Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Draft)

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Chico, California USA

Quite suprised to see that theres a seperate rating for the draft version. While I drink this beer a few times a month on tap while eating pizza, I had no idea there was a seperate rating. It is clear that the beer is different though, noticeably in the hop profile (much less) and the color (darker). It still has that classic SNPA hop nose and taste, just less of it. Wether in the bottle or on draft, it’s still a solid choice when the pickings are slim.

Consumed on 12/05/07 at Hamberger Mary’s, West Hollywood. Clear and darker than I remember SNPA being, and with a really sudsy head that stuck around to the bottom of the glass. Aroma is VERY mild citrus hops (what happened to the hop aroma I was used to?). Flavor likewise very mild; almost not there. What the hell? Oh... now I come to RateBeer and find out that the draft version has lower alcohol and less bitterness than the bottled version, which is what I was remembering. If this was the only version I had ever tasted, I would be baffled by the legendary status of this beer.

2006-12-22, draught at Draught House, Austin, TX, as ESP, 6-3-7-4-14=34
Golden color, nice lace. Some aroma of malt. Good malt flavor, a lot of caramel, good hopping, not thick. Close enough to an English Ale, with some extra hopping.

2003-04-05, draught in Orlando, FL, 5-4-7-4-14=34
Amber color. Light but nice hop aroma. Pretty good body, mainly characterized by the hop, also prevailing in the final, well aromatic.

Draft... duh! I had no idea that this was actually different than the bottle version. I guess it makes sense for it to be a little more "watered down" (so to speak) than the bottled version, after all even crummy bars need at least one beer that isn’t the regular old macro. Aroma is citrus and hops, visually it pours a golden color with a white head.

Had this for the first time on a houseboat in Lake Shasta on Labor Day 2001. Had it again this weekend, didn’t realize the draft version is different then the bottle version. Kind of strange. Not much difference from the bottled version. Same floral hoppiness and pale golden color. Slightly bitter finish. What seperates this from the bottle is the body and palate due to the fresh carbonation on draft. Much fuller in the mouth with a thick and creamy white head. Slightly better on draft if you can find it.

On Draft......EVERYWHERE! Pours a pale golden color, with an off white froathy head. Nose of citrus and hops.

For a mass-produced beer, this is one of the better ones. Nice hoppy flavor, balanced with caramel malts. Good on tap or in the bottle

Haven’t had this one since I started getting into good beer. Surprisingly good as I had this on par with blue moon in my head. Nicely balanced and drinkable. The only problem came as it started to warm up. The bitterness slowly faded and it became entirely too sweet. Drink this stuff cold!