sierra nevada pale ale

So in my quest to find some new beer's to make and drink, I tried sierra nevada pale ale, didn't care for it.. seems too.. I think bitter is how I'd describe, not sour really but defently not sweet and makes you more thirsty ..

so are all pale ales, pretty much the same? what other types of beer should I stay away from? I see on the sierra web site that the bitterness units are 37, should I stay away from others with this high bitterness units?

thanks
John

If you're not really into bitter beers, stay away from IPA's (India Pale Ale) as well. Those have a ton of hops.

Keep trying other beers though, you never know what you might come across that you like.

FEARDIZ said:

So in my quest to find some new beer's to make and drink, I tried sierra nevada pale ale, didn't care for it.. seems too.. I think bitter is how I'd describe, not sour really but defently not sweet and makes you more thirsty ..

so are all pale ales, pretty much the same? what other types of beer should I stay away from? I see on the sierra web site that the bitterness units are 37, should I stay away from others with this high bitterness units?

thanks
John

Click to expand...

I love SNPA. It is the beer my first batch of homebrew was patterned after.

That being said, it is a very hoppy beer. Sounds like you aren't really a fan of hoppy beers. If you prefer malty beers, I'd stick with porters, stouts, and lagers. Most ales are on the hoppy side, if I'm not mistaken (and I very well could be, I'm still a beer n00b as well).

Hmmm, I think SNPA is an easy drinking beer. I guess that shows different tastes!

If you think pale ales may be too bitter, how do you feel about something like Newcastle, or Rogue's Dead Guy, or Goose Island's Honker's Ale? Those are flavorful (well, Newcastle not so much ) but not bitter and you can get an idea of what you might like.

I tried some Fat Tire the other day, and was good. I got a 6er to give it a test drive..

I know where you can get a good clone recipe.............

FEARDIZ said:

so are all pale ales, pretty much the same? what other types of beer should I stay away from? I see on the sierra web site that the bitterness units are 37, should I stay away from others with this high bitterness units?

thanks
John

Click to expand...

Not all pale ales are the same. Some, like Sierra Nevada are assertive in their bittering. Others are balanced more to the malty side. You made a good observation with the IBUs, but it's also a matter of ratio to the amount of malt. A normal gravity beer with 37 IBUs will be bitter, while a high gravity beer, say around 8% ABV will taste sweet with the same IBU level. Someone around here has a chart showing gravity, IBUs, and how the flavors are perceived...

I know most people love SNPA, but I really don't like it either. It is kind of hard to describe, but it must be the hops that I don't like. I have had their Brown ale, and don't like it at all either. BUT I love the celebration ale.

If you like a low hopped beer, try a Belgian Blonde or even a Wit.

An ESB will have a relatively high IBU, but will also be much more malty so the bitterness is not as evident.

I found the link and in referance to the previous poster, he's where I got it. Thanks BM! :rockin:

http://www.brewsupplies.com/hops-gravity.htm

Had my first SNPA today! Not bad. I'm finding out I'm a real beer sissy! I also tried Shiner (Kolsch) I didn't really like it. As for pop tops I'm looking for a beer I like so I can save the bottles. So far St Pauli Girl, SNPA, Greatlakes Pale Ale are the only ones I like. Tied Sam Adams not for me! LOL I'm a big sissy

how about you stop being such a *****........ lol

Just kidding. SNPA is actually on the low end of pales IMO

SNPA finishes too dry for me. It's ok, and I'll drink it, but I'd rather have something else. DFH 60 or 90, O'dell's IPA, Full Sail IPA, Bell's Two Hearted, or my own pale ale are a few that come to mind.

Working down the hop scale from Sierra Nevada, an American Pale Ale, OP might try an English Pale Ale like Bass.

From there he might step down even further to an Irish Ale like Smithwick's (A Guiness product, probably not too hard to find in Chicago burbs).

From there the next step down would be a English brown like a New Castle.

Certainly there is plenty of overlap in the styles, but if the OP comes back looking for beers between X and Y we can be a little more help.

Well right now I'm about to try GreatLakes Christmas Ale LOL! ------- Not bad its diffrent with the spice @7.5% Am I still a sissy! LOL LOL. I'll keep trying!