Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6 IBU: 38.0

88/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	17
Mouthfeel:	4

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Pale Ale

What the brewers say

“Pale Ale’s 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. It is all natural, bottle-conditioned, and refreshingly bold.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Light grapefruit, lemon, and floral notes with a slight grainy sweetness behind hops aroma. A little restrained for style, but still pleasant. Light sweet malt notes with a touch of biscuit malt. Mostly clean with low esters and just a hint of sulfur.”

Flavor: “Nice up-front hops, balanced wonderfully with a soft malt character. Citrus rind dominates hops flavors with some floral notes. A slight juiciness may be related to the slight caramel note from the malt. Restrained yeast notes provide a subtle fruitiness that works well. Light and carbonic—very drinkable. Definitely hops forward but not out of balance, with a slight lingering bitterness.”

Overall: “This is your dad’s pale ale—a pretty classic-style pale ale that’s rounded out with no intense sharp edges that hits straight down the middle. All ingredients play well together, but nothing really sticks out. A clean, quaffable pale ale with just a touch of sweetness in mid-palate and a bit mild on the hops for a modern APA.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: The Power of the Pale Ale (February-March 2015) (View All Issues)

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Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Torpedo Extra IPA

**Aroma:** “Dank, resiny, earthy hop aroma with a subtle malt sweetness. Hints of citrus increase the complexity.” **Flavor:** “Hop flavor is piney and resiny more than citrus, but showcases both with hints of grapefruit and pineapple. Very nice lingering bitterness that carries hop flavors through finish. Finishes dry with slight sweet malt back.” **Overall:** “More balanced than most IPAs, with a malt sweetness that rounds out the resiny, piney, earthy hop profile. Somewhat different but a little muted. Well-balanced and executed IPA.”

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Bigfoot

“Strong pine and citrus aroma with soft apricot and dried-fruit notes. Moderate caramel and toast malt—simple, but very well balanced. Strong bitterness with pine, citrus, and black pepper. Malt comes back into focus later in the flavor, leaving a very well balanced, hop-forward beer. Incredible clarity.”

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**Aroma:** Grainy, light malt aroma with delicate, floral hops. Clean lager profile. Perhaps a bit catty. Some berry notes. **Flavor:** Upfront hop bitterness, balanced malt and hops in the middle, and a pleasant, bitter finish. Nice pils character. A touch of corn with floral hops reminiscent of gooseberry or white wine. Well balanced. **Overall:** Complex malt-hops balance. Bitterness is aggressive but appropriate. A full-flavored pils that holds your attention throughout. Very refreshing as it is, but a crisper finish would make it even more so.

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