Tasted Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for First Time

[IrregularPulse]

just move half the bittering hops to a later addition. It will still be tastefully hoppy, but with less bitter aftertaste. ease into loving hops, there is no rush.

I agree, don't drink something you don't enjoy. You should drink beer because you enjoy it, not because the west coast industry tells you the more hops it has the better.
Pale Ales from the west coast seem to be as hoppy as they can make it. That's the trend nowadays. Screw a well balanced beer, just burn their taste buds. If you enjoy this, then great, if not, don't force yourself to choke it down. If someone says you're not into beer because you don't like hops, they're a ****** bag who only likes beer because "it's cool and hip". Drink what you enjoy, that's the beauty of having so many styles available.
PLus your tastes will change over the years. I started out a stout man, then I was a hop head for about a year or 2, loved the flavor and bitterness of hop bombs, now I' love belgians and am starting to enjoy the simpleness of lighter beers likeHelles and Blondes. These are beers my snobbiness would have shrugged off two years ago simply for their color.

Drink what's good to your palate on a regular basis, try something new as often as you can.

Real men love hop laden beers...

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

I guess it's all about the search for the ultimate beer... if/when you finally find it and the search is over, and that is as bad as it is good, I guess.

 

[Yooper]

I guess it's all about the search for the ultimate beer... if/when you finally find it and the search is over, and that is as bad as it is good, I guess.

Ah, but that's the beauty of it! You'll NEVER find the ultimate beer.

Just when you say, "I think this beer is perfect", someone will hand you a new one to try or you'll see a new one in the store. I still don't like wheats or sours, but as Irregular Pulse said, there are so many new styles to try that you will never really reach Beer Nirvana.

 

[Synovia]

i like hoppy beers, and I HATE SNPA.

 

[eppo]

Ive never had the SNPA. but i did pick up a 12 pack of the SN Celebration ale.
for those who have tried both which one has more hop bitterness?
i do have to try some SNPA. my first IPA was Stone IPA and that was Very bitter. hop bitterness does grow on you though. i'm just starting to get into it.

 

[RichBenn]

You'll develop a tolerance, and later a craving for the hops.

Believe me, the first time I tasted SNPA I thought the same thing. I was a malt lover, and didn't like hoppy beers. But in the last 4 years or so, I became a hop head. About 3 years ago I started to LOVE SNPA. Now, I think SNPA is a very tame beer- kinda like drinking a Bud Light for beer snobs. Oh, don't get me wrong, I still love SNPA as an everyday drinker. I appreciate Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam for leading me into craft beers.

These are my sentiments, exactly! For the O.P., your tastes will change over time, most likely, and that's good. Many of us, like the two above, unfortunately have experienced a lupulin threshold shift. (look it up!).

Both my wife and I spent our last 3 beer fests tasting exclusively IPAs and IIPAs. These were west coast breweries, with many beers over 100 IBUs. After these sessions, all other styles were almost undrinkable. When I mentioned this to one attendee, he stated that twice a year, he avoids hoppy beers for a month so he can start enjoying other styles all over again. But he always "slips" again into Hopland!

But I digress. If your tastes are towards the sweet beers, then by all means pick a style that is sweet. If you like malty, pick malty. If you can avoid the addiction of hops, it'll save you money. But don't be surprised if your tastes change over time.....

Oh, one last thing. Beers, like wine, taste different in different settings (like what food you are having). So try a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (or other brew) sometime in the future with, for example, some barbeque or Thai food. You may find it tastes totally different.

Rich

 

[Handle]

Ive never had the SNPA. but i did pick up a 12 pack of the SN Celebration ale.
for those who have tried both which one has more hop bitterness?
i do have to try some SNPA. my first IPA was Stone IPA and that was Very bitter. hop bitterness does grow on you though. i'm just starting to get into it.

Celebration is an IPA, and so it's more bitter than the Pale Ale. But it is, in my opinion, a very delicious IPA.

