Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

brureview

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a light honey color into a pint glass with a 2 finger head.

The aroma is light pine.

The mouth feel is lightly carbonated and well suited to the style. Often
Pale Ales are too carbonated and not well-balanced.

The taste is bready and piney, finishing with a hoppy fruity finish and a light bitterness.

The beer is a balanced, full flavored Pale Ale, and is unlike other beers in the style, which
are either too carbonated, hoppy and/or lack a pronounced taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 01:42:14 | More by brureview

utopiajane

New York

3.8/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours gold with an orange hue. Good hops nose with a bit of fruit and plenty of malt character. Nice retention and lacing. Medium body and carbonation. Finishes dry with good balance but a little extra emphasis on the grain. Understated and classic in it’s approach.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 11:05:00 | More by utopiajane

Das_Reh

Florida

2.24/5  rDev -44.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a glass.

This is supposedly THE original APA, and one of America's first craft brews. I was eager to try it after seeing the high reviews on BA.

Appearance - A nice, deep coppery color with a decent cream colored head. Lively carbonation, almost no lacing, which was disappointing. I noticed "floaties" in the beer as I poured, which settled to the bottom of the glass like bits of backwash... very unappetizing.

Smell - practically nonexistent... some citrusy hops and not much else.

Taste - Good grief... why are the ratings so high? It's a 1-note acrid bitterness with virtually no maltiness. The citrus/pine hop flavors are barely present, and a sticky, tart bitterness overwhelms the palette... I know Pale's and IPA's are MEANT to be hoppy and bitter, but there's no balance here. It's just NOT good.

Mouthfeel - Mouthfeel is medium, and frankly unmemorable.

Overall - A bitter, overhyped concoction of hops, hops and more hops. No balance, no complexity. This was my second one and I will not drink another. I'll stick to Two-Hearted.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 06:04:56 | More by Das_Reh

Slackerville

California

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Truly a legend in the pale ale realm. Brewed with strong hop character on the nose and palate with a balanced malt base well before the US IPA revolution. After a few decades still a great example of the style.

Probably everyone has had at least one of these so no need for a detailed review. Too sum it up, if I was stranded on a desert island and could drink as much beer as I wanted but only have one beer this would be it. Great balance, not overpoweringly strong, hoppy, or malty, just a solid dose of each. Keep them coming.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 03:29:48 | More by Slackerville

Kuaff

Alaska

4.01/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

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

atr2605

New York

4/5  rDev -1.5%
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

kristenspaintings

California

3.2/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

This beer tastes okay. Nothing amazing about it. It's not too hoppy (a plus) and doesn't have a strong soapy taste like some IPAs I've tried.

I'd say it lacks interest for me though. The flavors I look forward to in a beer are not there. It's pretty one-dimensional and it's just okay in my opinion. I'd drink it if my only other party alternatives were soda or iced tea but I wouldn't seek it out either.

To be fair, there's nothing wrong with Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. It's just not what I look for.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 12:45:49 | More by kristenspaintings

T100Mark

California

4.19/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A 12 ounce bottle poured into a pint shaker glass.

Appearance - Golden color. Slightly hazy. Nice head but didn't stick around for long. Plenty of lace!

Smell - Citrus. Spicy. A touch of sweetness.

Taste - Citrus. Hoppy like a good IPA but there is difinatly a malt presence. Bold yet clean.

Mouth - Oily. Tingly. Very pleasant.

This beer is the gold standard of California IPAs. The balance between the hops and the malt is, for a California Pale Ale, perfect. The beer has just the right amount of citrus kick. As a Californian, I might be a bit biased but this is a world class beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 00:41:03 | More by T100Mark

BeerAficionadoMCMXC

California

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had this beer many times in my life, but now I am tasting it professionally as an amateur. It is an incredibly balanced beer. No wonder SN has had such success with it. I hope they put out better seasonal beers though. This one gets an 9/10 in my book.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 06:59:13 | More by BeerAficionadoMCMXC

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.09/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: It has a nice hazy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves some nicelacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of citrus, piney resins with some grainy and toasty malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a citrusy hops, pine, sweet grainy malts and a touch of caramel.

Mouthfeel: It has a med/high carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 20:30:47 | More by SebD

dougbassett

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

One of the "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die" -- #24 of the ones I've reviewed here.

