This is an appreciation post for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I feel like I can’t have a beer geeky blog without more acknowledgment of the greatest of all time Pale Ale.
Yes, to many of us Sierra may taste outdated. But it is the greatest “outdated” taste of all time and the best palate-reset beer in the business.
And as we are about to see, as Craft Beer goes, so goes Sierra.
Sierra Pale is a great barometer for how beer/Craft Beer is going. Just look at the search volume for Sierra and it totally goes along with how popular Craft Beer has been in the past fifteen years
Yes, you read that chart right, we are at our lowest level of the Internet searching for things related to Sierra Nevada Pale. What a sad world we live in.
What is everyone asking the Internet about Sierra Nevada Pale? These are the top searches:
Is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Considered an IPA?
Dude. Are you being serious with this question? Pale Ale is in the name. Why would it be considered an IPA if it has pale ale in the name?
I know that the beer generation ahead of mine initially thought Sierra’s Pale was too hoppy (nuts to think that way now), so maybe that is where that IPA question.
Dude, I get it, not everyone is a beer geek. Some people are actually normal and don’t know every beer style.
But to answer the Internet’s question: No, Sierra Nevada Pale is NOT an IPA. It is strictly a Pale Ale. In fact, in today’s world of Hazy IPAs and super duper clean West Coast IPAs, Sierra Pale is considered an old-ass version of a Pale.
What Does Sierra Nevada Taste Like?
The woods behind a brewery. That’s what Sierra tastes like. A really fresh pine forest.
From a certain point of view anyway. The most common tasting notes are:
- Spicy flower.
- Sweet.
- Full-bodied.
- Malty.
- Clean.
- Orange zest.
- Deep.
- Earty.
I would agree with all of these.
Is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale a Healthy Beer?
Woah man, there are healthy beers?! Lead me to those.
Well, Sierra Pale (if you could open your heart to thinking this way), if a beer could ever be considered healthy, it would be Sierra. All the elements of what is healthy in a beer is in a Sierra Nevada Pale.
It honestly is said that beer can be healthy and Sierra is the ultimate beer so, it must be healthy.
Beer is also said to be good for the heart and I know a Sierra Pale is good for MY heart, so that must be fact.
What Percentage of Alcohol is Sierra Nevada Pale?
It is one of the more mellow beers. Running at a 5.6% on alcohol content (38 IBU0), you could drink many Sierras in one sitting and not completely ruin the rest of your day. In fact, I think you would probably be enhancing your day.
A beer reviewer’s opinion (that I respect) of Sierra Nevada Pale:
More thoughts on Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Hopefully, this post is inspiring you to go out and buy a 12-pack of Sierra Pale. In fact, I need to get some Sierra this weekend.
Oh and by the way, we all know that when one simply says “Sierra” in the beer community, we are talking about Sierra Nevada Pale Ale?
Of course.
We are not talking about the mountain range (even though I am at the base of the Sierras), nor are we talking about other beers from Sierra Nevada, we are talking about the most clasic Craft Beer in existence, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Thank the Beer Gods that it is still on almost every grocery store shelf and has not really changed.
Imagine how terrible it would be (in many places) if the default option of all default Craft Beer options, wasn’t there.
Sadly it has dropped off many restaurant taps though.
It is at a point where it is difficult to find the draft option. It used to be the standard – at least where I am at (Firestone’s 805 seems to be the replacement for it).
But I know I can (and probably will today), run down to the store and get some, no questions asked (except when I check the date).
I think we should be regularly buying at least a 6-pack, for support and for palate resetting. And just because it’s a guest-friendly beer. I don’t take this advice enough as my fridge is regularly without Sierra.
Maybe I will see you down at the store today.
It’s not all perfect with store shelves and Sierra Nevada
I have been seeing some online (and hearing too) grumbling that all you see on the shelves are hazy and hoppy options.
Gone are the Stouts, Porters, and… well, everything not hoppy. Those are valid complaints:
Sierra Nevada/distributors and grocery stores put out what sells. Sadly the regular-ass grocery store on your block, doesn’t have room to cater to us nerds. So you get some boring and safe hazy options.
I don’t know if Porters and Stouts will ever make a return enough to warrant the shelf space. I hope (and I say this as someone that doesn’t drink those styles much even), I really hope they do.
The beer world feels healthier when more styles are around.
*If you are in a cool enough state, you can try finding some non-haze options and have it sent directly from Sierra Nevada.
So all that said, again, I hope this inspires you to go pick up some Sierra. Thank you Sierra Nevada Brewing for Pale and for staying Indie.
And thanks to you for reading and such.
-Mikey