If you're looking for a more well-balanced IPA, consider Bell's Two-Hearted. It has a nice malt character to it and also has sort of a tropical fruit (mango) taste to it at times. I'm gradually becoming a hop head, but as of now, that's my favorite IPA.

 

[IrregularPulse]

...but as Irregular Pulse said, there are so many new styles to try that you will never really reach Beer Nirvana.

There in lies the answer.
You will never find Beer Nirvana until you realize the journey of trying the world's offerings was indeed the Nivrava you seeked!!

Hot damn, Some one give me a rice pickers hat and a Fu-Man-Chu.

 

[jdp]

I like the beer style, just not thiers. Same with most of St. Stans beers. I think in each case it is the yeast strains, but I suppose it could be the water too.

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

Last night I drank 2 more bottles of the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale... just 2 more to go... and I was a little more able to tolerate it. I wonder how much ale these guys sell to folks who are just trying to cultivate a taste for it?
At least they have a really neat name and a very nice label... kind of like a beautiful blonde *****?
Now there's a name for a beer!

 

[hopvine]

In my experience, you'll have a much easier time getting acclimated to bitterness when it's your own beer you're drinking, ESPECIALLY when it's your first. Before I started brewing, I wasn't a fan of bitterness, but when my first batch turned out more bitter than I had anticipated it took about four bottles before I was a converted hophead.

 

[AnOldUR]

Last night I drank 2 more bottles of the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale... just 2 more to go... and I was a little more able to tolerate it. I wonder how much ale these guys sell to folks who are just trying to cultivate a taste for it?

Something about this post bothers me. Forcing down beer that you don't like so that you can cultivate a taste for it just seems wrong. Drink a style because you enjoy it, not because someone else does. If you're destined to become a hophead it will happen over time. You won't be able to stop it. And you'll enjoy the journey.

 

[user 30639]

Hoppy aftertaste of Sam Adams??

If all you're used to is BMC products, Sam Adams will seem pretty hoppy. Same with SNPA.

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

Something about this post bothers me. Forcing down beer that you don't like so that you can cultivate a taste for it just seems wrong. Drink a style because you enjoy it, not because someone else does. If you're destined to become a hophead it will happen over time. You won't be able to stop it. And you'll enjoy the journey.

I am sorry that you are bothered by my post. I bought a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to see what it tastes like and I have 2 bottles left. I am posting about my experience because I was shocked at the taste of the highly touted ale. What should I do, throw the last 2 bottles in the trash can? Maybe I should not try any other types of beer/ale because there is a chance I will not like them, right?

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

If all you're used to is BMC products, Sam Adams will seem pretty hoppy. Same with SNPA.

I have tried Samuel Adams beer... at least I have tried the original recipe and although I wasn't crazy about it, I wasn't shocked by the taste of it like I was when I tried the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. They have released quite a few new flavors(?) since I tried it and I think I may revisit their beer/ale.
Actually, I have been to their brewery in Cincinnati when I was driving a truck... I delivered a 53' trailer load of bottles to them. Wow... I didn't realize what a treasure I had in my trailer at the time... 22 pallets of bottles.

 

[northernlad]

I am sorry that you are bothered by my post. I bought a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to see what it tastes like and I have 2 bottles left. I am posting about my experience because I was shocked at the taste of the highly touted ale. What should I do, throw the last 2 bottles in the trash can? Maybe I should not try any other types of beer/ale because there is a chance I will not like them, right?

Speaking of Highly touted...
I went to Philly last year and was excited to find DFH 90 on tap at my hotel and couldn't wait to try one. WTF is that? Candied Hops? I did not like the first one. Decided as another already posted here it could be situational tasing so I tried another the next day. Meh. Its alright but for me not worth the money it takes to pay some dude to drop a hop every 3 seconds. Or whatever.
SNPA is the best of what it is, you don't have to like it but if you were a friend of mine I'd pitch you a wheel barrow of Shyt for it.