This is another American craft beer classic -- while it never really got as big/mainstream as Sam Adams, it did start up around the same time and is widely available in the US (particularly in Cities).

This is probably my favorite large American brewery, and their flagship beer, the pale ale, is excellent. The color is amazing, pretty close to the Platonic ideal of a pale ale: with a nice head that's lingers satisfyingly. A nose of flowery, spicy hops, quite pleasant. That's more or less matched in the flavors, although I'd appreciate the hops a bit more forward here, it's a bit too restrained for my taste. I do like the bitter hop finish, which is lasting, and I also like the mouthfeel -- this is an example to me of a beer that's brewed with just the right amount of body.

Ranks with Brooklyn Lager as a great session beer. Enjoyable in most situations/constructions. A step above the Budweiser/Coors/Miller sort of thing but not unapproachable. Really a classic all around, really enthusiastically recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 22:30:14 | More by dougbassett

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a brew of deep gold. It holds a one and a half finger head of crisp, tight white bubbles, showing nice retention. Sheets and patterns of lacing are left as it goes, with a thick film left across the top of the liquid. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears to be active. The aroma gives pale, lightly wheaty, and metallic adjuncty malts alongside citric and sweetly nectary hops. Vanilla sweetness, raw honey, toast, faint pine cone earthiness, and turkey meatiness come out with warmth. Our first impression is that the flavoring is nicely hopped, with a hearty and classically “pale ale” base. As we sip, lemon zest, sweaty pale malts, soured adjuncts, baker’s yeast, gingerbread sweetness, and orangey citric hop sugars start things off. The middle peaks with pale muddiness, coriander and cinnamon depth, German lager malts, green grassiness, and mossy tree bark. The finishing wash shows mineral water, gravel, spicy earthy hops, white sugars, continued grassy hops, sesame seediness, and a revival of bitterly drying pale malts. The aftertaste breathes of lightly wet wheatiness, grassy and citric rind hoppiness, flashes of white sugars, red cherry skins, sweaty saltiness, and adjuncty coin. The body is medium, and carbonation is light to medium. The mouths is cooled and coated with an oily film. This eventually dries into a softer astringency. Each sip gives okay slurp and smack, with lesser froth or cream. The abv is appropriate, and the beer glugs easily.

Overall, what we liked best about this beer was its drinkability. This guy is a staple for the style, as well as for the craft beer revolution as we know it. The hops are robust and biting, while the aroma is decently fresh, mildly warming, and inviting. The flavor retains its strength with each sip, and invigorates the palate with its blend. This is a classic sipping beer, and something every beer enthusiast should be familiar with.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 02:35:04 | More by TheBrewo

Roguer

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Beautiful, pale, coppery color. Lighter than SA-Boston Lager, but darker than a simple ale or lager. Small amount of carbonation; decent, 1 1/2 finger head, nice lacing.

S - Clean, slight pine, slightly citrus. Nothing overpowers, nothing stands out. Gives the impression of a very drinkable beer (which is spot on). Hoppy.

T - More pine and hops than a non-IPA has any right. A hint of citrus, but no strong individual citrus flavors. Not super-complex, and almost no sense of malts, but lovely and forward. The more I drink, the more a subtle sweetness creeps in. Did I mention pine?

M - This ale drinks more like a lager than any other. It goes down very easy, very smooth. The alcohol and carbonation content allows you to drink it as slow or fast as you desire. Try as I might, I can't quite decide to swirl it around much, preferring to just swallow it down.

O - This can easily, easily be a daily drinker type of beer. It's far more complex and bitter than a BMC offering; it's brighter and hoppier than Boston Lager (it's most obvious contemporary, for me); yet it still goes down very easy. It offers something new, whether you're new to the craft brew scene, or just revisiting an old friend. It may not be the most complex beer around, but it certainly has some interesting characteristics.

