-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
30th Anniversary - Grand Cru
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- From:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 9.2%
- Score:
- 94
- Avg:
- 4.21 | pDev: 9.5%
- Reviews:
- 465
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 17, 2022
- Added:
- Nov 04, 2010
- Wants:
- 35
- Gots:
- 187
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Pahn:
Reviewed by Pahn from New York
3.41/5 rDev -19%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5
3.41/5 rDev -19%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5
750ml bottle into a wine glass.
Appearance: Free pour yields about 2 inches of fluffy, bone white head and 2 inches of beer. The head sticks around as long as that of Orval or Duvel, and like the beer it leaves thick, eternal walls of lacing. Pours somewhere between dark copper and translucent ruby. Really, this beer couldn't look better.
Smell: Cascade hops. A bit piny and grassy. Mild citrus. Faintly reminiscent of SNPA and celebration (and the hoppy side of fresh Bigfoot). A little danker than usual; the dry hopping did something, for sure.
Taste: Hop assault up front, wave of bitterness, then a smoky finish out of nowhere. Bigfoot shows itself in the aftertaste, but like its namesake, it doesn't stick around for long (was nice, caramely and sweet, and very mildly oaky at first, but the hops just blast it away very early on).
Tastes like a fresh Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. If I were reviewing that beer, the taste score would be higher. As a dry hopped blend of a pale ale, IPA, and oak aged barleywine, the taste leaves you asking "What was the point?" Sure, I like Cascade hops, and this mouthfeel is great... but if I wanted a SNPA I'd have bought one (or 12, for the same price).
Mouthfeel: Along with the appearance, this is where this beer shines. Medium bodied and creamy. The smoothness of oak aged Bigfoot is the star here, but the other components add some nice juiciness. Hop bitterness and kind of oily feel is strong and satisfying.
Drinkability: Pretty good pale ale that gets a little close to Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale with mild sugary maltiness and large hop presence, but not as good. The answer to "What's the point?" seems to be "Beautiful ruby color, creamy feel, and eternal head." That is not a sufficient answer.
I was let down by this beer. I've repeated it twice now, but honestly the whole review could have just been summed up with "What was the point?"
I will add though, on the whole the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary series was a success. I loved the stout, and the other two beers were solid as well. This beer is palatable enough, and I don't feel ripped off or anything. Just doesn't live up to the greatness of its three brothers.
Jan 10, 2011Appearance: Free pour yields about 2 inches of fluffy, bone white head and 2 inches of beer. The head sticks around as long as that of Orval or Duvel, and like the beer it leaves thick, eternal walls of lacing. Pours somewhere between dark copper and translucent ruby. Really, this beer couldn't look better.
Smell: Cascade hops. A bit piny and grassy. Mild citrus. Faintly reminiscent of SNPA and celebration (and the hoppy side of fresh Bigfoot). A little danker than usual; the dry hopping did something, for sure.
Taste: Hop assault up front, wave of bitterness, then a smoky finish out of nowhere. Bigfoot shows itself in the aftertaste, but like its namesake, it doesn't stick around for long (was nice, caramely and sweet, and very mildly oaky at first, but the hops just blast it away very early on).
Tastes like a fresh Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. If I were reviewing that beer, the taste score would be higher. As a dry hopped blend of a pale ale, IPA, and oak aged barleywine, the taste leaves you asking "What was the point?" Sure, I like Cascade hops, and this mouthfeel is great... but if I wanted a SNPA I'd have bought one (or 12, for the same price).
Mouthfeel: Along with the appearance, this is where this beer shines. Medium bodied and creamy. The smoothness of oak aged Bigfoot is the star here, but the other components add some nice juiciness. Hop bitterness and kind of oily feel is strong and satisfying.
Drinkability: Pretty good pale ale that gets a little close to Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale with mild sugary maltiness and large hop presence, but not as good. The answer to "What's the point?" seems to be "Beautiful ruby color, creamy feel, and eternal head." That is not a sufficient answer.
I was let down by this beer. I've repeated it twice now, but honestly the whole review could have just been summed up with "What was the point?"
I will add though, on the whole the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary series was a success. I loved the stout, and the other two beers were solid as well. This beer is palatable enough, and I don't feel ripped off or anything. Just doesn't live up to the greatness of its three brothers.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by loubrew from Wisconsin
3.98/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.98/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Haven't had this previously. Just popped it and looking great (deep copper), faint smell from the barrel, and taste has that faint barrel flavor. Has a great Old Ale taste. Doing very well after all these years.
Aug 19, 2016Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
4.24/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Dark orange and amber color, good 5/6" white head on it. Impressive appearance even for Sierra Nevada. Aroma was lots of that thick crystal malt and C hops giving citrus smells. Some woodsiness to that as well.
Taste had a good amount of grapefruit and caramel. As it warmed the citrus went into tropical territory with mild notes of pineapple. Its a good blend of three all time classics. Kind of surprised you almost get proprietary hop feels out of such traditional hop varieties used in this one.
It was a neat beer, and I'm gonna pop one of the bottles here this summer now that it is a 5 year old beer.
Apr 17, 2016Taste had a good amount of grapefruit and caramel. As it warmed the citrus went into tropical territory with mild notes of pineapple. Its a good blend of three all time classics. Kind of surprised you almost get proprietary hop feels out of such traditional hop varieties used in this one.
It was a neat beer, and I'm gonna pop one of the bottles here this summer now that it is a 5 year old beer.
30th Anniversary - Grand Cru from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
94 out of
100 with
810 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!