What's with all the Sierra Nevada Pale hate?

CornyKegs 728
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BrewBrain said:
I love SNPA and ALL of the beers I've ever tried from that brewery. That's one outfit that's got beer figured out IMO.

Plus, best homebrew bottles available. Especially the short, squatty 24 ouncers that actually fit on the fridge shelf:mug:
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SNPA is a go to beer for me as well, at $12 a 1/2 case it is not a bad deal and I get to reuse the bottles :rockin:

a case of new bottles at my LHBS is 19.99, so for $24 I get a case of great bottles and 2.5 gallons of good beer !!

-Jason
 
I like SNPA okay. I think part of it is that it's everywhere. It was my introduction of sorts to craft beer, so I went through a phase of snubbing it because I was interested in more exotic things.

SNPA also seems to have interesting aging properties. After a while it seems to get "sweeter" or "thicker"... not always a good thing depending on what you're in the mood for.
 
Here the typical selection is all the BMCs + corona of course, but the standard good beers are widmer hefe, firestone double barrel and SNPA and that is always a good choice in comparison to the others.

Although I was at a pizza place here and they had:

Bud, Bud light, coors light, blue moon, amberbock, blue moon and widmer.

That is only 1 non BMC beer to choose from, that pretty much sucks
 
jonalexdeval said:
SNPA also seems to have interesting aging properties. After a while it seems to get "sweeter" or "thicker"... not always a good thing depending on what you're in the mood for.
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What happens is that the hops profile and the bitterness fade, leaving the malty backbone of the beer to shine through. Not the best taste in a pale ale, which is why you don't see a lot of aged APAs out there.
 
Because you can drink two and still have enamel on your teeth. Obviously under-hopped.
 
I always find myself coming back to a SNPA either out at a restaurant or bringing it to a party. I have never had a SN beer I didn't like.
 
size said:
I've seen Sierra Nevada's PA called "california piss-beer", "disgusting", and plenty of other things.

I think it's just fine. Now I'm not claiming it to be one of the better American PA's, because it isn't. And i'm not saying it isn't slightly overpriced, because it is. But it certainly isn't piss-beer, and as a standard PA I think it's just fine. And I don't see it claiming to be any more than it actually is.

Now granted, I live in Iowa, and we just don't get a very good selection here. But I'm perfectly satisfied with a 6er of Sierra Nevada when I'm not dead broke. But even when I lived in Colorado I still considered it an all-right pale.

Why does everyone hate it so much? Or have I just run into a select few people who hate it? I get the feeling most of the hate stems from the west coast...?
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Well as I did not read the rest of this thread and just read your first post I do not know how other feel about your topic. I just started another thread just like this about Sam Adams in the General Beer forum.

Sierra Nevada is far from piss. I still love a good Sierra Pale Ale here or there. The Torpedo IPA is very good, the Harvest series is awesome, when I can get the Wheat I usually buy it all (I dont think they make it anymore). The Bigfoot is wonderful, the anniversary is very good and the Celebration is one of the better IPA's out there.

Anyone that says anything bad about Sierra Nevada is just a loser beer snob.
 
the_bird said:
I can't recall ever seeing anyone talk smack about SNPA. I see dislike for Sam Adams (which I also think is mostly misplaced), but never for Sierra Nevada.
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Second this.


I don't really like SNPA, but I've never really seen it being bashed around here. I kinda think the opposite actually, that it gets put on a pedestal too often here.

Guess its all about perception?
 
size said:
I've seen Sierra Nevada's PA called "california piss-beer", "disgusting", and plenty of other things.

I think it's just fine. Now I'm not claiming it to be one of the better American PA's, because it isn't. And i'm not saying it isn't slightly overpriced, because it is. But it certainly isn't piss-beer, and as a standard PA I think it's just fine. And I don't see it claiming to be any more than it actually is.

Now granted, I live in Iowa, and we just don't get a very good selection here. But I'm perfectly satisfied with a 6er of Sierra Nevada when I'm not dead broke. But even when I lived in Colorado I still considered it an all-right pale.

Why does everyone hate it so much? Or have I just run into a select few people who hate it? I get the feeling most of the hate stems from the west coast...?
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For me, everything Sierra Nevada makes has a nasty taste to it. I'm pretty sure it's the variety of hops they use, but I suppose it could also be something else. Either way, enough people like it for them to stay in biz, but then the same can be said of BMC, which is right where I rate Sierra Nevada's swill. Look at it this way: more for you! Regards, GF.
 
gratus fermentatio said:
For me, everything Sierra Nevada makes has a nasty taste to it. I'm pretty sure it's the variety of hops they use, but I suppose it could also be something else. Either way, enough people like it for them to stay in biz, but then the same can be said of BMC, which is right where I rate Sierra Nevada's swill. Look at it this way: more for you! Regards, GF.
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I taste that as well which is my main complaint. Almost ALL of their beers have that taste. It's definitly one of the strains of hops and I'm not sure which it is.
 
gratus fermentatio said:
For me, everything Sierra Nevada makes has a nasty taste to it. I'm pretty sure it's the variety of hops they use, but I suppose it could also be something else. Either way, enough people like it for them to stay in biz, but then the same can be said of BMC, which is right where I rate Sierra Nevada's swill. Look at it this way: more for you! Regards, GF.
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Just because you don't like the way it tastes doesn't mean that it is swill. Comparing Sierra Nevada to any of the big companies is just silly. It is a well made beer that is widely popular among a lot of people with great taste in beer. Your palate is obviously different than mine, but there's no need to trash it when it is still a good quality brewery.
 
