Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
ABV: 5.6%
IBUs: 38

During the first four years I was doing this blog, I reviewed many beers but there were some that I simply missed for reasons that are beyond me. I’m not speaking of rare beers but craft beers that are widely consumed. One of those beers is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a beer which I remember from my dad’s old company picnics from back in the mid-90’s as it was one of the beers of choice of my Dad’s younger co-workers who were fresh out of college.

Now I’ve reviewed quite a few beers from Sierra Nevada but never this one and my reason is because….well, I though I already reviewed it. That is, until, I dusted off the website and looked at the archives. Am I ashamed? No, but just a tad bit embarrassed.

Appearance – Dark orange with a mild amount of haze to it, along with some abundant carbonation. The head itself is pretty foamy and there's a healthy amount of lacing left behind.


Aroma – Caramel malts dominate the nose but behind that are some bitter and light piney hoppiness.


Taste – Much like the nose, the caramel malts hit you on the front of the palate. This gives away to the bitter and light piney hops in the back with the malts taking a back seat. The aftertaste has a lingering hop bitterness along and a light maltiness.


The balance of hops and malt is optimal here and while it’s nothing new, it’s a very easy drinking beer. As such, I can see why this is a standby for many beer drinkers everywhere; Myself included. As the old saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Green Flash West Coast IPA Review

Name: Green Flash West Coast IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.1%
IBUs: 95

I've been taking a look at beers from breweries that I haven't looked at for a while as of late. For this review, I'm looking at West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing. The last time I reviewed anything from Green Flash, they had a different style of branding so this is something that is pretty new to me.

Looking at the label itself, West Coast IPA talks about how Green Flash is a pioneer in giving rise in prominence of the West Coast IPA-style itself. It even displays the types of hops used in the brewing process. It also come as no shock that Green Flash specializes mostly in IPA & Pale Ale styles.

Appearance - A fairly hazy dark orange color with a fair amount of haze and a moderate amount of visible carbonation. There isn't really too much of a head save for a thin film and the lacing is rather sparse.

Aroma - Sweet mango fruitiness and rich citrus hoppiness. Some caramel maltiness in here as well, with some musty and piney hoppiness tucked away in the back.

Taste - Bitter hoppiness in the very front with some citrus and floral hops. On the back end of the palate is a mixture of caramel malts and piney hops. The aftertaste consists mainly of bitter hoppiness and caramel malts.

This is more on the bitter side when it comes to the actual West Coast-style as far as IPAs are concerned. Also it doesn't do anything terribly new when it comes to the Imperial IPA style. With that said, it's still an excellent Imperial IPA and I believe it's worth checking out should you find it on store shelves.

Green Flash West Coast IPA - 8.5/10

Stone Unapologetic IPA Review

Name: Stone Unapologetic IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.8%

It's been over a year since I've reviewed anything from Stone Brewing, but given my geographical location, my chances to try out more offerings from them is uncommon to say the least.

For the time being, I'm going to take a look at Stone Unapologetic IPA, which is a collaboration with Heretic Brewing and Beachwood Brewing & BBQ. The beer also features brand new hops including ones from Yakima Valley in Washington that don't even have names yet.

Unapologetic pours a hazy orange color with a thin white head. There really isn't too much to speak of in terms of visible carbonation and the soapy lacing gives this a fairly clean finish.

The nose has some very strong grapefruit and citrus hop notes upfront with some toffee/caramel maltiness and piney hoppiness in the back end.

Interestingly enough, the flavor starts out very malt forward with some toffee maltiness followed up by some strong piney hoppiness & grapefruits with a bitter resiny aftertaste.

The palate has a very heavy body to it with some moderate carbonation. There's also a very slight thickness to this beer but doesn't venture anywhere near what I would categorize as "chewy."

Unapologetic doesn't do anything new with the Imperial IPA style, with the exception of new hop types in the brewing process. With that said, it's still a very well put together and hoppy Imperial IPA. Those who know the Stone brand well know what they are getting when they have this beer. It's no Gotterdammerung, but you aren't going wrong with trying this out either!

Stone Unapologetic IPA - 8.5/10