Which brewery is more solid than Sierra Nevada?

Yuri_Rage said:

How about Bear Republic? I haven't had one from them that I dislike.

Of the other breweries named so far: I don't particularly like SN's stout or porter, SNCA was only ok, and SNPA is pretty forgettable. I'm not a huge fan of anything but the porter from Anchor...Anchor Steam tastes good but sits funny in my gut (makes me feel overly full for no good reason). O'Dell makes good beer, but I hated the porter, and the 90 shilling is more of a 70 shilling. Deschuttes and Mirror Pond are good, but they have a very "mass produced" feel to them.

Overcritical? Yes. But you asked.

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Obviously taste is subjective, so I can't argue your experiences. I love SN's Stout and Porter, but the Anchor Porter is probably a little better. I know what you're saying about Anchor Steam though, it bothers me as well...

OB only has (that I know of)

Dales Pale
Gordon
Ten Fiddy
Old Chub

and a Brown on tap.

olllllo said:

OB only has (that I know of)

Dales Pale
Gordon
Ten Fiddy
Old Chub

and a Brown on tap.

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Then I guess I've had all their distributed brews. They lose points with me because they only cover 4 styles. They also gain points with me because they're all canned. Still not as thorough, accessible, or consistent as Sierra. I've been drinking Dale's for about 3-4 years and I know they thinned the recipe slightly. Still some great beer though...

I'm a big SN fan, too. I take a few points off in that all their beers just seem to be variations on the same theme (e.g., the porter is something like the PA with some roastiness), but it's a theme I do enjoy. I don't much care for the wheat, though. The hop flavor and aroma just seems a bit out of whack with the malt profile. When I had it the first time, I couldn't get over the thought that someone spiked my beer with perfume. I drank the whole sixer, though, and did just fine.

I'll give Anchor another vote, too, although I have not had their Small Beer.

Rogue certainly is up there!

I'll put Allagash up for nomination for the circle of solid breweries, as well.


TL

I wish Rogue were easier to get around here. I LOVE their beers but can't usually justify $5.99 for a 22oz. (That's the cheap place. My favorite bar is $12 for a 22oz.)

I've only been able to sample about three or four of their beers... but since all are in my all-time top ten, I've got to throw some love at Vinnie/Russian River. Maybe you want to disqualify them as being too small and not really a place for "everyday" beers - but DAMN, everything of theirs that I have sampled has been absolutely otherworldly. Not just Pliny, either; I really want to do a Golden Strong like Damnation, and Santification was so unique...

Probably not a broad-enough selection of beers... but if I had to pick ONE brewery whose output I could consumer, I'd have to think long and hard about RR.

Soulive said:

I mean lets be honest; is there any brewery more solid? They cover several different styles and they do them all well to very well. If I could only drink one brewery's beer for the rest of my life, it'd be theirs...

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I really like all of New Belgian Brewing Company's beers.

Sierra Nevada fans in the Philly metro:

Event Details:
Join us as we tap Sierra Nevada's latest creation
Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

Also Pouring from the Draft Tower:
Pale Ale
Summerfest
Torpedo
Harvest Ale 2007

Patrick Mullin from Sierra Nevada will be present to answer all questions.
http://beeradvocate.com/events/info/18342

SN isn't bad but points definately get taken off for some of their beers not being true to style. An ESB with American hops is not an ESB and shouldn't be advertised as such. I did enjoy it though.

I guess my vote for more solid brewery goes to Sam Adams.

The only beer from them I won't touch is the Hefe. Most of the others are excellent to outstanding. If I had a top 10 list of beers, 2 might come from Sam Adams. Those probably being the Winter Lager and Double Bock.

SA Cherry Lambic.

Fail.

brewt00l said:

Join us as we tap Sierra Nevada's latest creation
Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

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Dunno if anyone caught that....

