Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Tasting Event - July 5, 2021

SNPA was actually first released for public sale in the Spring of 1981 according to Grossman's book, Beyond the Pale - which details the trial brews, broken bottles and recipe tweaks they made with the first few batches in the winter of '80. (Note that the label's claim of 1980 is when they ordered the labels from the printer).

* Assumed to be their wholesale price to retailers - SN intended the per bottle retail to be 85¢. According to the BLS Inflation Calculator, that'd be $2.59 in 2021 dollars - So Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is cheaper today that it was when it first hit the market.

 

There's the bottom line -- no matter what directions SN makes (or has made) over time, the Pale Ale has undeniable classic status.

I look forward to reading observations from veterans and novices alike and may have to re-re-re-visit an old favorite myself.

 

I'll be keeping my eyes on the singles at.various gas.stations and trying to find a range of ages to explore exactly this topic. If I'm in the mood for this beer, I have no.problem picking up a 6 month old pack (although its rare to find anything that old that's not a gas station single out here)

 

Speaking of revisiting, iirc, the bittering hops have changed over time and there seems to have been drift towards a more evergreen quality than the old days.

I'm hoping that I can get some under 3 months old myself, and the majority of them just may be consumed before the 5th.

 

I'm pretty sure they used different hops in the past -- along with Cascade (which is now the sole hop), but I never paid real close attention.

Maybe @jesskidden has archived details.

 

I actually think SNPA remains fantastic at 4 months and beyond, though fresher is always better.

And that retro label is my favorite label in all of craft beer. Absolutely beautiful and fitting for one of the best beers out there.

 

Yeah, just two sources I recall off-hand: The GABF '83 handbook said SNPA used "whole Cluster, Cascades and Tettnanger hops" and a Summer 1988 article in Zymurgy said Clusters were used in the boil,

 

@sefus12t that doesn’t surprise me one bit. I just usually come across the 12 packs in that date range so it’s my best frame of reference.

 

Excellent!! SNPA is one of my personal faves. Top shelf. Probly 1986 was when I first tried it. Love at first sip. July 5th it is! I look forward to reading reactions from folks who've never had it. Cheers!

 

In the 90s it was Perle for bittering, which I'm sure were a step up from Clusters.

 

Really? Wow, I don't recall that at all (and not doubting you, just surprised).

I just remember handing an SNPA to friends and saying, what do you taste? When I'd prompt, "Grapefruit?" It was fun to see the recognition.

But as you mentioned, that character doesn't seem as forward these days.

*FWIW -- Anchor has found a great way to use Clusters in California Lager.

 

I'm in.

I'll pick up a 6-pack, in bottles, of course... this is a classic, so it needs to be in the classic packaging!

I may wait a few more days, though, since as @TongoRad implies, I, too, need to make sure some survive until the 5th.

I do want to revisit my, shall we say, less than impressed review from back in 2015.

 

Surprised at that assessment. Any idea why it didn't sit right for you?

I take it you've sampled since with different impressions?

 

As to the original review, I think three things:

1. I was an inexperienced reviewer, (it was my 13th beer reviewed), and
2. I was expecting a highly hopped beer, based on other's reviews/comments, and
3. I'd had pale ales that were much better with a more obvious hopped taste, IMO (eg Summit EPA).

I do think I "punished" it too severely, likely due to my expectations and, frankly, local bias (that Summit EPA again).

I've had it several times since. I just never got around to updating my review.

 

SNPA is can/bottle conditioned so you may not be able to find it as fresh as you would a local beer. I don't know that I've ever gotten SNPA less than 1 month old.

 

I don't think they leave the brewery until 2 weeks post packaging

 

I always find it funny when today's beer drinkers don't think SNPA is hoppy (or hoppy enough) -- at its introduction it was thought of as the hoppiest thing going. Probably instigated the start of the hop craze.

And as much as I like EPA, I never found it more (or less) hoppy than SNPA -- plus, it's supposed to be an English PA, right?

Different palates and learning curves, once again.

 

Yes, EPA is classified as an English PA. The "Englishness" of it is part of why I like it so much.

"Hoppy" is a broad term. At the time, to me, "hoppy" = "bitter".

To me, Summit EPA is more bitter(er).

 

Forgot they used Fuggles, now I'm craving -- and I can't get it without a major excursion. Thanks.

And yeah, "hoppy" is, indeed, broad -- and isn't just bitter -- but SNPA was certainly about the most bitter beer you could regularly find in the mid-80s when I started hunting these micro-things.