Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Groomsy

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a very nice orange/slightly golden color. Nice one-finger head that slowly disappears throughout consumption. Nice carbonation and bubbles float up to the top of the glass, very impressive lacing down the side of the glass.

Smell: A little hard to distinguish, but the first thing I noticed was the hops; a very elegant blend of a sort of citrusy type of smell along with a pine smell(?). A little bit of sweetness from the malts as well. There's a good balance in the smell, but it seems very hops-dominated.

Taste: Whoa. Good stuff here. Lots of good stuff. An abundance of citrus hops comes up front that sort of "wake up" your tongue followed by some slightly sweet malts in the middle to balance out the hops which just bombarded your tongue (in a good way). The beer goes down with a very nice bitterness and "yeast" taste that leaves a lingering aftertaste in the mouth. VERY impressive and refreshing. Kinda kicked my tail.

Mouthfeel: Moderately thin and light, but not watery; there's some substantial body to this beer that is a good balance between easy to drink and solid thickness. The carbonation also plays a role in this.

Drinkability: Depending on the setting, it would be really easy to knock back a few of these. Its great refreshing taste and solid body make it a very drinkable beer for any time of year.

For my first pale ale, I'm very impressed. Not only is this an American classic, but it's a good way to get into craft brews. Definitely going to go for it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 18:19:53 | More by Groomsy

RBCIPA

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

05-24-2013 00:09:24 | More by RBCIPA

visionaries

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-23-2013 17:07:31 | More by visionaries

kvnstfrd

Missouri

1/5  rDev -75.4%

05-23-2013 13:51:23 | More by kvnstfrd

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-23-2013 13:09:30 | More by ipas-for-life

jroberts8811

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-23-2013 12:58:33 | More by jroberts8811

Topher78

California

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-23-2013 02:49:02 | More by Topher78

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-23-2013 01:36:52 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

erialbill

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-22-2013 23:11:05 | More by erialbill

Kuaff

Alaska

4.21/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass slightly warmer that fridge temperature.

Upon being poured, Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale develops a wonderfully long-lasting, two-finger head of dense, white foam. The liquid is transparent gold.

The smell is pretty subdued, but I get a sweet biscuit scent and maybe a slight hint of citrus.

This beer’s taste is remarkably well-balanced and packs a lot of flavor for its style. More than anything else, I taste sweet, bready yeastiness, but it also has some pine and citrus, and a subtle, hoppy bitterness.

The mouthfeel is crisp and smooth, yet substantial.

This is what plain old beer ought to taste like. Really high-quality plain old beer, that is.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 22:08:15 | More by Kuaff

woostergooner

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-22-2013 21:31:04 | More by woostergooner

EduardoOrtega01

Panama

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

05-22-2013 21:09:34 | More by EduardoOrtega01

Rdc67

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%

05-22-2013 20:36:46 | More by Rdc67

billbeers

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -26.3%

05-22-2013 17:34:43 | More by billbeers

bf7

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -26.3%

05-22-2013 17:15:59 | More by bf7

YamagamiTravis

Japan

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-22-2013 08:13:44 | More by YamagamiTravis

BillyLrsn

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-21-2013 23:36:30 | More by BillyLrsn

pin

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -14%

05-21-2013 22:39:16 | More by pin

verge

California

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-21-2013 18:13:15 | More by verge

cfaulman

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-21-2013 15:06:21 | More by cfaulman

cfitterer

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-21-2013 02:49:13 | More by cfitterer

Kingcurio

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-21-2013 01:53:12 | More by Kingcurio

Lucoli

New York

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-21-2013 01:21:40 | More by Lucoli

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-21-2013 00:27:41 | More by johntfox

atr2605

New York

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-pours a clear golden/soft copper with a white head with decent retention that clings to the sides of the glass
S-pine, hint of caramel sweetness and a bit of biscuit
T-delicate balance between bitter piney hops and a sweet malt background that compliment each other very nicely
M-medium bodied
O-such a solid pale ale. one of my favorite session beers

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 00:24:19 | More by atr2605