Tasted Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for First Time

[dbreienrk1]

Real men love hop laden beers...

 

[AnthonyD]

I was in the same boat, I hated the first SNPA I had. I've since given it a couple more chances to change my mind, and I've grown to like it a little more.

I tend not to love really hoppy/bitter beers. Generally, if you give me a stout or a porter I'll be happy!

 

[HABIT]

Deleted a long rambling which didn't have anything relevant to the OP's question.



Good luck with you quest for a better tasting beer and enjoy the ride.

 

[Yooper]

Real men love hop laden beers...

I had to laugh at that. I guess I'm a real man, then!

Really, some people love hops some don't. Some are in love with malt-forward beers. Some like high bitterness, some don't.

My belief is to make what you like. If you like stout, make a stout. If you like brown ales, make browns.

I'm glad you're so open to tasting new beers- that's a great start. But you like what you like, so no need to change. I hate wheat beers, always have. I probably always will. I don't feel that I need to apologize for that- there are plenty of other beers out there to drink instead!

 

[optimatored]

Sierra Pale Ale is amazing! I too thought it was bitter at first... if you were talking about DF 120min IPA I would agree!

 

[beerjunky828]

I had one of these last night. I don't think I have drank one in over a year. It was quite pleasing.

Keep tasting more and more and more beers until you find something that pleases you but I think you will soon come to love APA's.

 

[wrestler63]

I had to laugh at that. I guess I'm a real man, then!


My belief is to make what you like. If you like stout, make a stout. If you like brown ales, make browns.

I'm glad you're so open to tasting new beers- that's a great start. But you like what you like, so no need to change. I hate wheat beers, always have. I probably always will. I don't feel that I need to apologize for that- there are plenty of other beers out there to drink instead!

+1 on yooper. Brew what appeals to you. Your tastes may differ from mine but you are the one enjoying the fruits of your labor, so, go for it.
Cheers

 

[Handle]

As has been said, you almost certainly will develop a taste for hops eventually. I remember before I got into craft beers trying an IPA in Asheville for the first time. The waitress said it was their most popular beer, so I thought, "All of these people can't be wrong, right?"

It was disgusting. At that time, I also tried an American Amber that I thought was way too bitter.

I started really trying craft beers in earnest only maybe a year and a half ago. I had read many references to Dogfish Head's 90-minute IPA, so I thought I'd try it.

I don't know why, but I thought that IPA was delicious. Then I progressively have tried more and more IPAs, and really enjoyed most of them.

Hop bitterness isn't for everyone, but just by acclimating yourself to hops in other styles, you'll gradually grow to enjoy APAs and IPAs, and perhaps even IIPAs.

 

[waldoar15]

I drink a lot of IPA, so SNPA is pretty tame in my book. But, even I have my hops limits.

Nothing wrong with not liking a style of beer. There's many that I don't drink.

 

[kryolla]

If you are a BMC drinker moving on to craft brews then your palate is going to need to get used to drinking beers with taste. You just have to try different types of beer and see which ones you like and as your palate developes go back and try those beer you didnt like. I haven't had a SNPA in a while but the one I did have I didnt like but I do like DFH 60 min IPA and stone IPA and luganitas (sp) IPA.

 

[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 bitch?
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.