There’s no disputing the appeal and lasting importance of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Even if you’re not an avid beer drinker, you’ve probably heard about this iconic, beloved beer. It’s the beer that started the American pale ale craze and is so hoppy and refreshing that many people like to sneak it into IPA lists as well.
In 2021, you can find Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Hazy Little Thing, Torpedo, and various other Sierra Nevada beers in pretty much every grocery store or beer market in the country. But this kind of success doesn’t happen overnight. Way back in 1979, Paul Camusi and Ken Grossman founded Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California (where it’s still brewed to this day, along with a second brewery in North Carolina). The famed pale ale was launched in 1981 and took influence from the English pale ale style while adding a walloping hit of Cascade hops.
Forty years later, it’s one of the most popular beers in the country.
While I could drink nothing but Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and be reasonably happy. It would make me sad to know that I was missing out on so many other beers that have been influenced by this titan. So today, I decided to do yet another blind taste test. To broaden my palate, I blindly tasted beers (some pale ales and some IPAs) likely to appeal to fans of the pioneering beer.
They’re all fairly well known. Some have Cascade hops and some don’t. All are total bangers so this won’t be an easy ranking. Our lineup today includes:
- Oskar Blues Pale Ale
- Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
- Troegs Perpetual IPA
- Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
- Blue/Point Hoptical Illusion IPA
- Anchor Liberty IPA
- Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale
- Creature Comforts Automatic Pale Ale
Ready to dive in? Let’s broaden our drinking horizons!
Part 1: The Taste
Taste #1:
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found scents of pine trees, lemon zest, orange peel, and… that’s about it. On the palate, I was surprised to find a strange caramel malt backbone with a ton of expected citrus as well as resinous pine. The finish was dry, crisp, and ended with a bit of citrus and bitter, floral hops.
Overall, a decent beer, but a little more bitter than I’d like.
Taste #2:
Tasting Notes:
This beer is very citrus-centric upfront. It’s fairly one-dimensional with notes of lemon zest and orange peel with a little resinous, floral hops presence added in at the end of the nose. Sipping it reveals more of the same with notes of fur tips, dank hops, tangerines, and grapefruit.
The finish is slightly bitter, but not overly exciting.
Taste #3:
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are hints of freshly baked bread, caramel, wildflowers, pine, and orange zest. On the palate, I found flavors of dank, resinous fur tips, lemon curd, and biscuity malts. A floral finish ties everything together.
Taste #4:
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found aromas of Pine-Sol, cracked black pepper, caramel candy, fresh hay, and floral, herbal, dank hops. Sipping this brew brought forth flavors of ripe tropical fruits, bready malts, orange zest, and grapefruit. A dry, crisp finish closed things out.
This is the kind of beer that takes multiple tasting to find all of the flavors.
Taste #5:
Tasting Notes:
Taking a moment to nose this beer, I found hints of sweet yeast, ripe berries, tangerines, and dank, resinous pine. After taking a sip, I noticed notes of lemon zest, grapefruit, biscuity malts, and caramel. Maltier than most pale ales, it’s the kind of beer I’d drink all year long.
Taste #6:
Tasting Notes:
This beer’s nose is highlighted by notes of lemon zest, tangerine, grapefruit, and loads of resinous pine. The palate has a little more going on than the nose. While there are prevalent notes of orange, lime, and other citrus flavors, there are also dank pine and light, caramel malts.
From my notes: “A fairly well-rounded beer!”
Taste #7:
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot of malt in this beer’s nose and that’s definitely not a bad thing. Paired with the bready, caramel-like malts are tropical fruits, citrus zest, dried hay, and slightly herbal, piney hops. The flavor was more of the same with a heavy malt backbone paired with grapefruit, tangerine, lime peels, and a nice bitter kick at the finish.
Taste #8:
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of biscuity malts, pine needles, orange peel, and herbal, slight baking spices met my nose first. On the palate, I found hints of wet grass, ripe tropical fruits, citrus zest, caramel malts, and a nice kick of piney, bitter hops at the finish.
