by DOCRW from Kentucky

Apr 09, 2019
Photo of rpspencer1
Rated by rpspencer1 from Virginia

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyable and refreshing. Very nice taste
Apr 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.71 by Heftklammer from Massachusetts

Mar 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.78 by bluehende from Delaware

Jan 31, 2019
Sidecar Orange Pale Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 769 ratings