Sierra Nevada... Who's better?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by slim2043, Dec 14, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 7
  1. slim2043

    slim2043 Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2012 Connecticut

    I say no one.

    They put out quality product at a high volume consistently. Pretty much everyone on the planet has access to their beer. I have not met a Sierra Nevada I didn't enjoy. Their staples are great and their seasonals are world class IMHO. While I was pelting labels for some homebrew I was saving them on my fridge where I had the epiphany that SN was my favorite brewery (having previously thought it was one of many others Founders, Green Flash among them). About 30 diff labels and half were SN.

    Beer Camp x4
    SNPA
    Torpedo
    Tumbler
    Southern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    Porter
    Hoptimum
    Narwhal
    Summerfest
    (not to mention their beers I didn't happen to have in the last 3-4 months)
    And my favorite

    CELEBRATION ALE

    Am I wrong? Any brewery out there have their game on the same level as Sierra Nevada?
     
    #1 slim2043, Dec 14, 2012
    ramseye4, beatlefan56, checktherhyme and 4 others like this.
  2. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    well in terms of size, dont forget Stone. They put out better hoppy beers that are consistent than SN, and I think that is harder to do than malty beers.
     
    #2 VncentLIFE, Dec 14, 2012
    happy4hoppybeer likes this.
  3. Preluderl

    Preluderl Pooh-Bah (1,796) Sep 27, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    SN Pale Ale and Stout are two of my favorites. Celebration is overrated to me, but that's just my opinion.
     
    #3 Preluderl, Dec 14, 2012
    SenorHops and wildyeast like this.
  4. ja1022

    ja1022 Zealot (562) Sep 27, 2009 Indiana
    Trader

    Regional bias for me but Three Floyds and Founders come immediately to mind.
     
    #4 ja1022, Dec 14, 2012
    heteroscedastic, fredmugs, TheBigLebrewski and 2 others like this.
  5. oldp0rt

    oldp0rt Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Canada (QC)

    Sierra is far from being my favorite brewery out there but that being said, I haven't had anything from them that I didn't like. They brew big and make it work.
     
    #5 oldp0rt, Dec 14, 2012
    Spikester likes this.
  6. slim2043

    slim2043 Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2012 Connecticut

    Meh. Stone makes a certain style of beer and that's great. They make kick ass beers but they dont make certain styles of beer and never will. You'll never see them craft something like Tumbler or Kellerweis or Summerfest or anything Belgan unless it has their fav 3 letters IPA.
     
    #6 slim2043, Dec 14, 2012
    jbeezification, Lordkrystic, dennis3951 and 2 others like this.
  7. slim2043

    slim2043 Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2012 Connecticut

    That's what I'm getting at...
     
    #7 slim2043, Dec 14, 2012
    oldp0rt likes this.
  8. slim2043

    slim2043 Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2012 Connecticut

    Doesn't counter my point. Can't get 3 Floyd's where I live.
     
    #8 slim2043, Dec 14, 2012
    danfinegan3 likes this.
  9. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,036) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Yeah, I haven't met a SN beer I haven't at least liked. Same goes for Deschutes.
     
    #9 Bitterbill, Dec 14, 2012
    Spikester likes this.
  10. BoneyardBrewer

    BoneyardBrewer Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2005 Michigan

    If you're basing it on availability then yes it would be tough to top Sierra Nevada.
     
    #10 BoneyardBrewer, Dec 14, 2012
    JrGtr, beerjerk666 and TwelveOunces like this.
  11. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    Founders may not brew as many beers as SN, but they are comparably priced and brew a variety of styles.
    I love SN but I would put Founders ahead of them.
     
    #11 SammyJaxxxx, Dec 14, 2012
    BoneyardBrewer likes this.
  12. ShogoKawada

    ShogoKawada Initiate (0) May 31, 2009 Pennsylvania

    If we're talking about ALL of a brewery's beers...

    Brooklyn does some amazing draft-only stuff that is among the best out there. I see it a lot at events and on tap.

    Smuttynose... I really like Smuttynose. Their Big Beer Series is tits.
     
    #12 ShogoKawada, Dec 14, 2012
    TheBigLebrewski, franklinn, Thickfreakness and 3 others like this.
  13. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    working with hops can be a super tricky gig to get it to be the same in every beer, and then you add in size of each batch. I couldnt do it.
     
    #13 VncentLIFE, Dec 14, 2012
  14. WeaponTheyFear

    WeaponTheyFear Initiate (0) Mar 9, 2008 Connecticut

    I do enjoy SN but considering there are very few craft breweries with the size and distribution of SN its not exactly a wide market they'd be beating out.
     
    #14 WeaponTheyFear, Dec 14, 2012
    TheBigLebrewski and BoneyardBrewer like this.
  15. Keithstone44

    Keithstone44 Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2011 Indiana

    I love Sierra Nevada, the level of quality displayed in such high-volume production is astounding, and something to be envied. That being said, I wouldn't go as far as to say SN is the best brewery in terms of sheer quality; many a nod should be given to Three Floyd's in that regard
     
    #15 Keithstone44, Dec 14, 2012
    TwelveOunces likes this.
  16. DaveBlack

    DaveBlack Pundit (896) Dec 19, 2009 Virginia

    I am of the opinion that Sierra Nevada has approximately 1.5 different flavor profiles across their entire range of beers, so I personally would not rank them among my top.
     
    #16 DaveBlack, Dec 14, 2012
    luwak likes this.
  17. kzoobrew

    kzoobrew Initiate (0) May 8, 2006 Michigan

    Availability is great but if it is just used as a trump card it is hard to have a useful discussion.

    I pick Bell's over Sierra Nevada in most styles. No knock on SN but I feel Bell's has a stronger overall line up.
     
    #17 kzoobrew, Dec 14, 2012
    BeerSocrates12, Cerebus, MichPaul and 6 others like this.
  18. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    no lagers get distributed. Odd, I know.
     
    #18 VncentLIFE, Dec 14, 2012
  19. slim2043

    slim2043 Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2012 Connecticut

    Sounds like I need to get my hands on some three floyds
     
    #19 slim2043, Dec 14, 2012
  20. donno005

    donno005 Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2012 Minnesota

    I agree with OP completely. Most of their beers are among my favorites, they are all some of the least expensive offerings of the "craft" variety, and even minimal effort will score you their seasonal offerings. AND they are stewards of the environment as well as offer sustainable living to their employees. I have a lot of fun sampling new brews, but in my opinion SN sets the benchmark for all others.
     
    #20 donno005, Dec 14, 2012
Page 1 of 7
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.