What is it with SNPA??

[rico567]

I pretty much concur with what "Yuri Rage" said. I see a whole lot more preoccupation with the "extreme" beers here on HBT than any large amount of discussion on SNPA (or any other PA, for that matter). I enjoy SNPA, along with several other commercial PAs, and it's high enough quality and been around so long it might even be termed a benchmark for the style.

At this point I will wax somewhat discursive, as this thread is already tending in that direction. I will be heading into my fifth year of homebrewing this spring. My first three years were spent making batches that hardly ever repeated a recipe. I suppose I was searching for what I liked, everything from hefes and belgians through PAs, IPAs to porters, stouts and barleywine.

Opening on season five, my plans involve perhaps 80% repeating recipes that I know, like, and are enjoyed by both myself and Mrs. Rico. Only a few recipes each in Spring & Fall are devoted to experiments, and neither the beers that have established themselves as regulars nor any of my experiments this Spring are clones of commercial beers. In fact, the only clone I made on purpose (a year ago last Fall) that was spot on and I've really enjoyed is the Founders Breakfast Stout in the recipe section. I enjoy it, but so seldom (ad it stretches my equipment to the limit) that I probably won't brew it again. My strangest experience with a new commercial beer, SN's Ruthless Rye, is that it's very close to a recipe I found on HBT several years ago (Ed Wort's BCB Rye IPA) and brew year-round. But that doesn't really count, since I brew the BCB Rye IPA and have for some time, and the SN is similar to it- so no cloning was involved, in fact, for all I know it was the other way around.

To get back around the long way to the subject of this thread, it still remains true that "There ain't no 'countin for taste."

 

[cheezydemon3]

SNPA is the gateway beer for many beergeeks. Don't ask me how, but the stereotypical frat guy who occasionally left the comfort of his "Bud light is better than Miller" deep discussions long enough the quaff a guinness or a corona (w/lime), now typically has a SNPA about as often as Guinness.

Unlike Guinness, SNPA seems to spark the "maybe there are other great beers I don't know about" thought where guinnes only inspired vaguely concieved and ill advised thoughts of playing rugby or viviting Ireland.

 

[HerbieHowells]

Apparently someone else thought the Guinness and SNPA black and tan sounded like a good idea. Although it seems like something you wouldn't serve at a bar unless someone asked you to. Surely Old Chicago had Bass on tap?

 

[bob1852]

Sierra Nevada is still a mighty fine beer. It hasn't lost its luster with me at all.

I'm surprised you like it. It has hops, ya know.

 

[Hermit]

I drank it when I first started to brew. I bottle. A freaking 12 ounce bottle is $0.50 at the LHBS. SNPA is a little less than $1.00 a bottle around here. So, for another $0.50 I got beer with my bottles. It was worth $0.50 for a 12 ounce beer.

 

[Airborneguy]

lol..SNPA is pretty much my at limit for hops.

 

[dunnright00]

SNPA is a good pale ale, but I tell you this, don't try one after 22oz of West Coast IPA. After that palate wrecker, it tastes like BMC.

 

[hnsfeigel]

SNPA isn't even tan. WTF?

Since I had to look into it, and based on the Wikis, any "ale" mixed with the stout is considered the tan.

...My preferred Black and Tan has always been Guinness and Smithwicks.

Haven't tried that but sounds yummy! Apparently they call that a Blacksmith.

 

[Qhrumphf]

If anyone's feeling daring, try walking into a pub in the wrong part of Belfast and order a Black and Tan. And then duck. Or so I've been told.

If you look up the Wikipedia article on Black and Tans, you'll see why in the intro paragraph. Hah.

 

[rico567]

If anyone's feeling daring, try walking into a pub in the wrong part of Belfast and order a Black and Tan. And then duck. Or so I've been told.

If you look up the Wikipedia article on Black and Tans, you'll see why in the intro paragraph. Hah.

I am well aware of what the Black & Tans were. I think this is one of those cases where a citation is needed for the original statement.

 

[Double-R]

SNPA seems to spark the "maybe there are other great beers I don't know about"

Bingo...Thats what id say..

 

[eanmcnulty]

I love SNPA, but if I'm at a beer bar, then I probably wouldn't order it. I like to try things I've never had. I can usually get it at places that don't have a big selection. But I buy it, and have it around.

In an effort to understand my brewing process and why I am not quite getting the beer I intend to brew, I have begun the "Year of the Clones."

I started yesterday with Sierra Nevada Stout, then I'm brewing SN Porter, SNPA, and Torpedo. After that I spread my wings: FFF Zombie Dust, Avery Maharaja, Founders Breakfast Stout, ST Creme Brulee, Stone 15...

SNPA was what got me into this; I'm hoping it can get me out of it. (I don't know what that means. Thought it sounded good.)

 

[Qhrumphf]

I am well aware of what the Black & Tans were. I think this is one of those cases where a citation is needed for the original statement.

Citation of my original statement? Just what I've been told by friends I've known from Northern Ireland. Was told that if you order one by that name in some more republican dominated neighborhoods over there, you'll probably end up at least thrown out, if not beaten up. But it was meant to be a joke anyway.

 

[jonmohno]

SNPA is like a Godfather of pale ales its been around a long time, i think it was the first pale ale i ever bought along with Dead Guy and Arrogant bastard ocassionally.
I specifically remember picking some up SNPA and was session drinking and i had to switch to a cleaner easy drinking beer really only being able to handle one maybe it was what i ate but it seemed overbearingly bitter at the time which seemed to disrupt my session drinking.Its not one of my personal favorites but i really enjoyed trying it on tap for the first time recently, i like some of the maltier pale ales more though really.It was my least favorate style years ago but i only probably had a few of them and had a closed mind about pale ales because of those few dry bitter ones i tried. Never thought ipa would be my favorate style either.The hefeweison sparked a re- intrest in craft beer with me, i barley had a few cases of light beer a year- until somehow i resparked an interest into drinking a differnt way besides getting drunk. I actually was learning about health interests specifically fermented foods which is important to gut flora like lactic acid and other probiotics and healty bacteria which triggered and interest in bottled conditioned beer or "live beers" and unpasterized foods or raw-living foods.

 

[r2eng]

Well, SNPA in a black and tan is easy explainable - Old Chicago! Actually, Harry's in Hyde Park use to serve the same. They just don't work well together.

I recently visited an "Irish Pub" in Vegas that served Black-and-X's with different beers. My two fav's were Smithwicks and Guinness and Newcastle and Guinness. Can't remember the names, but those combos were excellent.