I'm actually not a big fan of the PA (don't hate it, just wouldn't buy it b/c the price doesn't seem like it should be that high), but I love all of their other beers.
 
gratus fermentatio said:
. . . the same can be said of BMC, which is right where I rate Sierra Nevada's swill.
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Got to agree with carnevoodoo. It's the same kind of trash talk that Samuel Adams gets by EAC's trying to prove their beer superiority. You might not like what they have to offer, but it's certainly not "swill."

And a little off topic, I had the chance to taste Life and Limb, the Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head collaboration. Had it on tap at Rehoboth Beach. If you get a chance to try this, don’t pass it up. Excellent!
 
carnevoodoo said:
Comparing Sierra Nevada to any of the big companies is just silly. It is a well made beer that is widely popular among a lot of people with great taste in beer.
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Wait, you can't compare Sierra Nevada to Coors because Sierra Nevada makes popular and well made beer?

Is Coors beer poorly made? Unpopular?
 
imaguitargod said:
I too had that, it was quite enjoyable. Don't think it'll age well, but I enjoyed it.
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Dunno, I'd love to find a few bomber to cellar for a couple of years.

Life & Limb is a 10% ABV strong beer that defies style characteristics-brewed with pure maple syrup from the Calagione family farm in Massachusetts and estate barley grown on the Grossman "farm" at the brewery in Chico. The beer is alive with yeast-a blend of both breweries' house strains-bottle conditioned for added complexity and shelf life, and naturally carbonated with birch syrup fresh from Alaska; it is the first beer we know of ever to use birch syrup in the brew. If stored under good conditions, this rich, full-bodied beer should age well for years. Life & Limb will be available in 24-oz. bottles and limited draft starting this November.
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There is often a trend to dislike the popular and successful....be it a beer, an athalete, an actor, a company etc.

Personally I like just about everything Sierra Nevada makes and I have for many years. Celebration ale continues to be my personal favorite brew made on the commercial level, and the new Torpedo is a nice add to the stable. Add to that their innovative and environmentally friendly process, and the fact it is a great place to work from all accounts, and the level to which they support the home brewing community.

SNPA has been a staple in my fridge for some 10 odd years. I think it exemplifies the style, and so apparently does the BJCP style guideline as it is the first commercial example listed. They list commercial examples in the order of how well they represent the style.

Viva La Sierra Nevada Brewery!
 
carnevoodoo said:
No, coors is not poorly made or unpopular. However, that wasn't the argument I was making, troll.
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You were trying to make the argument that your subjective opinion about which well made and popular beers are good is better than someone elses?

You can take this opportunity to restate your previous post or explain which part of it I misinterpreted.

If pointing out logical bankruptcy makes me a troll, so be it.
 
I think this thread can be summed up with this popular phrase:

"Opinions are like..." well, you know how it goes.
 
AnOldUR said:
And a little off topic, I had the chance to taste Life and Limb, the Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head collaboration. Had it on tap at Rehoboth Beach. If you get a chance to try this, don’t pass it up. Excellent!
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I tried Life and Limb the other day in the bottle... was pretty disappointed. It has a definite alcohol taste and I could hardly finish half the bottle. I hope it's better on tap because I expected a lot better from Dogfish head and SN. It had potential, but was just overwhelmed by the alcohol content.
 
remilard said:
You can take this opportunity to restate your previous post or explain which part of it I misinterpreted.
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Let me take a stab at it.


carnevoodoo said:
Comparing Sierra Nevada to any of the big companies is just silly.
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There is sometimes a hazy line between company’s driven purely by profit and those brewery's who motive lies in creating a crafted product. In other words, company’s who see brewing as an art rather than a science. I believe that this is not the case when comparing Coors to Sierra Navada. Coors may have begun as a craft brew, but the MillerCoors combination ended that. On the other side, I see Sierra Nevada as a company who takes pride in innovation.

carnevoodoo said:
It is a well made beer that is widely popular among a lot of people with great taste in beer.
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You made the assumption that this statement implied that BMC's were not popular or well made. The other way to look at it is that these are separate and independent sentences stating a series of facts.


carnevoodoo said:
Your palate is obviously different than mine, but there's no need to trash it when it is still a good quality brewery.
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And this pretty much sums it up that you're a troll.
 
jonalexdeval said:
I tried Life and Limb the other day in the bottle... was pretty disappointed. It has a definite alcohol taste and I could hardly finish half the bottle. I hope it's better on tap because I expected a lot better from Dogfish head and SN. It had potential, but was just overwhelmed by the alcohol content.
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Good to know. Makes me wonder what the difference between the kegged and bottled version are. I've heard the same thing said of DFH 120 minute IPA, that the bottles have to be aged.
 
