Sierra Nevada Anniversary Beer
by Tony Forder tony@alestreetnews.com
Hoppy Anniversary Ale is this year’s spring seasonal brew from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Yes it’s 40 years since Ken Grossman cobbled together Sierra Nevada’s first brewing kit in Chico, CA and developed the now iconic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, featuring a new rising star on the hop scene – Cascades.
1980 was also the year that my wife and I moved up the coast from San Francisco to Eureka, directly west of Chico to begin our studies, first at College of the Redwoods and then at Humboldt State University.
I remember when Sierra Nevada started showing up in 6-packs at the Arcata Co-op and then on tap around and about. We didn’t mind paying a buck a bottle (it was $5.99 a six on special), it just packed so much more flavor than most other beers and quickly became a go-to.
The Anniversary Ale is a classic 6% West Coast IPA, hopped with Cascade, Cluster and Centennial hops. Deeply golden in color it with 65 IBUs it has piney, citrusy notes and a slight caramel sweetness from two-row pale and caramelized malts plus oats.
