Ahhh, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The beer that allows me to live in California. As a Brit in the SF Bay Area I have come to view the ubiquitous ‘Sierra’ as a safety net. It’s not that I don’t drink it by choice when I have other options, anything but. There are always a few bottles in my beer fridge and I often ignore more esoteric beers at my regular haunts to opt for its refreshing taste. The thing with Sierra is that I can rely on it being available in almost any bar or restaurant. If it’s the type of place that has a choice of three beers, two will be mass-market blandness but the third will be Sierra Nevada. If a place doesn’t have Sierra it will instead likely have two or more quality beers to choose from.
If you don’t know Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, you really should. It is perhaps the best balanced beer in the USA, if not the world. Crisp and fruity with a wonderful Cascade hops aroma. It’s just so easy to drink. Crafted in Chico from the ‘holy quadity’; barley, hops, yeast & water it is one of the beers that kick-started the American craft beer revolution. I think I’ll have another one.