AnOldUR said:
Dunno, I'd love to find a few bomber to cellar for a couple of years.
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I'm going off memory here (my mind's like a steel sieve :drunk: ), but it didn't have a quality that I would think beers you would want to age had. It was very malty and sweet which would just come out more and more as the little amount of hops they used mellowed out with time.

jonalexdeval said:
I tried Life and Limb the other day in the bottle... was pretty disappointed. It has a definite alcohol taste and I could hardly finish half the bottle. I hope it's better on tap because I expected a lot better from Dogfish head and SN. It had potential, but was just overwhelmed by the alcohol content.
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I noticed the alcohol taste too, but it wasn't overtwhelming for me. It was tasty for the one glass I had of it. Not something I would drink daily though. Maybe once a month.
 
jonalexdeval said:
I tried Life and Limb the other day in the bottle... was pretty disappointed. It has a definite alcohol taste and I could hardly finish half the bottle. I hope it's better on tap because I expected a lot better from Dogfish head and SN. It had potential, but was just overwhelmed by the alcohol content.
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Odd, I didn't find it to have a lot of alcohol taste to it. In fact, it was pretty malty with a lot of body. But, it is a big beer...so maybe I was expecting to taste the alcohol. It all comes down to preference, to each their own.
 
AnOldUR said:
Let me take a stab at it.


There is sometimes a hazy line between company’s driven purely by profit and those brewery's who motive lies in creating a crafted product. In other words, company’s who see brewing as an art rather than a science. I believe that this is not the case when comparing Coors to Sierra Navada. Coors may have begun as a craft brew, but the MillerCoors combination ended that. On the other side, I see Sierra Nevada as a company who takes pride in innovation.

You made the assumption that this statement implied that BMC's were not popular or well made. The other way to look at it is that these are separate and independent sentences stating a series of facts.


And this pretty much sums it up that you're a troll.
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Wow, your defense of carnevoodo was that he made an unjustified claim that Sierra Nevada was incomparable to some other breweries and then followed it up with completely unrelated facts about Sierra Nevada that were not meant to differentiate it from these other breweries?

So he is a poor communicator and is prone to making sweeping claims without justifying them?

I can live with that.
 
I don't hate SNPA, but about the only time I get one is when it's the only non-BMC beer on the menu. I don't go buy it at stores and I don't go out of my way to get it. Just not a fan.

The Celebration Ale, on the other hand... fabulous!
 
SNPA is not to my taste, but I appreciate their effort on the behalf of discerning beer drinkers and then to their shareholders (Assuming they have them)

Coors Lite is not to my taste, but I appreciate their effort on behalf of their shareholders and then to their discerning beer drinkers (Assuming they have any)
 
AnOldUR said:
.... driven purely by profit and those brewery's who motive lies in creating a crafted product. In other words, company’s who see brewing as an art rather than a science. I believe that this is not the case when comparing Coors to Sierra Navada. Coors may have begun as a craft brew, but the MillerCoors combination ended that. On the other side, I see Sierra Nevada as a company who takes pride in innovation.[/SIZE]
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I would be willing to bet that MillerCoors tries out substantially more new recipes every year than Sierra Nevada does.
 
Synovia said:
I would be willing to bet that MillerCoors tries out substantially more new recipes every year than Sierra Nevada does.
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Yeah, but I think it's safe to say that they are only trying to play catch-up and regain market share lost the craft beer industry.

Without that motivation they would be happy to provide you with nothing but Coors Light.
 
Sierra Nevada beers have the most awesome heads and head retention. I swear every beer I pour from them has a thick, foamy head that takes forever to go away. Even a 2008 Bigfoot Barleywine.
 
AnOldUR said:
Yeah, but I think it's safe to say that they are only trying to play catch-up and regain market share lost the craft beer industry.

Without that motivation they would be happy to provide you with nothing but Coors Light.
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And you know this how? And you know Sierra Nevada is different, how?
 
SNPA is an awesome session beer. Who says they hate it? Ive had hundreds of beers and I can honestly say without a doubt SNPA is a stand by
 
Synovia said:
I would be willing to bet that MillerCoors tries out substantially more new recipes every year than Sierra Nevada does.
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Why would they do that, and what recipes would they try out? Maybe they try out a thousand new recipes for a light american pilsner or lager, perhaps a wheat beer. But why waste money developing a recipe for pale ale, IPA, or Belgian Dubbel when only a small part of the market would buy it? Most people are happy with their Coors Light or Miller High Life. For the others, they already are convinced that microbreweries produce a superior more authentic product, so most of them won't be buying it. Seems like all that research would be a hard sell to a profit-minded group of shareholders.
 

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