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

Speaking of Highly touted...
I went to Philly last year and was excited to find DFH 90 on tap at my hotel and couldn't wait to try one. WTF is that? Candied Hops? I did not like the first one. Decided as another already posted here it could be situational tasing so I tried another the next day. Meh. Its alright but for me not worth the money it takes to pay some dude to drop a hop every 3 seconds. Or whatever.
SNPA is the best of what it is, you don't have to like it but if you were a friend of mine I'd pitch you a wheel barrow of Shyt for it.

I'll probably end up liking it so much that I'll be brewing a clone, but at this point I don't really think so. Maybe I have been drinking Budweiser for too many years... we'll see.

 

[gtpro]

you may find, as I have, that hoppy beers are an acquired taste, but one you learn to appreciate them. . .mmmboy. A nice hoppy IPA is like sticking your face into a bunch of wildflowers.

 

[smitty2324]

I'vefound that I lve hoppy beers, but I also know that I'm not a huge fan of straight cascades, which is pretty much all SN seems to use. To me, cascades don't seem to impart much flavor/aroma as many other hops. I find that I'm much more likely to drink ther brands of APA because of this.

 

[gannawdm]

Something about this post bothers me. Forcing down beer that you don't like so that you can cultivate a taste for it just seems wrong. Drink a style because you enjoy it, not because someone else does. If you're destined to become a hophead it will happen over time. You won't be able to stop it. And you'll enjoy the journey.

Something about this post bothers me. It's not about "forcing down beer that you don't like". It's about keeping an open mind. If other people like something, there must be a reason for it. I think anybody can acquire a taste for anything. The more tastes that you acquire, the more things you can enjoy. I used to hate hoppy bitter beers. I love them now. I used to hate sauerkraut. I love it now. I hated kimchi when I first tried it. I love it now. The list goes on and on. If you dismiss things and refuse to try them ever again, you're doing yourself a disservice. I've found that the tastes that I have acquired I enjoy the most.

 

[Willy Boner]

Something about this post bothers me. It's not about "forcing down beer that you don't like". It's about keeping an open mind. If other people like something, there must be a reason for it. I think anybody can acquire a taste for anything. The more tastes that you acquire, the more things you can enjoy. I used to hate hoppy bitter beers. I love them now. I used to hate sauerkraut. I love it now. I hated kimchi when I first tried it. I love it now. The list goes on and on. If you dismiss things and refuse to try them ever again, you're doing yourself a disservice. I've found that the tastes that I have acquired I enjoy the most.

A friend of mine that chewed tobacco told me if you mixed nicotine with cow****, you could convince yourself it tasted pretty good. I took his word for it.

 

[ChshreCat]

I've had it a few times and while I don't actively dislike it, I'm not crazy for it. When I was down in Cali and SNPA was the only non-BMC choice when I went for dinner, I drank it and it was fine. But if there's other choices, I'll go with something else. And I like a hoppy APA and love cascades.

 

[gerbache]

I actually find SNPA to be one of the more balanced pale ales out there, especially by west coast standards. I definitely would not put it into the category of the stereotypical west coast stuff-it-full-of-hops beers that have been the more recent trend. After all, they've been doing their pale ale for, what, 25 years now? It is only 37 IBUs according to their website...

Now, their Torpedo IPA, that's a hops blast! A delicious one, at that.

 

[passedpawn]

Now, their Tornado IPA, that's a hops blast! A delicious one, at that.

Torpedo? .

 

[gerbache]

Doh! Wrong "T" word! This is why I shouldn't post about beer before having my morning coffee.

 

[AnOldUR]

I am sorry that you are bothered by my post.

You're right, I shouldn't be bothered. It's your right to drink beer that you don't like.

I bought a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to see what it tastes like and I have 2 bottles left. I am posting about my experience because I was shocked at the taste of the highly touted ale. What should I do, throw the last 2 bottles in the trash can?

If after 4 bottles, I clearly didn't like the beer, yeah, I'd toss the rest. If the taste had an appeal, but was a bit over the top for me, I'd put that one on the side and try some other samples of the style.