Heck, if you're reading reviews about SNPA, what are you doing? Go out there and drink one!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 19:42:53 | More by Roguer

bennett_loves_good_beer

Wyoming

3.81/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a nice light orange amber color with a soild pale white head with great retention and tons of lacing. Smell: Citrus hops dominate the aroma. Taste: Great, crisp, refreshing, good cascade hop flavor. Piney and refreshing and finishes with some grapefruit. Great mouthfeel and overall a great, crisp refreshing pale ale. One of the best as far as pale ales go that I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 22:53:32 | More by bennett_loves_good_beer

bkeach

California

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

S.N.P.A: My go to low abv summer day drinker. In my opinion this is the best representation of a basic pale ale. So consistent on the balanced hop flavor, mouthfeel crisp and refreshing, very drinkable and just plain delicious. SN has been the most consistent brewery from my experience in the profiles of their beers. SNPA is always a safe bet, and goes well with many types of food.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 23:36:34 | More by bkeach

JesseMurdock

Hawaii

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This is a great all-around beer. It's sweet malty taste combined with the floral and citrus hop character makes this an easily drinkable beer for even those unacquainted with craft beer. While lacking the bitterness and complexity of an IPA, this is an easy-going, yet delicious brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 22:17:08 | More by JesseMurdock

Falcynn

California

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Probably my favorite anytime beer. Poured from a bomber into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Beautiful. Pours out a rich slightly hazy gold/copper with an off-white head that holds up nicely and leaves a nice lacing.

Smell: Citrus, piney, floral hops, with just enough malt to balance it out.

Taste: Almost exactly like it smells with some notes of grapefruit and grassiness. The bitterness is very nicely balanced by the somewhat sweet maltiness in the background.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp and refreshing. Finishes clean.

Overall: Nothing about this beer really pops out and makes me go "wow", but by no means is that a bad thing. What I love about this beer is that everything is very balanced. It's a very easy to drink beer, but still has plenty going on to make for an enjoyable experience whether out with friends or just sitting down to a well prepared meal.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 04:35:34 | More by Falcynn

dar482

New York

4.39/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This beer comes in a slight hazy gold.

The aroma has light hops of a bit of flowers, lemon and grapefruit.

The taste goes the same with lemon, bittering hops, with some malt backbone. There’s a dry finish.

It’s a lovely easy to to drink pale ale that has wonderful decent amount of hops to make it complex. One of my favorite pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 03:02:50 | More by dar482

Premo88

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. bottle poured into pub glass

L: clear gold; solid 1/4- 1/2-inch head and the lacing is nuts.

S: citrusy, hoppy at first. it fades into a weak grain smell at times, but the citrus still lingers, too.

T: solid hop bite with a good malt balance; sweetens out in the finish in a quite wonderful way. but every sip starts with bitter hops in a refreshing way.

F: lots of carbonation, solid weight.

O: such a great middle of the road pale ale -- neither the super hop-bomb American IPA/DIPA nor the malt-shake English pale ale. it's really the best of both worlds, achieving a balance I wish more American pale ales went for. it's in my Top 10 of go-to beers: when in doubt, this one is guaranteed to hit the spot everytime.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 07:29:59 | More by Premo88

HopsGoblin

California

5/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is my "Ol' trusty" in my fridge. You can always go to it and it always delivers, every time!

Let me explain why I chose to give this a 5 across the board. The taste is exceptional, and it's a classic pale ale, lots of pine! But what truly makes this beer excellent is the value. For what you pay and what you receive, one truly gets a bargain.

Put this beer head to head with any in its class, and it will beat them hands down. However, compare the price of this beer to those in its class, and it is every bit a bargain as you can find. For instance compared to Dogfish, which makes exceptional stuff, it crushes the competition. Dogfish will break your bank account to get some of their product. But Ol' trusty comes through once again, delivering a superior product at a better price point!

And that in itself deserves a 5 across the board, and yes it is that damn good!

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 04:03:02 | More by HopsGoblin

Jafne

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Poured a medium amber, well carbonated, decent head. Left a good amount of lacing. Poured clear till the bottom of the bottle, where some suspended particles and foginess entered the mix - my favorite part.

Smell- To my nose it smelled piney, resiny, and a bit citrusy.

Taste- Tasted much like it smelled; piney, citrusy, maybe a little grassy. I tend to like maltier brews. This Beer is not malty, caramely, nor sweet. I'd say more antiseptic, clean, and biting. Maybe it's just hoppier then malty. I did not review the beer till after my third time trying one. Third one was the charm, maybe an acquired taste for me. Definitely on the citrus side, pungent, with a bitter taste that lingers.

