Sierra Nevada Pale Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Beer specs

Preferred vessel: Pint glass
Color: 8 SRM

Beer details: Rating: 66; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale; Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. · Chico, CA; Variety: Ale · American Ale · American Pale Ale; Alcohol: ABV 5.60% / ABW 4.48%; IBU: 37; Preferred vessel: Pint glass; Color: Light Amber (Wiessbier) (8 SRM); Added by Wilson Miner

Our most popular beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor.

Refreshing, Crisp, Bitter, Hoppy, Floral

Edit

Reviews

Review by sebleier

Rating: 92

sebleier

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Palo Alto, CA

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 12:50 p.m.

Comment:
I find this beer most everywhere and with good reason. It is an awesome beer that I can always fall back on when the selection of beer is bland and boring

Characteristics: bitter hoppy
Review by Andrea

Rating: 95

Andrea

drank this beer from a Bottle in Wilmington, NC

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 1:35 p.m.

Comment:
One of my favs, this one never disappoints if you like hops.

Characteristics: hoppy pale
Review by Dave S.

Rating: 50

Dave S.

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 2:13 p.m.

Comment:
Maybe I keep getting bad bottles, but every time I try to like Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale I find myself wishing I’d ordered something else. I’m a big fan of hoppy beer, but this one feels like it’s all bitter without a pleasing flavor to back it up.

Characteristics: bitter hoppy
Review by Baxter

Rating: 70

Baxter

drank this beer from a Bottle in Phoenix, AZ

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 2:15 p.m.

Comment:
It’s not bad, but it’s sure not my favorite pale ale, either. Good for when you can’t find something better.

Characteristics:
Review by mikegee

Rating: 63

mikegee

drank this beer from a Bottle

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 2:44 p.m.

Comment:
This is the beer that I usually have the best chance of getting at bars that don’t get good beer. So I’m always happy to find it. But in the grand scheme of things it’s just “pretty good”.

Characteristics:
Review by Jenn Lukas

Rating: 45

Jenn Lukas

drank this beer from a Bottle in Philadelphia, PA

Jan. 13th, 2009 at 5:47 p.m.

Comment:
I suppose I could see why other people like it, but I think it tastes like drinking flowers. Last I checked, I don’t like to drink flowers.

Characteristics: bitter flowery hoppy
Review by JPatrice

Rating: 28

JPatrice

drank this beer from a Bottle

Jan. 14th, 2009 at 9:17 a.m.

Comment:
Not a fan. This was one of the first beers that everyone told me to try, and I have never been a fan. Too much hype, not enough substance.

Characteristics: bitter
Review by Phil Dokas

Rating: 60

Phil Dokas

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Ann Arbor, MI

Jan. 14th, 2009 at 9:29 a.m.

Comment:
I’m a major hophead and I find this to be at best a decent standby. The floral taste is lacking and it suffers from the soapy bitter aftertaste of some IPAs. I’ll happily drink a Sierra Nevada if my other choices are Budweiser and its friends, but in terms of commonly available IPAs I’ll drink a Bass instead of a Sierra Nevada every time.

Characteristics: bitter floral hoppy soap
Review by Steve Smith

Rating: 75

Steve Smith

drank this beer from a Bottle in South Bend, IN

Jan. 14th, 2009 at 3:23 p.m.

Comment:
I like this beer. It’s something that any mediocre bar will have in the fridge if they only have crap on draught. Very earthy, a sharp start, with a crisp bitter finish. Decent flavor and body, a little thin on the tongue.

Characteristics: bitter crisp earthy hoppy thin
Review by Casey

Rating: 52

Casey

drank this beer from a Pint glass in New Orleans, LA

Jan. 14th, 2009 at 5:08 p.m.

Comment:
Passable, and not as hoppy as some American craft-brewed pale ales. I’ll drink it at a dive bar.

Characteristics:
Review by Patrick Beeson

Rating: 40

Patrick Beeson

drank this beer from a Bottle in Knoxville, TN

Jan. 14th, 2009 at 6:07 p.m.

Comment:
This is a fall-back IPA when I’m at a bar or restaurant that doesn’t have a great selection. It was nearly all I drank when living in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Characteristics: bitter crisp floral
Review by David Owens

Rating: 55

David Owens

drank this beer from a Pint glass in London, London, City of, Great Britain

Jan. 16th, 2009 at 3:05 a.m.

Comment:
I drank this at The Rake, near London Bridge, and again at Great Lakes in Brooklyn, NY.

The first few mouthfuls are always pretty good. An interesting and lively taste. By about halfway down though, it seems to get a bit boring. I still keep buying it though

Characteristics:
Review by Sean McCann

Rating: 68

Sean McCann

drank this beer from a Bottle in South San Francisco, CA

Jan. 16th, 2009 at 8:44 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Phil Rundle

Rating: 93

Phil Rundle

drank this beer from a Bottle in Augusta, GA

Jan. 16th, 2009 at 11:37 p.m.

