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Until quite recently, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was one of those beers that I'd heard good things about but had never come across. So imagine my delight when a local supermarket began stocking it last year. I know, I'm easy pleased.
Actually, although I am relatively easy-to-please, in an undemanding, who-gives-a-fnck-anyway sort-a-way, I do take my beer seriously. Well, not exactly seriously, it's just beer after all, but I much prefer to drink one or two quality beers than chugging down six-packs of burp-juice.

So, when everyone else trundles home from the shops with bulky crates of chemical fizz and a bottle of hair-conditioner, I skip home with just a few select, well-crafted beers that are bottle-conditioned.


The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California, is arguably considered to be one of the top craft breweries in the USA - it's also probably the most famous and is well-known for its full-of-character and complex beers. First seeing the light of day in 1980, they brewed the first batch of what would soon become their flagship ale: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.


THEY SAY:
"Our most popular beer 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.
It opens with bright, perky high notes of maltiness and orange blossom and segues into a delectable hoppiness."


This beer pours a slightly hazy, pale golden colour which has a fairly aggressive carbonation that leads to a big and fluffy, pure white head of foam which shrinks a little, but never disappears and leaves plenty of sticky lace on the glass.
The aroma literally reeks of hops. It's fragrant, floral, citric and zesty. There's also lots of fruity tones, but the malt is there too with hints of caramel and a grainy touch.

It's medium-to-full bodied, with a good, firm mouthfeel. The taste is initially of sweet malt with bready and biscuity tones, but this is but a prelude to the dominating hop profile. It's sharp and citric, fruity and fiery, with more than enough hop bitterness to go around. That's not to say it's one-sided, oh no. The malt sweetness may be in the background, but it somehow manages to keep a check on the hop profile, holding it fairly well balanced. It finishes with a slow, dry bitterness that lingers and leaves a satisfying aftertaste.


At 4.8% ABV, this is a treasure. I prefer my beers to lean towards the maltier spectrum, but that's not to say I don't appreciate a good flourish of hops now and again, especially when they're so 'in your face' as with this beer. Apparently, Sierra Nevada are famous for their heavy-handed (in a good way) use of hops, and I can find no reason to criticise them on that score.
But this beer doesn't sacrifice malt character in its quest for hoppy-heaven. There's enough going on in the background with the malt to stop the beer from becoming unbalanced yet still allowing the hops to burst forth like a leafy, stinging slap in the face. A nice bit of brewing.

This beer would compliment almost any sort of food - the website suggests spicy food in particular, but for me this is an out-n-out session ale, so I say nuts!...or pretzels, even.

Would I drink it again? - I'd be hopping mad not to.

Learn more about this author, Andrew H Brown.
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