Mouth feel- Well carbonated. Smooth on the swallow, but a definite bite to the tongue.

Overall- This is my first review here. Overall it's a great beer. Has a nice bite. I personally like maltier brews and had to give this a few tries before really appreciating it. Right now, I'm thinking of having a second one. Plan on having some other pale ales, so I can compare.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 20:47:55 | More by Jafne

bambam2517

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a pub glass, then covered with Murphys Irish Stout poured over a spoon. Served at 45F. IMO its a real Black-n-Tan upgrade, becoming a St Paddys Day tradition around here...

Well, just now reviewing this ale but it is one I've enjoyed for years in many ways. Whether draft or bottle, alone or in a session, by itself or as mentioned above; this has stood for a good quality pale ale all along. Craft beer stalwart!

A - Coppery with an off-white head. Mildly carbonated, leaves a thin amount of lacing down the glass.

S - Hoppy and mildly citrus.

T - Always tastes fresh, nice hop flavors span from the citrus to slightly peppery.

M - Crisp and easy drinking since it doesn't linger too long on the palate.

O - There are others out there with more craftsmanship, and more interesting offerings too. For a beer than can be had so readily its still a great one.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 20:13:07 | More by bambam2517

kojevergas

California

2.59/5  rDev -36.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

2000 reviews and I somehow haven't done this one yet. Go figure. Bottled February 1st according to the bottle code. 5.6% ABV confirmed. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard ("Use Bottle Opener"!) pressure cap acquired at a local Trader Joe's and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; I'm rarely impressed with Sierra Nevada, but this is indisputably a classic craft beer which did a lot historically. Regardless of what I may or may not think about the beer after enjoying it, I do respect it.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Not paired with food.

A: Pours a four finger beige colour head of nice cream and thickness, and good (~5 minute) retention. Little lacing as the head recedes. Body colour is a fairly vibrant pale copper; transparent and translucent. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. It's generally appealing and is typical of the style. There's nothing unique or special here, but there are no overt flaws.

Sm: Floral hops, ejected shell casings (seriously), artificial pine, soap, and pale malts. The soapiness is bothersome, and becomes more reminiscent of detergent the more I smell the beer. Bubblegum. Yeah, this spent too long in primary. An average strength aroma that isn't particularly appealing.

T: Okay. Muted citrus, dominant soapy character, light artificial pine, and some mild floral hops. Bland pale malts form the foundation. There's not a whole lot going on here, and I'm none too keen on what is. Imbalanced and badly built for the style. A bit too bitter for the style as well, but it's also too sweet up front.

Mf: Way too dry on the finish, eradicating any refreshing feel that it might have had prior. Smooth and wet up front. Too thick all around. Overcarbonated, to boot. Weak. Doesn't suit the flavour all that well. Palate presence is okay.

Dr: I'll finish this bottle, but it's really not that drinkable for a pale ale. I'm shocked at how underwhelming this beer is given its influence on the style. I'll try to revisit this on-draught; maybe this was just an off bottle arbitrarily. As it stands, this is rather pedestrian and I see no reason to get it again. Hides its ABV well. Another disappointment from Sierra Nevada.

C-

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 05:19:46 | More by kojevergas

orcsinspace

Virginia

4.88/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

The only pale ales that I have had that surpass Sierra Nevada Pale Ale have all been home brewed. The flavor is outstanding, and perfectly balanced. I have always found Pale Ale somewhat of a contradiction, because it has a simple, yet extremely complex taste at once. The mouthfeel is perfect as well, not too watery, not too much texture.

Just the right amount of lacing and the right amount of head. The color is a perfect golden color with little carbonation lingering. The smell of the beer is subtle, not too strong, not too weak--just right.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 17:42:35 | More by orcsinspace

Aaron_Ramson

California

4.11/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Surpassed only by Deschutes Mirror Pond pale ale, Sierra Nevada's offering is still the benchmark of what a great pale ale is. The epitome of balance and nuance, drastically simple and overwhelmingly pure, Sierra Nevada's use of whole hop leaf allows all of the flavors and aroma to shine through, highlighting the best part of a good beer: the sublime hop flavor, which this beer has plenty of! Delicious, and a great "anytime" beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 04:30:03 | More by Aaron_Ramson