Overall, a very well-rounded, exceptional beer.
Part 2: The Ranking
8. Blue/Point Hoptical Illusion IPA — Taste #2
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Blue/Point has had a bit of a facelift in the last year in branding, but the quality that beer drinkers look forward to has remained the same. One of the brand’s best beers is Hoptical Illusion. This award-winning seven percent IPA that the brand refers to as “Long Island’s original IPA” is touted for its balance of malt and resinous, piney hops.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t a bad beer by any degree. It’s simply a little too citrus-centered for my liking. The orange, lemon, and general citrus notes kind of knock you off your feet if you aren’t ready for them.
7. Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA — Taste #1
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There’s a reason Bear Republic Racer 5 commonly makes lists ranking the best IPAs. This 7.5 percent West Coast IPA has a notable malt backbone along with myriad hops including Columbus, Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial hops.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of a tart, bitter finish, you’ll love this beer. For me, I’d prefer a little more maltiness to take away from the hop sting. Still a very refreshing beer.
6. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale — Taste #6
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale is another iconic pale ale that has its own cult following. Launched in 2002, this 6.5 percent American pale ale definitely got inspiration from the success of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Brewed with Centennial, Cascade, and Comet hops, it’s hoppy and slightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
This beer is very complex with a nice, sweet malt backbone that pairs well with the tangy, bitter, piney hops included. It’s highly crushable on a warm day.
5. Anchor Liberty Ale — Taste #3
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $9 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Similar to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Anchor Liberty Ale has been around for decades. First launched in 1975, it was created (similarly to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) to be an Americanized take on the classic English pale ale. This year-round 5.9 percent ABV beer is brewed with pale barley, Cascade hops, and top-fermenting yeast.
Bottom Line:
This is a very well-balanced, crisp beer that’s extremely easy to drink. It’s dry, slightly bitter, and definitely a beer I’d like to go back to for a second try. It just didn’t pop the way that the beers in the top half of the ranking did.
4. Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale — Taste #8
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $12 for a four-pack
The Beer:
First brewed back in 2009, Daisy Cutter was one of the first beers brewed by Chicago’s Half Acre and remains one of its most popular today. First a special release, this resinous, fruity, malty beer is beloved by beer fans, brewers, and bartenders alike.
Bottom Line:
This beer is all about balance. It has everything American beer fans crave. There’s enough malt backbone to compliment the pine and citrus flavors.
3. Troegs Perpetual IPA — Taste #7
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 7.5 percent ABV year-round imperial pale ale gets its explosive flavor from being brewed with Bravo, Chinook, Mt. Hood, Nugget, Cascade, and Citra hops. It’s well known for its combination of malts, resinous hops, and ripe fruit flavors.
Bottom Line:
This beer ticks all of the IPA/pale ale boxes. It’s slightly herbal, fruity, and has a nice balance between hops and malts with the hoppy sting beer drinkers expect.
2. Creature Comforts Automatic Pale Ale — Taste #4
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There’s a reason this 5.5 percent ABV pale ale is called “Automatic.” That’s because when you crack open one of these crisp, crushable pale ales, you can guarantee you’re going to be sipping on something amazing. This fan-favorite is known for its balance and drinkability.
Bottom Line:
This is a really complex beer loaded with various flavors that all seem to work together like a symphony. Pepper, citrus, malts — everything is where it should be.
1. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale — Taste #5
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $8 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This sessional, five percent ABV pale ale is brewed with 2-row, Carapils, Crystal, and Munich malts along with classic Cascade hops. Like Liberty Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, it doesn’t need any other hops to complete its epic flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to comparing a beer to the beloved Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, it’s hard to top this beer. Slightly maltier than the aforementioned beer, it’s an incredible beer to sip in between Sierra Nevada Pale Ales or to star in its own drinking session.
