Sierra Nevada Sampler Pack

Ya, porter has been a staple of mine but my local source hasn't restocked since late fall and I'm starting to get worried. I'd love for them to lean into their lagers a bit more but that doesnt seem to be their direction. I'll keep buying as long as they keep making beers I like. I've never bought any of the "thing" series, so if they keep going that way I'll have to look elsewhere

 

They got rid of Nooner. They got rid of Kellerpils. Never produced their excellent Kolsch on a big scale and now Summerfest is going bye-bye. Lagers are as popular as I can remember right now and they turn their attention to hoppy beer?? Someone is a day late and a dollar short on their ideas.

 

I think its a weird economy of scale thing. They're not big enough (and don't want to damage their brand equity) to compete on price with the macro lagers but they are big enough that the opportunity cost of brewing a lager that doesn't sell super well adds up to some serious coin.

I don't envy the position of these legacy craft brands, but I really hope that they can figure out a path forward that isn't just chasing the soft iPas into the seltzers and on and on

 

Thats basically what Sam Adams has done. And, laughably, Truly is already a top seller for them. Hell, Angry Orchard has been a perennial top 3 seller for them for years.

 

I'm sure that stuff is tempting for the folks at SN. It's the beauty of the impulse behind craft beer though, as sad as I would be to see SN go the way of Sam Adams I know that there are a dozen little breweries willing to step in to take my kolsch, or altbier, or Vienna lagers dollars

 

Our brand new seasonal, packed with orchard-fresh flavor, is a Kolsch-style Nectarine Ale whose inspiration came from overseas. The idea for Wanderland began in late 2019 when our friends from the United Kingdom paid us a visit.

We’ve long hosted “Beer Camp,” where we invite folks in the beer industry to spend a few days at our brewery, tour every inch of the place, and ultimately collaborate on a small-batch beer. Sometimes those creations strike gold, and we have to share the wealth far and wide.

This time around, our brewers and the UK “campers” brainstormed two recipes that honored our East Coast location: an IPA using nectarines, and a German-style Kolsch using scuppernong grapes—both fruits locally grown in North Carolina, the latter being the state fruit, named after the Scuppernong River near the coast.

Matt Ruzich, our head pilot brewer, recalls that he couldn’t source enough grapes, so the campers met in the middle with a Nectarine Kolsch.

It was pure gold. Golden like the sunset on the Wanderland label. A eureka moment, Matt says, where the juicy nectarine captivated everyone’s palate.

Matt Ruzch, Head Pilot Brewer — “We opted to increase the ABV to 7.5 percent and add a small dry-hop with Azacca lupulin.” [Poster's speculation about what might have happened: the proud brewers presented their refreshing and charming, lowish-ABV, perfect for fruit, that "captivated everyone’s palate", but some higher up (probably in marketing, not brewing) didn't think a non-IPA would sell enough and sent it back to be "souped up" somehow, so the final product ended up being this surprisingly high ABV, hoppier compromise {Crystal, Mosaic, Azacca hops/Kolsh yeast}, otherwise it would not have been green-lit for mass production. And I really can't blame them if that is what their presumably top notch market research dictated. It's a business.]

Bottles of Wanderland Nectarine Ale on packaging line

With a little fine-tuning, we found ourselves brewing what is now Wanderland.

“We opted to increase the ABV to 7.5 percent,’ Matt says, ‘and add a small dry-hop with Azacca lupulin” to further boost the fruity character.

As 2021 gets underway, set out and see where the adventure leads with Wanderland’s bright burst of nectarine—like you picked it right from the tree.

https://sierranevada.com/blog/discover-wanderland/

 

Being trapped by success often produces odd decisions. Personally, I like a variation of beer types and IPAs are very hot still, but please throw a dark or red beer in there somewhere. OK?

 

That’s cool and all, and I know a kölsch is just a Kölsch in name alone if it’s not brewed in Cologne, but how about a traditional version, 5% and no fruit added? How about the one that was in that mixed pack a few years back?

 

Better yet label the Kölsch a Blonde Ale and put in six packs. 805 this s**t.

 

Is wanderlust a nectarine ipa?

 

Its apparently a “Kölsch-style ale.”
Eh

 

At 7%? I’ll have to try this

clown shoes Mango Kolsch was a kolsch style ale but was so hoppy it was as well not have been

 

For folks in California is, Eel River brewing is packaging a new beer called Climax 100. Its labeled as a "light ale" and is 4.2%, less than 100 calories, and is organic. For my taste its a crispier take on the 805 type beer. Definitely gives me "kolsch-y" vibes, albeit solidly American

 

You can find SN Porter right next to the Anchor Porter. Which in reality, is a non reality now. ;(

 

Think I saw this at Costco, too.

 

Ya the.local spot dropped anchor about 18 months ago (the porter) and now we're coming on 4 months with no SN porter. All that's left is founder's which is good but is the least interesting of the bunch to me

Ya my wife got.some.for 7.50/6 there the other day. That makes it the vest deal in beer for my money. Its quickly become a permanent fixture at our house

 

I can get both Anchor and SN Porter reliably within 5 miles from my house. Safeway for SN, and a liquor store for Anchor. Not trying to be mean but both breweries are making the product.

 

It’s been YEARS since I’ve seen the stout at any of my regular spots. And it’s basically a defining example of the style. This IPA-only trend has got to stop.

 

What's in the new sample pack mentioned above? At my local stores they're still trying to sell the Pale Ale/Hop Bullet/Torpedo/40th Anniversary Ale pack.

These beers have to be more than a year old at this point. Sierra Nevada needs to do a better job of managing inventory and keeping their beer fresh.