Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Decent, but not as good as their porter. Yum. Oh, and Happy Birthday! http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_16624422?source=rss

First of all this isn't an IPA, it is a Pale Ale. As such it is one of the best Pale Ales on the planet! A top notch American craft brewed Pale Ale. At least the best I've had thus far from the West Coast. If you don't like bold flavors don't buy ales. Stick to your Bud.  Speaking of Bud, it has an alcohol content of 5% and SN Pale Ale has 5.6%, so you can see the alcohol difference is negligible. The perceived strength is from the much more liberal use of hops and malts which give this brew a lot of flavor. Update 9-10-2010. The five stars I originally placed on SN Pale Ale is for fresh examples only. I have had some lately that definately suffered from age issues or improper storage. It was about eight months old when purchased. The flavor was very diminished compared to what I normally expect from this tasty Ale.

A good Strong beer. It has Lots of flavor, pretty hoppy, and is a full-bodied beer. It's what a good Ale should taste like. Luckily, its pretty available too so if you're a Beer drinker and you haven't tried this, I would seriously recommend it.

the standard of Pale Ale's. This is the Pale Ale that you should offer up if trying to convince a friend that pale ales are tastly. I find that pales aren't the best beers, and they are a hard sale to friends who have never tried one, but I love Sierra Nevada :)

Hoppy goodness! I wouldn't say it is really strong, but if your a BMC disciple, this may curl your lip. Also, the alcohol tends to sneak up on you. I wouldn't session this beer as tasty as it is.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the best beers I've ever tried. Oh, what a rich and wonderful taste! Very bitter and full. It's sort of expensive, so I would not buy this too much. But, you should try it if you like fine beer products. RJT

An excellent pale ale, and one that's great either bottled or on the tap. There are better pale ales around, but this is probably the best of the widely accessible ones. Its a premium beer, so you're not going to find it for $2.99 a sixpack in Walmart, but if that's your notion of what makes a good beer, you wouldn't like this anyway.

Damn good craft brew. If you're looking for a full flavored pale ale that makes most english pale ales seem like horse piss, then this brew is for you.

This is not terrible, but I think there are way better pale ales out there so I am not sure why this one is so popular. It especially is popular with the Phish-following crowd for some reason. I think it is hoppier than most other pale ales, but it is not overpowering. However, I'd prefer Yards' Philadelphia Pale Ale over Sierra Nevada anyday.

I can only rate the label, which is a nice shade of green with impressive 19th century period design. For a more indepth commentary, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is welcome to ship a sample of their product to this reviewer care of this site. The larger the sample, the more in depth a review I will write.

Tasty , but overpriced (at least here).

Another classic No Cal beer you can't ever go wrong with.....

Excellent beer... Kind of a 'mild' pale ale. Very drinkable.

Awesome pale ale

My favorite!!!!

Havent tried it but i plan to.

Pale ewww.

Had it a few times. Pretty good.

My friend Dusty used to drink this stuff all the time. I trust his judgment.

This is what beer tastes like at its best, hoppy, strong and full of character. Comparing swill like Budweiser to this would be like comparing a McDonalds hamburger to a steak at the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle.

A tasty microbrew - but watch out for the sediment.

Outstanding! Been a favorite of mine for a long time.

one of my favorite micro-brews, and thankfully, the secret's out. You can find Sierra Nevada almost anywhere now.

A flavorful beer that always suprises.

As a rule I don't like pale ale because of the aftertaste.  This however has little or no aftertaste, especially when cold.  A refreshing drink.

Very crisp and flavorful, and not too heavy. My favorite ale/beer out there. The brewery has a great restaurant in Chico too!

This is a great standard for pale ales and one of the best beers around for its price.

This is a first rate pale ale. I usually have a couple on the way to the baseball game when we stop for something before the game. It is not a wimpy beer, so if you don't like a full-bodied beer with hops, avoid.

First off, this is not an IPA, just a regular old Pale Ale. Second, its much better then anything massed produced by Anheuser-Busch, or any other massed produced beer. If you've realized that this is how beer should taste, and not like Coors, Miller, or Bud, then your on your way. This is not the best beer in the world. There are thousands of American micro brews out there to try. Sierra Nevada makes a bunch of other good beers too: Bigfoot, Celebration, Harvest, an IPA, a wheat beer, Summerfest...

An old stand-by. One of the best.

It's good, but it's overrated. If I'm buying the beer, I'd go with something mass produced by Anheuser-Busch. It's cheaper, and it's really not that much lower in quality.

This is a flavorfull pale ale. It's a bit hoppy for my taste, but I think it's probably good for me. It's really starting to expand my horizons thought I still don't care for IPAs. The malt character is excellent and the finish is nice and nutty. Great beer.

A tasty beverage, suitable for most any occasion.

I didn't want to kill the rating but I can't stand this beer. For some reason I have never had a Sierra Nevada that I've liked.

Most enjoyable.

Sierra is a nice standby, hoppy enough for most IPA types and available almost everywhere, get it at Sams or Costco by the case for your next party, much better than Bud.

Very bitter with a light malt taste to it. I could not finish a 32oz bottle, it was that bad, Go with Budweiser

Good flavorfull beer with a high alcohol content. I love the hop flavor of this beer alot but do to the fact that after a few the bitterness tends to become a little overwhelming,especially towards the end of the bottle when the beer has warmed a little. For that fact I only gave it 3 stars instead of more.

Excellent - Just about the perfect IPA! (as others have stated) I've had many IPA's from around the world, and this one is absolutely comparable to the very best out there. I also wholeheartedly agree about the Cascade Hops and fine, pure water. The perfect 'hoppiness' on a hot day; many IPA's are just a bit too bitter. Wakes up your tastebuds, and has a great hoppy finish! I rated it 5 stars, but it would've been 4.5 if possible only because I rated Anchor Steam 5 of 5. 4 stars would not be quite sufficient.

Love this crisp wonderful tasting beer.

If you like a good, hoppy Pale Ale, I think this one is the best. Makes me smack my lips and my mouth water just thinking about one.

A good strong beer, tastes like a beer should taste. Delicious after taste, one of my favorites.

America has produced a world class ale! SNPA is one of, if not THE best ale made. I love the crispness of the flavor and the tart finish. Well balanced and excellent on draught.

My beer of choice. Amazingly good. Really I think it's just an above-average beer that happens to use the best-tasting water on the planet.

The finest IPA in the world. Bar none.

Like all Pale Ales, this one's a little bitter. You might like its bitterness or you might not. . .as for me I think it's an incredible beer.

Great Pale Ale - style developed in UK but this american brew has perfeced it - well hopped but still not completely overpowering the other flavors.

One of the most outstanding brews I've ever had!

My favorite beer of all time! Just the right blend, crisp and hearty at the same time. Great Stuff!

As with most Pale Ales, the taste probably doesn't suit the casual beer drinker. However it is one of the better Pale Ales I have experienced.