Classic American Pale Ale

3 Floyds Alpha King

 

While I've rated other APAs above Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I still enjoy it and strongly regard it as a classic craft beer, not just a classic APA. I'm also rediscovering Sierra Nevada in general as I really enjoy their beers but they also brew very good tasting balanced beers. I've been drinking a lot of Sierra Nevada as they have recently released Oktoberfest, Narwhal, Snowpack, Celebration Ale, Northern Hemisphere Harvest, and Fresh Hop Pack.

 

I dearly love SNPA. I can drink them like breathing. Just this afternoon, Martha and I went to Gibbs 100 brewing in downtown Greensboro and drank two beers each. Martha had two American IPAs at 6.7%, that were great. I had two 6% Greensboro Pale Ales (Blind Man's Holiday) that were like beers I had in England many years ago. Not overly carbonated, though still lively, full rich malt balanced nice and dry with hops I cannot name. Beautiful lacing down two dimpled (close to Imperial) pints. The beer was excellent and the place was just as good! I buy these now in cans!

 

I would think it's still being brewed. It's difficult to find in my area though. The lack of bottle dating is a big issue since a beer like that tends to collect dust in stores by me. As a result, I rarely buy it. I was traveling a while ago, and I saw that a bar was advertising it on cask. I really wanted to try that but I was never close enough to that bar to make it a reality.

 

PA is so broad, Brewers descretion. But snpa is the standard, it's a great beer, love Zombie Dust, and Alpha King.

 

Dale's and Red Seal, oh what the heck SNPA too !

 

Yards Philly Pale Ale is very light and balanced

Carton Boat is very light and hoppy

PseudoSue is hoppy yet balanced and clean

DC Brau the Public is malty and hoppy yet fully balanced

Pale Ales are about balance, too hoppy and it's an IPA and too malty makes it a weird beer no one wants.

 

There are a lot of great APA's out there, but one that I think is pretty damned good and comes in below 5.5 ABV is Odell's Drumroll APA. Dive bar by me has it on tap and I drink the hell out of it when I am there.

 

I'm not a huge PA drinker, in the "traditional" sense, but, I had the Odell's at a Grimaldi's Pizza place, and it tasted really good. It looked like a dark NEIPA....I've always wondered why? Maybe I got the dregs of the keg, but, it sure tasted great. And the pizza wasn't half bad!

 

I liked that one a lot.

 

Once upon a time, there was a beer called Shelter Pale Ale by Dogfish Head that was awesome. Now it still exists, but is no longer bottled and available draft-only exclusively at the original brewpub. Either way, that is and always was just a regional thing. Southern Tier Live is a great pale ale with, yes, a good dose of hops but not so much that it treads into IPA territory. Also a regional thing, I loved Tallgrass's 8-bit Pale when I had it and I remember it being more malty sweet than hoppy bitter. Sweetwater 420 used to be a nice go-to but I feel like that beer has had the fate of steady decline in quality as some of those big brewery flagships tend to suffer. Also, it's been many years, but I really enjoyed Caldera Pale Ale back in the day.

 

Another great one, though I fear it may tread into that "small IPA" category. Would have to revisit to see.

I think the name always had me thinking that was an IPA but a great beer nonetheless

Ah, I forgot about that one! I really do like that stuff.

 

Forgot that one was a pale, I left the six pack I bought at my daughter's downtown to insure that I will visit her frequently over the next 2 weeks

 

SNPA is THE American pale ale.

It is basically the standard for the style...very well executed, exhibiting the appropriate characteristics.

There are sexier options...but this is my go-to and I always come back to it

Part of it is probably nostalgia...I've been drinking it for 20+ years

 

Your post has throne me for a loop.

SNPA and Daisy Cutter are both great choices if you want a flavorful APA. There doesn’t have to be a “winner,” enjoy them both.

 

If we are talking about the 1st wave of American Pale Ales (1990-2007ish) without all the citrus forward hops, SNPA, Mirror Pond, Dale's are some standouts. Last week I bought a 6er of Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale (Doggie Style), and it was still solid.

 

I've got to give the nod to SNPA as well. There are plenty of APAs that if I tasted them side by side I'd say OK this is as good, or almost as good, but I KNOW that SNPA is good - it's an easy go-to. Unfortunately I don't see it around (on tap) as much as I used to. Everything these days is about what's new. Which brings me to the bigger APAs that are out there. They might be great but they're not as drinkable, and I think that goes for the juicy ones as well but I'll stop there as those are a different beast. On the other hand, even though Sierra Nevada created the original will they one day be overshadowed by a more hoppy "classic"? Lots to think about. This, however, I think I've got figured out...

... I wouldn't call Kane SneakBox traditional at all, it's a juice bomb. Definitely an instant classic, but a different beast altogether. Basic rule of thumb - if it looks more like a hefeweizen than a clear golden/amber beer it's not a traditional APA.

 

Yeah, I realized in retrospect that none of my favorites are really traditional. Sneakbox isn't a complete juice bomb though, at least not like Trillium, Other Half, etc. I've always considered hoppy Kane beers somewhere in between traditional and NE-style. And its 5.5 %, not 6+ like Zombie Dust and Fort Point.

 

I’ve been drinking SNPA for almost 20 years. It’s a classic. Period.

What else is in the conversation of classic APA?

First thing that comes to mind is FW’s Pale 31 (formerly California Pale Ale back when it was just available on the Central Coast circa 2003). One of the first dry hopped Pales. Dear to my heart. If it’s not SNPA, it’s this.

Dales Pale Ale is epic as well. I don’t always buy it, but it’s excellent.