Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Floydster

California

4.53/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $

I took a day trip to Chico with my girlfriend and her family, this was obviosuly my choice for lunch, we went around the gift store for a couple minutes when we first got there and a few of us bought shirts including myself, then we went on a tour which only lasted about fifteen minutes, the guide was terrible and it probably would have been better to just go explore ourselves but we did get to see some cool things, the old bottles in the glass cases were my favorite part, after that we walked over the restaraunt and was seated immediately, a few of the people I was with ordered the beers sampler which included fourteen of the sixteen beers available that day, I had a bunch of half pints myself, the most expensive pint on the menu was $4.25 which was awesome, they had a lot of stuff you would not see anywhere else too, the beers available while we were there were: Southern Hemisphere Harvest, Anniversary 2008, IPA, Brown, Blonde, Porter, Stout, Wheat, Double DeBockel, standard Pale Ale, Draught Style Pale Ale, Ruthless Hefeweizen, Torpedo, Crystal Wit, and Best Bitters English Ale, the kettles and everything were bright copper and looked awesome along with all their other equipment, the experimental hop field looked really nice as well and I cannot wait to try the Chico Estate Ale once I see it in a bottle, solar panels were everywhere and they supposedly have nine thousand of those, great atmosphere and the place was immaculate, service was good for the most part even though the people were not the nicest at times, food was great and definitely centered around an organic theme, I ordered the burger which came with cajun fries and enjoyed it with a variety of their mustards, other people with me ordered pizza, lentil burgers, a chicken sandwich, and the soup, the bread they bring you at the beginning is awesome as well, the food was priced very fairly and the meals ranged from seven to ten dollars at lunch, will be back here every time I am in Chico for sure, great stop and highly recommended

08-23-2008 16:37:22 | More by Floydster

1759Girl

California

4.78/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

There are many things to love about Sierra Nevada, starting with the company's part in the resurgence of microbrewing in CA,not to mention nationwide.
It's pretty awesome to drive in and park in the shade of the solar panel-covered parking lot, beside the beautiful hop farm!
The tap room is always busting at the seams with convivial locals who are proud to tell you all the fabulous things that SN does for the community, and to promote green policy.
Oh, I should probably get to the beer. ...
You'll need to walk down the whole bar before choosing, because there are so many styles on tap, that you can't see all the handles in one place. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgable. You get a good pour in a proper glass everytime.
Okay on to the food. Don't think that Sierra Nevada has just kept strict quality control on their beer... Even the meat is local and organic. And, from what I hear it's awesome. The pizza is excellent. I'd rather that the caesar salad had more anchovy, garlic and lemon... and that they would make a tasty stout ranch for their fries.. but these are just suggestions from a connessieur.
Did I mention the beer garden? If it's not a million-degree Chico day, then be sure to hit it up.
Enjoy!

08-09-2008 18:50:56 | More by 1759Girl

kleffman

California

4.18/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Finally got to check out Sierra and their crazy operation. Pulled up and was definitely diggin the hop yard next door and all the solar panels that I assume help power a portion of their facility. Gift shop is intense with every design, and tons of merch for cheap. Even discount items in a bin. Didn't make it in time for the guided tour but we were able to walk around most of the same area apparently. This consists mostly of looking through glass at the equipment, except for the Kettles and whirlpool which you see from an elevated walkway. The floor looked clean enough to eat off of. Impressive. I wish they had been brewing at the time I stopped by.

Then went for some beer and appetizers. Since it's summer they mostly only had the summer beers on. Vienna Lager, Kolsch, Crystal Wheat, Summerfest, and then southern hemi harvest and torpedo. Also tried the brown which was a nice beer.

Had some fries and onion rings both of which were good. Especially enjoyed the fries.

Definitely worth a visit, I'd like to eat dinner there next time.

06-20-2008 19:23:59 | More by kleffman

cameronmkelly

Nevada

4.3/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Just visited today and yesterday. This was my first experience at the Sierra Nevada Brewery, and I was very impressed.

The 45 minute wait would have turned me away from a lot of other places, but I had made the three hour drive with all intentions of visiting - so I stuck it out.

Luckily, I was informed that I could spend my wait time taking a tour of the facility and visiting the gift shop.

The tour of the brewery was short and a little disappointing in my opinion. The tour guide knew how to stick to her script, but didn't know much else about the facilities or their brewing process.

The gift shop was extensive in swag, but not so much in their beer selection. They only have four selections of bottled beer to choose from, and all of which are available in any west-coast town. I was hoping for something special that I could only purchase at the brewery, but a couple of SNB-logo golf-balls had to suffice.

Dinner was great. The bread was more than memorable (baked fresh in-house every morning), the beef in my Sirloin Gorgonzola Fettaccini was amazing (the waitress informed me that all of their beef comes from the Chico State University agriculture department, which has a special contract with them).

I also had the beer sampler on my visit - the 16 beers they had on tap, in a sample size glass. The presentation and education from the staff during my sampling process was great.

I would say that the price was better than any big-name restaurant, especially for the quality. The meal, including 1 pint and an $11 sampler split between three people came out to about $18 a person.

Overall, I had such a great time, I came back for lunch the next day.

Chico is a cool little college town. I rented a bike and rode around down-town and some historic parts, played some Frisbee by the river, and had a truly great time. It's an awesome weekend getaway for anyone nearby, and the Sierra Nevada Brewery makes it that much more worth it.