Comment:
I’m a big fan of IPAs, and you can find this pretty much anywhere. Its my default beer, never disappoints. Hops, moderately high ABV, what’s not to like?

Characteristics: drinkable floral hoppy pale ale refreshing
Review by mikegee

Rating: 88

mikegee

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Miami, FL

Jan. 17th, 2009 at 1:03 p.m.

Comment:
Not an amazing beer, but it gets high points for the best readily available beer. Plus it’s very drinkable.

Weak aroma, hint of apple, but not much. Light honey color Nice balance, good bitterness Crisp mouthfeel

Characteristics:
Review by Rainaterror

Rating: 78

Rainaterror

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Gainesville, FL

Jan. 18th, 2009 at 8:07 p.m.

Comment:
I’m a big fan of Sierra Nevada. It’s def one of my favorite American Pale Ales.

It pours an amber color with a creamy white head. It smells of citrus hops and a smidgin of breadiness. The citrus hops mixes well with the bready malt making for a nice balance of flavor.

Characteristics: amber bread citrus pale ale
Review by robballou

Rating: 75

robballou

drank this beer from a Bottle in St. Louis, MO

Jan. 21st, 2009 at 12:01 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Kris Payne

Rating: 55

Kris Payne

drank this beer from a Bottle in Brooklyn, NY

Jan. 23rd, 2009 at 5:31 p.m.

Comment:
This is a good default beer when you’re out and can’t think of anything new to try, or the entire tap is for sissy’s(read: Bud, Bud Light, Stella, et. al.). Also, it’s easy to find this even in the grimiest and distant of bodega.

Characteristics:
Review by chriss

Rating: 72

chriss

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Seattle, WA

Jan. 27th, 2009 at 1:01 a.m.

Comment:
I’ve recently revisited this beer after many years and have come to this conclusion: If you can drag the yeast from the bottom of the bottle into your glass, what you have is an somewhat impressive example of your standard pale ale: a drinkable, if not plain american pale. I think its amazing that this beer enjoys the distribution that it does.

If you cant get the yeast out of your bottle, or if you are drinking this from (some) taps at (some) bars, I find it tastes boring, filtered, mass produced, and without soul.

Moral of the story? Yeast equals soul? Maybe! Sometimes!

P.S. I like the 22oz bottles best. It has more yeast in it!

Characteristics: biscuity bitter clean malty
Review by enygma

Rating: 38

enygma

drank this beer from a Bottle in Dallas, TX

Jan. 29th, 2009 at 7:29 p.m.

Comment:
Not a bad beer…I’ve had better Pale Ales though

Characteristics:
Review by rehumphries

Rating: 78

rehumphries

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Pittsburgh, PA

Jan. 30th, 2009 at 10:42 a.m.

Comment:
I’ve had this from tap and from a bottle. It’s easy to find at most bars, so if your only other choices are bud, coors, miller etc. This is a fine choice. It’s a good beer, just not amazing.

Characteristics: bitter drinkable
Review by Bull E. Vard

Rating: 88

Bull E. Vard

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Overland Park, KS

Jan. 30th, 2009 at 3:21 p.m.

Comment:
This is probably my favorite session beer and certainly my favorite pale ale. The hop flavor is perfect. For a hoppy beer it is also refreshing and doesn’t leave that hoppy bitter aftertaste of so many beers.

Characteristics: hoppy
Review by TypeMicah

Rating: 27

TypeMicah

drank this beer from a Pint glass in New York, NY

Feb. 1st, 2009 at 12:39 a.m.

Comment:
Something about the way this tastes disagrees with me. I haven’t had it in a while so I can’t recall exactly what it is that put me off of it. I’d drink it again if it were free and I had no money.

Characteristics: citrus floral
Review by mjb

Rating: 80

mjb

drank this beer from a Pint glass

Feb. 1st, 2009 at 12:23 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics: bitter hoppy sharp
Review by [ s . m . m ]

Rating: 70

[ s . m . m ]

drank this beer from a Bottle in Redmond, WA

Feb. 1st, 2009 at 8:05 p.m.

Comment:
This beer is a crowd-pleaser. It has enough character and hop overtones to please the pickier beer drinkers, yet isn’t too bold in any one direction for those who dislike most beers. A good one to bring to a party with a mixed audience. Also the wide availability has me choosing this beer when traveling and cannot find smaller-batch brews.

Characteristics: crisp full flavoured light hops
Review by tx_design

Rating: 85

tx_design

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Houston, TX

Feb. 4th, 2009 at 3:39 p.m.

Comment:
What’s not to love. The grandaddy of American pale ales. Great Cascade aroma and flavor. A great go-to beer.