Maybe I should not try any other types of beer/ale because there is a chance I will not like them, right?

Where did this even come from. Of course you should try things. That doesn't mean you have to like them. And if you don't like it now, it doesn't mean you won't like it if you try it again a year from now. You owe it to yourself to always continue to try things old and new.

Last night I drank 2 more bottles of the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale... just 2 more to go... and I was a little more able to tolerate it.

Quite frankly, you sound like a 10 year old trying to get through his first pack of cigarettes. Drinking beer shouldn't be about tolerating. It should be about enjoying. May be you chose your words wrong, but this was the wording that I was responding to.

If you're destined to become a hophead it will happen over time. You won't be able to stop it. And you'll enjoy the journey.

Clearly, you missed the point of my last post. Choking down a six pack isn't the way to aquire a taste for a beer. Try one of these. Try one of those. If it's a taste that you have the potential of liking, it will grow on you over time. My point was simply that you don't have to force it.



Someday I hope we can share a Stone Double Bastard!

 

[RichBenn]

Doh! Wrong "T" word! This is why I shouldn't post about beer before having my morning coffee.

Sure you weren't drinking some? That stuff goes down so easy one has to be carefull and count how many was consumed!

Torpedo has made me certain that Citra hops will be my next hops purchase. I guess that's the beauty of trying new beers. New flavors to experience and, just maybe, incorporate into the next recipe....

For that reason, and to the original poster's buying a six pack, the trick is to find a place with a wide selection and volume sales that sells by the bottle. That way you get to try out alot of different beers in the same timeframe one drinks a sixpack.

Even better, if one wants to get a quick education on beer styles and who is good, go to a beerfest. Some of them have so many different beers from so many great breweries, you'll think you died and went to heaven!

Rich

 

[wendelgee2]

I have to say that I reluctantly drink SNPA when I it's the only non-BMC around. It's harsh. This is a DRY, fairly bitter, fairly highly carbonated beer. And, honestly, I don't even taste that much cascade character. All of that, to my tongue, equates to harsh bitterness and a thin body. (sounds like this girl I used to date...) Anyway, I don't call that "balanced." Not by a damn sight. Dogfish 60Min is balanced: lots of hop bitterness, lots of hop flavor, lots of malt. SNPA is just plain acidic.

Edit: I just remembered Jamil saying that SNPA Draught that you can get at the brewery is much less dry, much more of a malt backbone...therefore: more balanced.

 

[jdp]

I got thinking about the original post earlier this morning, and your concern over brewing a batch similar to the sierra nevada.

In about june of last year, I brewed an IPA. After bottle conditioning for 3 weeks I absolutey hated it. I gave a case to my neighbor and just shy of a case to my uncle, who put in his cellar until about 3 weeks ago. he was out of cold beer in the fridge so I grabbed one of the IPA's from under the house. It had changed TONS for the better and now I wish I hadn't given it to him.

Moral of the story...if it doesn't turn out to your liking, store it for a while and then give it another chance before giving it away.

 

[LVBen]

Did you drink the SNPA out of the bottle or in a glass?

You might already know this, but SNPA is bottle-conditioned, so there is yeast and other sediment at the bottom of the bottle. The best way to enjoy an SNPA is to carefully pour it into a glass and leave the last ounce in the bottle.

I drank that last ounce one time all by itself and it does not taste good, so I'm pretty sure that if you drink from the bottle that bad taste is going to get mixed up into the rest of the beer while you drink it.

 

[passedpawn]

Even better, if one wants to get a quick education on beer styles and who is good, go to a beerfest. Some of them have so many different beers from so many great breweries, you'll think you died and went to heaven!

Rich

So true. Take a cab, though. You won't be in any shape to drive afterwards.

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

Well, I drank the last 2 SNPA's this afternoon... they weren't too bad. They were just above room temp and went down pretty well. Maybe I'll buy another 6-pack and drink them cold... so I can bother someone.

 

[AnOldUR]

Haha, it'll grow on you, young warrior.

