In a beer marketplace where everyone seems to be obsessed with trying the newest, hottest beers and tagging them on Untappd, BeerAdvocate, and other apps and sites, sometimes it’s nice to take a break and give some respect to the classics. You know, kick back and just enjoy a great beer even if you’ve already tried it before. Brewers don’t make beer to be only enjoyed once and then tagged for your followers. A good beer can be returned to time and again as your palate and tastes evolve.
When it comes to the US craft beer world, it’s hard to beat the importance of the American pale ale. Like many beer styles, the pale ale’s history began in England. But it wasn’t until the folks at Sierra Nevada decided to use Cascade hops in the 80s that the American pale ale was truly born. This citrus-driven, floral, piney, Americanized version of the traditional beer has become the basis for all the American pale ales to follow.
While breweries all over the US continue to brew pale ales in this style, today we want to pay tribute to the OGs. We’re talking about the pale ales, including Sierra Nevada, that have been around for longer than many of us have been alive (and are still being brewed today). Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorites, ranked in terms of balance, complexity, and overall flavor.
8) Magic Hat #9
ABV: 5.1%
Average Price: $16.99 for a twelve-pack
The Beer:
There was a time when the Vermont-based brewery Magic Hat was cranking out all kinds of boundary-pushing beers. Today, they limit themselves to some random releases and their flagship Magic Hat #9. This “not quite pale ale” is fruity, slightly bitter, and gets a sweet kick from the addition of apricot.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is fairly light with some wet grass, light caramel malts, ripe fruity apricot, and floral hops. The palate isn’t much more exciting with a mixture of sweetness and bitterness. It’s crisp, light, highly drinkable, and has a subtle apricot flavor. It’s not unpalatable, it just resembles a hard seltzer more than a beer.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Magic Hat still makes this beer above all others. It’s a classic, refreshing, lightly flavored beer. There’s nothing negative to say about it except the fact that it’s a little more on par with your favorite hard seltzer than the best of this genre.
7) Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale might not be as old as some of the beer’s on this list, but you might be surprised to learn that it’s been brewed for more than twenty years. This award-winning, 6.5% ABV pale ale is known for its pale malts and citrus-centric hops.
Tasting Notes:
Grapefruit, tangerine, and herbal, earthy, piney hops make up this beer’s nose. The palate follows suit with lightly sweet, bready malts, lemon peel, grapefruit, and a wallop of resinous, earthy, floral, piney hops. This beer has everything pale ale fans crave, it’s just a little too bitter on the backend.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale is a popular beer. It’s well-balanced and full of bold flavors. The hops are a bit aggressive for some palates though.
6) Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale
ABV: 5.7%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Atlanta’s SweetWater is a popular brewery for fans of hoppy beers. Its flagship 420 Extra Pale Ale scratches that itch with 2-row and Munich malts, wheat, and Midnight wheat, as well as Centennial and Cascade hops. As a bonus, it’s dry-hopped with even more Cascade hops.
Tasting Notes:
With the name “Extra Pale Ale,” you should know what you’re getting into with this beer. Right off the bat, the nose is “extra” with aromas of citrus peels, tropical fruits, and dank, piney hops. Drinking it reveals bready, sweet malts that set the stage for herbal, earthy, resinous hops, and fruity, citrus flavors. The finish is dry but surprisingly low on bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Sure, we don’t want aggressively bitter hops at the finish, but we also don’t want a pale ale to taste slightly watered down. That’s ~kinda~ what we get with this beer.
5) Drake’s 1500
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $11.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Drake’s Brewing doesn’t follow the usual path of American pale ale brewers with its 1500 Pale Ale. Instead of simply opting for Cascade and maybe one other hop variety, this hop monster is brewed with the aforementioned Cascade as well as Hallertau Mandarina, Lemondrop, Simcoe, and Amarillo hops.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of bready malts, honey, tangerine, grapefruit, and earthy, floral, pine are notable on the nose. The palate consists of lightly sweet malts, hop oils, citrus peels, light acidity, and bold, yet not over-the-top bitterness at the finish. It’s lightly spicy, but a little watery overall.
Bottom Line:
Drake’s 1500 isn’t your average pale ale. It’s loaded with various hops and is very complex. Its only downfall in my book is that the flavors aren’t bold enough. It’s a bit muted.
4) Deschutes Mirror Pond
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 5% ABV, year-round pale ale doesn’t mess around with a long list of ingredients. It’s brewed simply with 2-row, Crystal, Munich, and Carapils malts as well as Cascade hops. Malty, hoppy, and classic.
Tasting Notes:
This sessionable pale ale starts with aromas of orange rind, lemon zest, wet grass, caramel malts, and dank pine. The palate is more of the same with tangerines, grapefruit, lemon candy, caramel, and resinous pine. The finish is a nice mix of caramel malts and citrus, piney, slightly bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
While some brewers get heavy-handed with aggressive hops, Deschutes does it right by tempering citrus, piney Cascade hops with sweet, caramel malts.
3) Half Acre Daisy Cutter
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $12 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Daisy Cutter isn’t a super old pale ale, but it’s been around long enough to gain a cult following. It started as a special release in 2009 and is known for its mix of tropical fruits, biscuit-like malts, pine needles, and a dry finish.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of candied orange peels, lemon zest, grapefruit, biscuit-like malts, and dank pine are prevalent on the nose. On the palate, you’ll find notes of bready, biscuity malts, caramel candy, tangerine, grapefruit juice, and resinous, bold pine. There is an added kick of bitter, floral hops at the finish, but not overly aggressive.
Bottom Line:
Half Acre Daisy Cutter is one of the most popular, well-rated pale ales for a reason. It’s complex and well-balanced with bready, biscuity, caramel malts, and fruity, piney hops.
2) Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the beer that started a revolution. In 1980, Ken Grossman used newly created Cascade hops to give his pale ale citrus, floral, piney flavors unmatched in that era’s beer scene. Still made today, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the measuring stick for all other American pale ales.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of grapefruit, orange peels, lemongrass, biscuit-like malts, and bright, aromatic pine greets you before the first sip. The palate doesn’t disappoint with notes of grapefruit, caramel, biscuit malts, tangerine, and bold, piney, dank hops. The finish is a mix of dry, sweet, pleasing bitterness.
Bottom Line:
It’s difficult to beat the original. That’s the case with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Imitated by many, but few are as good as the real thing.
1) 3 Floyds Zombie Dust
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $14.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Even before the world became obsessed with zombie movies and television shows, there was 3 Floyds Zombie Dust. 2010 was not only the year the first season of The Walking Dead aired, but it was also the year Zombie Dust, a 6.5% ABV sublimely hopped pale ale was first released.
Tasting Notes:
Bold aromas of pineapple, grapefruit, orange peels, lemon, wet grass, caramel malts, and pine needles are notable on the nose. Drinking it brings forth notes of tropical fruits, grapefruit, lemon zest, sweet malts, and earthy, herbal, floral, dank hops. The finish is bittersweet with more citrus and tropical fruit flavors.
Bottom Line:
This complex, fruity, citrus-filled pale ale is so good it needs to be imbibed to be believed. Even with its artwork and silly name, it’s definitely not a gimmick beer. It’s the real deal.