Characteristics: citrus crisp easy drinkin
Review by elmazz

Rating: 87

elmazz

drank this beer from a Bottle in Eugene, OR

Feb. 7th, 2009 at 10:19 a.m.

Comment:
Although not a complex brew, one of my favorite drinkable beers. You can suck these down one after the next.

Characteristics: clean fresh hop
Review by ajoyce

Rating: 75

ajoyce

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Kansas City, MO

Feb. 7th, 2009 at 6:32 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Brian Flanagan

Rating: 65

Brian Flanagan

drank this beer from a Bottle in Cold Spring, NY

Feb. 8th, 2009 at 6:41 a.m.

Comment:
A good, often-available standby. Not exceptional.

Characteristics: bitter hoppy
Review by woodtemple

Rating: 44

woodtemple

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Honolulu, HI

Feb. 11th, 2009 at 1:02 a.m.

Comment:
I had this for the first time in awhile a few weeks back in Hawaii, and I was not impressed, wish I would have ordered a Budweiser instead, such a boring beer and I’m not tasting these mentioned hops either. Very bland for a so-called good beer.

Characteristics:
Review by Cory Collier

Rating: 42

Cory Collier

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Altamonte Springs, FL

Feb. 18th, 2009 at 2:58 p.m.

Comment:
I’m probably not the guy to give a rating for a Pale Ale, since I heavily prefer Porters and Stouts. However, I’d be lying if I said this is a good beer. It’s a bit like milk, which is also gross

Characteristics: bad
Review by boxkite

Rating: 70

boxkite

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Omaha, NE

Feb. 18th, 2009 at 10:22 p.m.

Comment:
After trying their Porter, I found this beer to be somewhat bland and forgettable. Do plan on giving it another go eventually though.

Characteristics:
Review by Ben

Rating: 65

Ben

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Albuquerque, NM

Feb. 20th, 2009 at 3:14 p.m.

Comment:
My go-to beer in the IPA world because it’s fairly available, either on tap or in a bottle. If there’s nothing else interesting around, I’m probably drinking a Sierra.

I prefer the draught, as it has a slightly smoother and cleaner character on tap in my experience than the bottle.

However real bottle conditioning adds a sharpness to the bottle that some may prefer.

Characteristics: bitter hoppy pale sharp
Review by skyhawk133

Rating: 78

skyhawk133

drank this beer from a Pint glass

Feb. 23rd, 2009 at 5:41 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Tony

Rating: 65

Tony

drank this beer from a Bottle in Peoria, IL

Feb. 26th, 2009 at 11:42 a.m.

Comment:
One of my new “standby’s”, this beer is light, hoppy, and a far better pick at a grocery store than some of your other options. Not the best beer by far, but if you’re looking for something to get you by, skip the standard “domestic” garbage and grab a 6-pack of this instead.

Characteristics: drinkable hoppy light
Review by Cory

Rating: 37

Cory

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Portland, OR

March 4th, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics: gross
Review by Chris Casciano

Rating: 67

Chris Casciano

drank this beer from a Bottle in Maplewood, NJ

March 9th, 2009 at 5:15 p.m.

Comment:
drinkable beer and a good standby option that’s easy to find in this area. nothing extraordinary about it though.

Characteristics: drinkable
Review by HefeTeizen

Rating: 65

HefeTeizen

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Iowa City, IA

March 9th, 2009 at 7:43 p.m.

Comment:
This falls in the same category as a Sam Adam’s Boston Lager…not because of flavor (more hops here)…but because it is an accessible beer with flavor.

Characteristics:
Review by curry

Rating: 90

curry

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Los Angeles, CA

March 10th, 2009 at 11:39 p.m.

Comment:
I love drinking this beer when I come to US. The lovely american hoppy taste is right up my alley

Characteristics: hoppy
Review by Ryan

Rating: 70

Ryan

drank this beer from a Bottle

March 11th, 2009 at 4:54 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Grumblemouse

Rating: 80

Grumblemouse

drank this beer from a Pint glass

March 12th, 2009 at 3:05 p.m.

Comment:
Classic, like a good friend that’s always there when you need them Sierra will always cheer you up when the selection is weak. Hoppy enough to enjoy but not too strong, a great session beer and personally the beer that opened my eyes and stopped me from drinking shite lager! AMEN!

Characteristics: Classic hoppy session
Review by Steve Lenti

Rating: 70

Steve Lenti

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Albuquerque, NM

March 13th, 2009 at 6:15 a.m.

Comment:
A defining pale ale. Balanced very well. This beer is what got me started with home brewing.

Characteristics: balanced crisp light refreshing
Review by William Biwer

Rating: 75

William Biwer

drank this beer from a Bottle in River Falls, WI

March 13th, 2009 at 8:49 p.m.