Read this post and I was assuming the same thing, but just took a look at Bill's profile. Says he's 61 years old.

Maybe I have been drinking Budweiser for too many years...

So, if you started drinking beer at, say 16, that 45 years of drinking Bud.

Maybe I'll buy another 6-pack and drink them . . .

I take everything back. Looking at the challenge you have ahead and your limited time to accomplish it, you better make that a case.

. . . so I can bother someone.

It's all in fun.
(I'm not that far behind you in the age department.)

 

[FishinDave07]

It's an acquired taste. when i first had it i thought it was the hoppiest thing ever, then i tried Dogfish Head 90 min.

 

[bennyd]

I'm just getting into the hobby and have been a BMC (mostly Miller) drinker for the last 10 years. I know...I know...blasphemy on this board. Luckily for myself I have always ventured out and tried different styles and microbrews every so often.

Even though I don't like certain styles of beer....I still appreciate them. It took me a while to enjoy the hoppier more flavorful side of things. I don't mind SNPA and I love Boulevard Pale Ale, along with their Bully Porter. Acquiring the taste will come. Just because you may not like SNPA I don't think you should write off all pale ales just yet. Maybe try a few different kinds.

I'm still having an awfully difficult time with IPA's though. A little too much for me at this point.

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

Read this post and I was assuming the same thing, but just took a look at Bill's profile. Says he's 61 years old.

Not only that... I have a LOT of miles on this old body... not to mention bullet holes and shrapnel scars.

So, if you started drinking beer at, say 16, that 45 years of drinking Bud.

Close... started at 15... had my own car and Old Man Walker just across the county line sold me beer... even had a fake I.D.

I take everything back. Looking at the challenge you have ahead and your limited time to accomplish it, you better make that a case.

How 'bout a 5 gallon batch?

It's all in fun.
(I'm not that far behind you in the age department.)

Glad to see you have a sense of humor... take care old man...

 

[Hillbilly_Bill]

I'm just getting into the hobby and have been a BMC (mostly Miller) drinker for the last 10 years. I know...I know...blasphemy on this board. Luckily for myself I have always ventured out and tried different styles and microbrews every so often.

Even though I don't like certain styles of beer....I still appreciate them. It took me a while to enjoy the hoppier more flavorful side of things. I don't mind SNPA and I love Boulevard Pale Ale, along with their Bully Porter. Acquiring the taste will come. Just because you may not like SNPA I don't think you should write off all pale ales just yet. Maybe try a few different kinds.

I'm still having an awfully difficult time with IPA's though. A little too much for me at this point.

We'll just have to knuckle down and try harder, huh?

 

[Homercidal]

I thought Bass Pale Ale was fairly bitter. Last time I had it it tasted like Bud to me.

SNPA was a pretty hoppy beer for me at one time. Although I think most people would agree that it's on the higher end for a Pale Ale, it's not that hoppy compared to almost all IPAs. I think it's a good everyday beer.

This weekend I got some HOPSLAM! on tap at a beer festival OMG is that some good beer! SOOOO much hops. Not as bitter as you might expect though.

I suggest buying a bottle or two of a good IPA and choke it down. You will be well on your way to becoming a Hophead! ( and will be able to enjoy many more styles because of it).

 

[bubbachunk]

I can no longer detect really any bitterness is SNPA, maybe its all of the IPAs and DIPAs?

 

[ArcaneXor]

I enjoy SNPA, but agree that its bitterness is quite harsh compared to many other Pale Ales. Not really sure where it comes from, since Magnum is a very smooth bittering hop, and Perle is fairly common as a bittering hop in noble hop beers, so it shouldn't be harsh, either.

There are lots of smooth APAs out there that have every bit as much hop flavor and aroma as SNPA. To create a smoother APA at home, make sure you don't have too much sulfur in your water, try first-wort hopping, and use a smooth bittering hop like Magnum, Warrior or Horizon. I really like Cascade as a finishing hop for a traditional APA, but there are other great varieties out there that may be a bit more rounded, like Amarillo.