"Sierra Nevada, the pioneer of fresh hop ales in America, has expanded its Harvest Ale Series with the release of another ground-breaking product introduction, Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. This marks the first time in known history that a fresh hop ale has been available in America in the spring since hops are harvested in the fall in the northern hemisphere. The inaugural ale will debut in early May.

ImageTo make this project happen, Sierra Nevada traveled to New Zealand to harvest fresh hops, and then transported them from the southern hemisphere to Chico where they were immediately used in brewing. Like their award-winning Celebration Ale, the fresh hops in this beer are dried right after being picked then shipped immediately to Chico for brewing, so that they retain their peak aromatics and flavors. Freshly harvested hops are richer in hop oils so they impart more hop aroma and hop spiciness into beer."
http://drinkcraftbeer.com/the_news/...ada_releasing_fresh_hop_beers_year_round.html

olllllo said:

SA Cherry Lambic.

Fail.

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epic fail

Yeah, the new Harvest Ale should be an interesting experiment. I think they are having a kickoff tomorrow at the SN pub. I'm a fan of the original harvest ale, but am wondering whether I'll feel the same about this one with New Zealand hops. It seems that their process is different for shipping, and I wonder if this will effect the end product much, if at all.

TwoHeadsBrewing said:

Yeah, the new Harvest Ale should be an interesting experiment. I think they are having a kickoff tomorrow at the SN pub. I'm a fan of the original harvest ale, but am wondering whether I'll feel the same about this one with New Zealand hops. It seems that their process is different for shipping, and I wonder if this will effect the end product much, if at all.

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IIRC the Harvest ale was "wet" hopped w/ undried fresh hops while these will be dried then immediately shipped for a "fresh" hopped ale. I'm curious too.

I forgot to mention Great Lakes, which i should be slapped for, as i think they are my favorite brewery of all.

ya know I hate to say it because I live so close BUT... I am not a huge fan of SN beers I also must add I am ***Im gonna say it*** not a big hop head. I like balance in my beers I would have to say if I could only have 1 it would have to be **oh let me pick 2** Etna brewing or EEL river for my home team and either Spaten or Black boss for the away team.
JJ

My only beer on the island would be Victory.

Im suprised no one has said Pyramid- I like them.

Our local is Midnight Sun Brewing. Awesome!

olllllo said:

SA Cherry Lambic.

Fail.

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You're a bit off there.

Cherry Wheat. FAIL. Cranberry Lambic. FAIL.

+1 for Deschutes...

Mirror pond is not their best, but if you ever within a few hours of Bend, OR, the restaurant and draft beers (some not available in bottles) are outstanding.

The Obsidian on nitro is a thing of beauty!

Eric (6 hours from Bend, OR)

I'm surprised New Glarus only got mentioned once. I guess it has something to do with there very limited distribution. Their whole line up doesn't have any large flaws. Even their totally naked (which was brewed as a joke to compete with BMC) is tasty for the style. Dan's unplugged series is amazing, I've had 6 of the unplugged styles and each one of those are in my mind perfect representatives of the style they are brewed as. their hearty hop IPA is my favorite IPA and their new Road Slush Stout is simply amazing. My least like brew of theirs, the popular spotted cow, isn't bad at all. Overall For a small craft brewery their lineup is second to none.

I'm surprised to have only seen a couple mentions of Bell's. I'm not a fan of all the styles they make, but every offering I've sampled has been well crafted. Not a clunker in the bunch as far as my tastes go. Are there better versions of any particular style from another brewery? Sure, but no one is as consistently good at everything they produce. My vote is also swayed because their Two Hearted Ale is my all-time favorite...


I'm not really into their 90 Shilling, but everything else I've had from Odell has been top notch. They're my runner-up.

scottthorn said:

I'm surprised to have only seen a couple mentions of Bell's....

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+1, my vote goes to Bell's.

impossible!

Sadly, the best brewery near here (North Dakota) is Big Sky. Definitely not the worst, but wtf can't we have our own decent brewery in-state?