When Has Sierra Nevada Ever Let You Down?

I've never had a Sierra Nevada beer that l loved.

In terms of actually letting me down, I'd been cellaring Bigfoot's for seven years and did a vertical with them last year (had some help, didn't drink by myself.) Anything older than two or three years sucked. Best drunk fresh at it's hoppiest. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic and I shouldn't blame them, because Sierra Nevada should never be criticized.

 

Maybe it's not the standing in line that excites the new generation and instead it's actually that the beer that they're standing in line for actually tastes better than the old stand-bys.

 

Let's see how many of these stand-in-line beers are remembered years from now. Not to mention the fact that Celebration has been brewed for almost 40 years now and the excitement is still there each year.

 

Haven't folk on this site said it was the experience of traveling, standing in line, meeting new people, trading, etc. over the beer itself? Years later, they say "meh, its okay"

 

Yes, they don't make Oktoberfest year round and I for one, will not let this aggression stand, man.

 

How many years have Budweiser, Miller Lite, and Heineken been brewed? Your statement is meaningless.

 

I am talking about excitement; not simply how long it has been brewing. But keep up the shitposting; I am sure you are coming off really well to others who are reading your comments.

 

I attended a Bigfoot tasting in 2018 (about 12 people) where we did 2010 thru 2017 in December 2018 and my favorite was the 2012, second was 2013 and third was 2016. I think the most preferred were in the 2012 - 2014 range. There was no one let down in that tasting...

 

This is an opinion board, not a popularity contest. I don't really care how well "I come off," I'm just stating my opinion. You're as free to disagree with me as well as I'm free to disagree with you. The question is "When has Sierra Nevada ever let you down?" Are you only allowed to post in the thread if you are a Sierra Nevada fanboy?

Another opinion: I visited the Sierra Nevada Estate in Mills River, and it came across as sterile and boring and corporate and over-polished. The same type of people who enjoy places like that also likely enjoy Avengers movies. I'd rather my breweries and movies be smaller with warts and all...more interesting that way.

 

We don't have to agree, as I like friendly debate. And you don't have to be a SN fanboy, but coming in here and criticizing the "old standbys" implies you don't care about opinions and debate. You simply wanted to knock SN as a whole. And the above bolded quote cements this.

Maybe you don't intend to come off this way. Or, possibly you began using that tone because someone else was criticizing new craft beer enthusiasts. And now I am following suit. So maybe we all need to just have a beer. Cheers!

 

I'm drinking this 2011 Ovila Saison right now. This bottle has held up better than a previous bottle I had 3 years ago (Sierra Nevada let me down back then). The beer in this bottle is suffering from some oxidation (Sierra Nevada letting me down again), but it's actually still very enjoyable (I guess they haven't let me down). There's no date on this bottle (Sierra Nevada letting me down again), but normally their bottle dating is as good as it freakin' gets in the industry (I guess they haven't let me down).

While most US craft brewers that use religious imagery and Trappist beer iconography are just using the association for marketing purposes... much like the Belgian "abbey" brewers that sit outside the collection of monitored brewers with the Trappist logo, Sierra Nevada actually provided a portion of the profits of the above beer to Cistercian monks in California. The bastards.

Sierra Nevada does so much the "right" way that the pessimist in me expects @jesskidden to one day mention how they brewed a beer with cat blood. They're just too exemplary to be real.

People on this site still create a lot of talk about Celebration and their Oktoberfest release. Just consider how exceptional that is these days. You don't have to like those beers to see how much value that adds to making this big beer conversation wider. Heck, I don't even buy Celebration but it warms my heart to see threads pop up about it coming out. Someone can disdainfully put them in the category of "supermarket beer," but Sierra Nevada is one ship that you do not want to see go down. I happen to think they put out some of the best US beer on the market, regardless of price.

 

Odd choice to cellar seven years of a beer you don’t love. But to each their own.

 

Easy choice to cellar a beer I don't love. If I loved it, I probably wouldn't have the patience to not drink it.

I never said it was bad. I've never had a bad Sierra Nevada beer. I've just never had one I loved.

 

Hop Hunter. That beer has always had a vegetal taste to me. Maybe it's the hop oil that throws it for me.

 

I wasn't aware, that explains why I haven't seen it on shelves in awhile. I guess they officially have disappointed me.

 

Did you cellar them properly?

At cellar temp and out of the light?

Possibly.

But I can virtually guarantee you that if those beers people were standing in line for were as widely available as Sierra Nevada’s beers, no one would be standing in line for them.

I think it’s sublime at 5 years, and starts developing further around the 2 year mark.

After 5 years it starts slowly going downhill.

Over the past few years I’ve come to appreciate it fresh though. I believe Ken Grossman prefers it fresh.

I believe @BillManley prefers it at 5 years. He used to work for them. Maybe he’ll chime in.

 

Barleywine was one of the last styles I got into, and since then I have been buying some and drinking a couple fresh and throwing the rest in the cellar. I like it fresh too, but it is nice to sit there with a few years and try them side by side to see the effects that aging/oxidation have on a big beer

 

Hazy Little Thing was my go-to beer all summer. I loved it. Nice balance, refreshing, and tasty. And $18 per 12-pack (in CT) wasn't bad. Great beer at the beach, or sitting on the deck on a summer evening. I'm onto heavier beers now for the fall and winter, but I will see you next year HLT!

 

So you drinking an 8 year old beer that is oxidized is the fault of the producer?

 

You couldn't tell I wasn't serious?