Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Pale AlePale Ale
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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #204
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,084
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 11.66%
Reviews:
3,288
Ratings:
12,276
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 23, 2024
Added:
Jul 05, 2001
Wants:
  377
Gots:
  3,615
Our most popular beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor.

38 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Strat58cat:
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Reviewed by Strat58cat from California

3.31/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
This is a rough draft of a beer from a brewer that has developed into one of my favorites. Originating in 1980 as the original Sierra Nevada ale, Pale Ale notably did not conquer the world. Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in contrast, sort of did conquer the world. There's a good reason. Samuel Adams Boston Lager is a landmark beer - truly supreme to anything on the market in 1985, and to this day among the best beers available. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - despite the great marketing, awesome art on the bottle, environmentalism, and quality ingredients - is only so-so. Of course, even though it's better, it couldn't conquer Budweiser. It's not even in the same ballpark as Boston Lager. I can see what they were trying to do with it - very clearly. They've realized their vision in other offerings since Pale Ale - for example, Torpedo and Nooner. Sierra Nevada makes fantastic beers - but this world-famous, historic ale isn't one of them.

I've never liked Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that much. I didn't like it that much when it was the new thing in the 1980s. I didn't like it that much when it was an established craft beer in the 1990s. I didn't like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that much in the 2000s when it achieved ubiquity. I tried it again last night. I still don't like it that much. Look, I know it's famous. It's just so-so.

Ironically, the shortcomings of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale seem to have driven the brewery to greater and greater heights of achievement. Today, Sierra Nevada can go toe-to-toe with any brewer in the world for overall quality. They make delicious beers. In contrast, Samuel Adams has struggled even to approach, much less surpass, Boston Lager.

Sierra Nevada has a defining aesthetic. Torpedo is a terrific IPA. Nooner is a sublime pilsner. Traded-off one with the other, these two beers compliment each other and reach insane heights, since they share a common aesthetic. The initial emergence of that Sierra Nevada aesthetic in Pale Ale, however, is just a rough draft.

The look of Pale Ale is its strong suit. It's a deep amber, suggesting toasty notes from roasted malts. Like many craft beers today - but nothing like what was available in 1980 - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale froths up a tight head of white foam, and retains it. The head laces to the bottom of the glass. The color is a simple, deep amber, suggesting a simple but high-quality brew.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has an old-school aroma. This is no IPA. The smell of hops is strong in this one, but they are blandish, dank hops. At most, there's a bare hint of pine. The aroma is very similar to Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale's taste is overwhelmingly toast. Although the hops lend the dank aroma just noted, the taste is not notably impacted. Instead, I get a bland toasty flavor. It's a simple flavor, similar to perhaps the toasty malt backbone of Lagunitas. However, unlike in Lagunitas, there's nothing else going on and it's ho-hum. To my taste buds, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale tastes like bland toast. Then, suddenly, the hops make their presence known with a dramatic hop bitterness. Bland yet suddenly and unpleasantly bitter is not what I personally look for in a beer. Objectively, SNPA is not actually that bitter. The IBU is 37, while a fellow craft landmark from 1985, Boston Lager, is 30. I immensely enjoy IPAs with IBUs more than double SNPA. A Firestone Walker pale ale - Pale 31 - is more bitter than SNPA, but it works brilliantly there. The problem in SNPA is the combination of flavors, which falls far short of delicious. The dank but unremarkable hops and bland toast don't set the stage for bitterness. As a result, SNPA's bitter flavor is unwelcome and unpleasant. A novice chef might create a dish that featured a dank aroma, a bland flavor, and then bitterness. That's pretty much what happened here . . . but wait. What's this? There's a hops note that comes in, after the bitterness. It hints of something remarkable. It hints of something terrific. Yes, that hops note has been expanded and turned into the delicious flavors of Sierra Nevada's more developed offerings, such as Torpedo and Nooner. Here, it saves the day. There's something special there after all, in the background. It's lurking behind a little too much boring dank hops aroma, and too much boring toast flavor, and too much unsupported bitterness. Yes, that special note has been turned into a symphony of spectacular flavors in later brews from Sierra Nevada. SNPA is a special beer, because it's the starting point for greatness. Put together, the flavors make for a so-so ale, but it is refreshing.