05-04-2008 05:09:09 | More by cameronmkelly

ojclark

California

4.28/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

The restaurant/taphouse is a very nice room with lots of wood and lots of copper (bartop, taps, even the giant, immaculate air conditioning duct). The waiting area and the area near the bar have a nice view of one of the several brewhouses in the Sierra Nevada complex. The food was good, especially the gorgonzola pasta my wife ordered. I ordered a pizza that was pretty good, but not exceptional. Their beer sampler contained every beer they served on draft, 14 total the night I went (very nice!). The wood-aged Bigfoot was the standout beer, but several of the samples were excellent. Highly recommended.

02-17-2008 16:33:04 | More by ojclark

Hollenbeck2

Oregon

2.95/5  rDev -33.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$$

cool place, chico isn a drinking town and this place is a little too far outside of town to make it a good place to drive to unless you have someone who can drive and not drink. anyway some of the best micro brew beer around, this place is legendary in california and the beers shows it, the food leaves something to be desired but that is seconary to the great beer.

they have the classic pale ale which all other pales are compared I think to a lot of west coasters. good stop on the trail beer of life.

07-24-2007 23:39:34 | More by Hollenbeck2

brewmaster411

California

4.55/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

While traveling for my company, I made a point of stopping here for lunch. Upon entering, I was greeted by several friendly hostesses. While I got there at the beginning of the lunch rush, I did have a nice table.

Decisions, decisions, decisions... My first problem was to decide which beer to try. I decided on the Summerfest. My next problem was for the food. With help from my server, I was informed the Shrimp Coconut-Curry Noodle was excellent, and the chef on duty made this his speciality. I started with the Pale Ale steamed clams, and continued to the noodles. The bread came with a plate of balsamic/olive oil to dip.

The clams were steamed in the signature beer with garlic and scallions. Very nice. The noodles were very flavorful, comparable to some of the best Thai restaurants I have been to.

My server was very friendly and helpful. The service was fast and efficient. My food came with minimal delay, very hot and fresh.

The restaurant is decorated in dark wood, and copper with an open kitchen. The air duct was clad in polished copper. The rest rooms were very clean, green marble counters and copper sinks. Each rest room had hand lotion dispensers.

Don't forget to visit the gift shop.

07-07-2007 18:14:27 | More by brewmaster411

rayjay

Hawaii

4.15/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This happens to be my local watering hole. Many locals won't go here because it's "too expensive," but $2.50 a pint for the freshest beer in town is a bargain to me. Lots of taps, maybe 16 or so.

Very impressive looking bar, brass and high ceilings. Bartenders are friendly. I was not around to see the evolution of the place, but the brewery I see today is impressive and clean.

The beer selection is good. Mostly English style ales, maybe one or two lagers from time to time. I've always thought they should add a bit of diversity to their styles, but they are good at what they do and stick to it. They do almost exclusively "American" style beer (Am wheats, APAs, etc) and the taps are just a bit redundant. The freshness of the beer is top notch.

My big issue with the beer is that is is so filling. You want to drink more than you can fit in your belly. With a little food, it's hard to even finish a second pint.

Try to go on Thursday nights when they *sometimes* have real cask ale. One of the best ones I've had was "PaleFoot" (1/2 PA 1/2 Bigfoot)-out of the ballpark.

Food is good, call it high quality bar food. Vegetarian selections, nice desserts, and good bread baked fresh with oil and balsamic for free. They also make great pizza in a wood-fired oven.

Service is usually pretty good but there's always a chance you get stuck with a new waitress who's never worked food service before (this has only happened once or twice). Long waits for tables on the weekends, so beware. I usually go straight to the bar. Like many breweries, last call is around 9, maybe 10 on weekends, so go during the day.

NO GROWLERS!!! I think this is due to Butte Co. open container laws, though.

I highly recommend this place because it is a sight to see. Also I've always felt that their beer gets a tad stale when it travels, and here you can taste it in it's full glory. See you there!

08-11-2006 19:31:07 | More by rayjay

flexabull

California

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is the West Coast Beer Mecca in my opinion. While the brewery has gotten MUCH bigger than my first visit 10+ years ago, the quality hasn't suffered at all. It is great to show up there every now and then, because often there will be a new beer on tap that is available only at the brewery. (or maybe a few select locales in Chico) I personally like tasting Best Bitter, Pilsner, and the 20th Street when I make it by. The food is good too... but the only problem I have found is that this place is SO popular, that you will usually spend a decent amount of time waiting for a table.

07-26-2006 23:41:01 | More by flexabull

Malted

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -12.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Sierra Nevada Brewery is a gym in the Chico area. The food and service has gotten better every time I have gone there. The first time I went, probably around 1998 or 1999, the restaurant was much smaller and the service left much to be desired. My date sat on some gum on the bench and the staff responded with "oh" when I told them about it. Since that less than stellar occasion, things have gotten better and better. The last time I went I ordered a tasting sampler of their beer and had a wonderful steak. I have yet to go on a tour of the facilities, but they display copper kettles through a window to the restaurant. The one drawback latley has been that the place has always been very crowded when I have gone. Over all though, Sierra Nevada Brewery is very worth checking out and stopping for dinner. I would also highly recommend the tasting sampler as they have a great selection of beers in the sampler, many of which are difficult to get elsewhere.

07-16-2006 14:11:56 | More by Malted