“Pale Ale began as a home brewer’s dream, grew into an icon, and inspired countless brewers to follow a passion of their own. Its unique piney and grapefruit aromas from the use of whole-cone American hops have fascinated beer drinkers for decades and made this beer a classic, yet it remains new, complex and surprising to thousands of beer drinkers every day. It is—as it always has been—all natural, bottle conditioned and refreshingly bold.”
It probably goes without saying that sierra Nevada’s pale ale would have to be their most popular, and essentially most commercialised beer in their range. Served in a shaker glass the clear golden amber pour whips up a frothy 2 finger head that slowly collapses to a thin cap of foam on top. Average lacing. The aroma is very subtle floral hop-forward with a nice bouquet of pine, lavender, hints of fruity lemon & lime, grapefruit, passion fruit and a sweet touch of caramel malt and honey to balance. In the mouth it feels quite silky with medium carbonation. Mild-medium body. Like all good classic pale ales the palate is quite soft and sessional, upfront the citrus notes balance well with the bready, malty flavours. The mid-palate has a drying effect but nowhere near as aggressive as most APA’s. Clean, refreshing finish with hints of citrus and pine round off a very simple, yet highly palatable ale. 5.6 % ABV is why we love this brewery, much higher and funkier than most standard, commercialised pale ales. Just adds that extra zing. Great beer.