The feel of SNPA is solid. It's neither watery nor thick. Carbonation is medium as well. There's nothing amiss with the feel.

Sierra Nevada has accomplished tremendous brews. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is their first brew, but not nearly the best. It's a so-so beer that charted a course to later great beers.
Sep 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by shadowslink7 from Illinois

Feb 17, 2024
Photo of mooseheadchris
Rated by mooseheadchris

4.55/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Perfectly hopped, bright, and endlessly drinkable. A gold standard.
Feb 15, 2024
 
Rated: 4.13 by Aitor from Spain

Feb 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by MEnoMoney

Feb 10, 2024
 
Rated: 4.4 by waudozer from Canada (BC)

Feb 01, 2024
 
Rated: 4.15 by gongfu from Connecticut

Jan 31, 2024
 
Rated: 2.3 by notaveragejoe from Georgia

Jan 20, 2024
 
Rated: 3.5 by Dethark from England

Jan 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.58 by SpencerCaubarreaux from Louisiana

Jan 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.63 by SeanP99 from North Carolina

Jan 11, 2024
Photo of LanceBiggums
Reviewed by LanceBiggums from Canada (AB)

4.47/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Light amber or dark honey colour. Huge aroma, with bready and caramel malt, rather English in character, and piney, earthy, and spicy hops. The taste follows exactly, with some extra citrus elements. There is a good amount of bitterness from the American hops, but it's well balanced by a stiff-upper-lip English style malty backbone. Goes down a treat as well, perfect amount of carbonation, solidly medium mouthfeel. Overall an excellent beer, the best American ale I've ever had, and well deserving of its reputation.
Dec 21, 2023
Photo of Pomcq
Reviewed by Pomcq

4.86/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Deserves a higher rating here—never came across a beer produced on as widely a scale, as available, as consistently delicious and as drinkable as this. It’s the go to!
Dec 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.99 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.36 by Cole3515 from Tennessee

Nov 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.17 by emwilke from Nevada

Nov 23, 2023
Photo of dano213
Reviewed by dano213 from Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle purchased from the fridge as a single for $2.49. PKGD 09/12/23, so this beer is just over two months old.

Look: It has a very nice copper color. Essentially clear but there is a slight haze. There is a steady stream of tiny bubbles rising up the glass. There was a frothy, eggshell-colored head of about two fingers that eventually reduced to a thinner layer.

Smell: It has the trademark Cascade hop nose that Sierra Nevada has become known for. Lots of citrus notes, pine, some floral and honey notes, and earthy goodness. It has a bit of caramel malt character also. The nose is also a bit peppery. More specific notes of orange peel, pine tar, and resin. The aromas are so nice, this could be a nice perfume or cologne.

Taste: Ah, so refreshing and so tasty. It is very flavorful and also very easy to drink. The flavors on the palate very much mimic the nose. It's the prototypical West Coast Pale Ale: it's a hop-driven American Pale Ale that also has a substantive malty backbone with nice caramelly, biscuity flavors. It has a very nice orange peel flavor that is not overly bitter or sweet. There's a more subtle grapefruit pith and lemon peel character. The finish is moderately to highly bitter.

Feel: It's light to medium-bodied. Nicely carbonated; it has a slightly soft mouthfeel. It's very drinkable. Super clean and very crisp, especially for an APA.

Overall: This is an excellent beer. I can't believe that it took me so long to review this. I think that part of the problem and my only criticism of this beer is that I find it very hard to obtain fresh. I'm not sure why that is since SN has such good distribution (especially with the NC facility) and this is their flagship beer. I think that what sets this beer apart from most other American Pale Ales is its more bitter, drier finish. I think that it really adds to its refreshing-ness.

ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
5.6%

BITTERNESS UNITS
38

CARBS (GRAMS)
14.3G

CALORIES
175

PROTEIN
1.9G

MALTS
Caramelized, Two-row Pale

HOPS
Cascade

YEAST
Ale
Nov 21, 2023
 
Rated: 3.72 by sbradley41 from Pennsylvania

Nov 10, 2023
Pale Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 12276 ratings