Comment:
Great tasting, smooth with a bit of a bitter after taste. This beer won’t send your taste buds into an uproar but it will fill about 67% of that beer void you have.

I love their branding design as well.

Characteristics: bitter pale
Review by Wren

Rating: 40

Wren

drank this beer from a Bottle in San Diego, CA

March 22nd, 2009 at 5:11 p.m.

Comment:
There are so many better pale ales out there.

Characteristics:
Review by Jared

Rating: 28

Jared

drank this beer from a Bottle in Reston, VA

March 23rd, 2009 at 2:12 p.m.

Comment:
I have a lot of friends by swear by this beer. Way overrated if you ask me. Sierra Nevada makes a rather decent porter, but the Pale Ale is just unworthy of the hype. Very bitter and a wretched aftertaste.

Characteristics: bitter hoppy
Review by Geminder

Rating: 40

Geminder

drank this beer from a Bottle in San Jose, CA

March 27th, 2009 at 5:22 p.m.

Comment:
Used to love it. Not so much any more. Maybe I burnt out on it, but it always ends up tasting kind of generic.

Characteristics:
Review by WoodenMonkeyLamp

Rating: 75

WoodenMonkeyLamp

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Richmond, VA

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:57 p.m.

Comment:
Classic standby that’s almost universally available even when the selection is low. This beer got me started on Pale Ale’s and I’d recommended it to anyone looking to venture into the style.

Characteristics: bitter floral hoppy light refreshing
Review by Jason

Rating: 78

Jason

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Monterey, CA

April 7th, 2009 at 5:25 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by Tyler Howarth

Rating: 90

Tyler Howarth

drank this beer from a Pint glass in San Francisco, CA

April 9th, 2009 at 12:58 p.m.

Comment:
Simply a classic brew. I am giving it a high score because it never fails to quench my thirst and will always be a classic beer. Smooth and powerful, nice and hoppy.

Characteristics: Classic hoppy tasty
Review by Eric DeLabar

Rating: 85

Eric DeLabar

drank this beer from a Bottle in Macungie, PA

May 12th, 2009 at 4:09 a.m.

Comment:

Characteristics: bitter hoppy
Review by joemick

Rating: 81

joemick

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Newtown, PA

June 18th, 2009 at 3:53 a.m.

Comment:
Well above average

Characteristics: balanced dark delicious
Review by Lobsterman

Rating: 71

Lobsterman

drank this beer from a Bottle in Portland, ME

June 25th, 2009 at 4:31 p.m.

Comment:
It’s OK; kind of a safe Ale for Lager drinkers. A good go-to; some hop and malt flavors. [9/21/09—I’ve raised my rate by 10 pts. after having a couple on tap. Like a different beer! Smooth & balanced]

Characteristics: bitter mildhops
Review by scredsfan

Rating: 78

scredsfan

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Aiken, SC

July 8th, 2009 at 6:34 a.m.

Comment:
A decent go-to Pale Ale. Hoppy but not overpowering - makes it very drinkable.

Characteristics: balanced refreshing
Review by vito613

Rating: 73

vito613

drank this beer from a Pint glass in San Marcos, TX

July 28th, 2009 at 10:11 a.m.

Comment:
Average pale ale with pretty good blend of hops and malt

Characteristics:
Review by bs529

Rating: 54

bs529

drank this beer from a Bottle in Louisville, KY

Aug. 23rd, 2009 at 2:08 p.m.

Comment:
Beer has a burnt hop taste? Will only drink if there is low grade domestics available.

Characteristics:
Review by renobeerman

Rating: 57

renobeerman

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Reno, NV

Sept. 3rd, 2009 at 8:54 a.m.

Comment:
Like drinking grapefruit-flavored beer. I got burned out on citrusy hops awhile back. Maybe I just drank too much of it in the mid-90’s when there were fewer craft beers available.

Characteristics:
Review by gotoplanb

Rating: 76

gotoplanb

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Gainesville, FL

Sept. 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 p.m.

Comment:
It can be quite good or pretty shitty. Big range in taste, so it’s always a gamble. Usually best on tap.

Characteristics:
Review by elliotttf

Rating: 75

elliotttf

drank this beer from a Pint glass in Dallas, TX

Jan. 5th, 2010 at 2:59 p.m.

Comment:

Characteristics:
Review by mike_gallagher

Rating: 76

mike_gallagher

drank this beer from a Bottle in Philadelphia, PA

Jan. 29th, 2010 at 9:49 p.m.

Comment:
Classic IPA. Never fails me whenever I can’t make a selection. Can generally find this at any reputable bar too.

Characteristics: balanced Classic
Review by Lewis

Rating: 70

Lewis

drank this beer from a Bottle in Long Beach, CA

April 6th, 2010 at 3:34 a.m.

Comment:

Characteristics: