Sierra Nevada - Snowpack (Winter Sampler)

Replying to myself, I think I made an error and the Ruthless Rye was in the spring pack last year. I remember enjoying it in the late winter months. That will give me something to look forward to during the long winter!

 

I really enjoyed the Flipside as well. What do their seasonal packs run in your neck of the woods? Their fall pack was $12.79 on sale in my town.

 

You are correct sir. Rounded out the 12er perfectly.

 

I don't understand how this is a "winter" sampler at all. Celebration is their winter seasonal, but IPAs aren't necessarily considered "winter" styles. And the fact that their seasonal is an IPA, makes even less sense to have the winter pack be hop forward. For example, their Oktoberfest is sold separately, so they left it out of the fall pack and replaced it with Flipside.

The porter made sense last year, the coffee stout certainly does. Perhaps a beer like Narwhal and/or a new beer like a doppelbock would make far more sense to me. Even some type of spiced beer.

 

How about swapping the Pale out for Celebration and Snow Wit out for the Porter? Like others said here, I don't see how 9/12 IPAs is a "winter" pack at all.

That being said, for $13.99 here, pretty damn hard to beat the value, and it's not like I'd struggle to drink the SNPA or Torpedo. Actually liked the Snow Wit more than I thought I would, but was disappointed in the coffee stout -alot of roast character and not much else.

 

Eh, not a fan, I'll pass. Not buying a 12 pack just to get the 3 coffee stouts.

 

Can you only get the coffee through this variety pack?

 

I might get this only due to the fact that it will be the first time in a long while I will be able to get relatively fresh Pale ale and Torpedo in NJ.

 

Only reason I get this is when I'm throwing my holiday party with friends. Then... completely worth it. I just make sure I get one of the c stouts before I release the hounds...

 

Good question. I'm not sure. Gotta be around $15 out the door, whereas a 12 pack of Torpedo, which I would prefer to this mixed pack lineup, is likely around $12.

I remember having Flipside on draft for the first time (which was the first time I had at all). I was expecting something good, as it was from Sierra Nevada; but damn, it was something great. Awesome hop bite and malt foundation. Love that beer.

 

I'd love to try Sierra Nevada's take on a doppelbock. That'd be great. I was even thinking of Celebration in this pack. Obviously that'd be sick. I wish I could get a multi-season mixed pack from SN. Summerfest, Oktoberfest, Celebration and their Porter thrown in for the heck of it. I'd buy that every week of my life, ha!

 

I decided to pass this year. The Coffee Stout the rest of the box just didn't do it for me.

 

Considering how awesome SN's takes on German beers have been, a Bock, Doppelbock, Schwarzbier, Munich Dunkel, Weizenbock, Dunkelweizen, Altbier, or Eisbock (wishful thinking from a cost perspective and considering the anti-distilling laws in the US) would have been awesome for this pack. Would've much rather had any of those than either Torpedo or Pale Ale (both are superb beers, but it seems silly to buy a mixed pack with six bottles being year-rounds).

 

Mix packs and standard 12 pack retail for the same in my area, so I'll pick that up because I like variety in my fridge. That said, I don't see how a Belgian wit has any place in a winter pack. Just because you can call it 'Snow Wit' doesn't mean it's anything I'd reach for when I'm drinking my way through a New England winter. Yes, I realize that SN's distribution footprint is far larger than New England, but there's a disconnect between what things like 'Snow' and 'Winter' connote as opposed to witbeers. I think a dopplebock is a great idea. Or a porter.

And since I'm here and it's been a while since I've brought it up...why can't we have a mix pack of SN's core beers: Pale, Torpedo, Porter, Stout. Or two seasonal ones: Q2-Q3=Pale, Kellerweiss, Torpedo, Porter; Q4-Q1=Pale, Torpedo, Porter, Stout.

 

This would be pretty nice -- I literally have never seen Porter, Stout, or Kellerweis six-packs on the shelves around here, so pretty much the only way I've been able to try Kellerweis was through the summer pack this year.

Having a "harder-to-find core beers" variety pack (Kellerweis, Porter, Stout, and probably Pale Ale just because it's always in their variety packs... or throw in whichever seasonal beer is current, so Beer Camp/Summerfest/Oktoberfest/Celebration for the last slot? or maybe even bring back a "retired" beer, or a "last chance to try this one until next year" batch of the previous season's seasonal beer or something?) would probably make those beers a lot more available.

 

Exactly this. Snowpack is also $15.99, right next to the 12.99 Fallpack, and Oktoberfest. Makes them seem like even more of a deal than they already are.

 

love the torpedo !

 

So they don't sell the coffee stout in any format but in a mixed 12 pack? Can't stand SNPA or Torpedo, so I guess I won't be trying the coffee stout.

 

Agreed. Pale or Torpedo is fine but not both. I'm not shelling out the money for 3 coffee stouts (as good as they are) and 6 beers I can get anywhere else (with same freshness). Don't like Wits.

On the other hand their are 100's of people singing Sixpoint's praises on another forum for a releasing a "boombox"/12 pack of 4 beers that are readily available anywhere Sixpoint distributes so at least SN is giving us 6 beers that aren't on the shelf regularly.

 

I'd love a Porter, Stout, Keller, +1 SN Variety pack - mostly because its really difficult to find regular 6s of those in the NY area. I'd buy one every week.