Arrowhead Pride Beer of the Week: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Pale Ale

Welcome to another edition of the Beer of the Week!

As always, the Beer of the Week is originally presented on the Arrowhead Pride Tailgate on 610 Sports Radio as part of my Defense and Beer of the Week segment.

With this week’s impending matchup against the Oakland Raiders on the horizon, I got to go back to California for this week’s offering. Just up the road from Oakland in Chico, California, this week’s Beer of the Week is Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Pale Ale!

Some label it the quintessential Pale Ale. Some call it the kick-off of the American brewing revolution. There’s no denying it, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the most influential beers in the history of American brewing.

A 5.6% ABV Ale, this beer contains nothing but two-row and caramel 60 malts and a generous dosage of Cascade hops. The second beer ever made in 1980 by founders Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi, this beer’s aggressive hops imparting its bright and citrusy aroma helped to redefine what it meant to be an “American Pale Ale.” The bitter taste and simple gain bill inspired countless brewers to go outside the traditional European norms and craft more hop-forward and brighter Pale Ales. Former Beer of the Week brewers from Oskar Blues and Left Hand Brewing Company credit Sierra Nevada Pale Ale as one of the beers they admired and aspired to produce.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co was founded in Chico, CA. Normally this is where I’d give a backstory for the brewery and detail some of their other beers, but this week is different. Sierra Nevada was forced to temporarily close their Chico location when the recent Camp Fire caused evacuations.

Upon clearance to return, Sierra Nevada decided to brew a beer called Resilience Butte County Proud IPA and donate 100 percent of the beer sales to the Camp Fire Relief Fund. The brewery has seeded the fund with $100,000 and called for breweries across America to brew the beer and donate the sales to the fund. The response has been outstanding, with more than 1,000 breweries participating in the effort, with almost every single former Beer of the Week brewery making a version for themselves. The beers will hits taps and Sierra Nevada will distribute cans starting in mid-December or early January, so please be on the lookout for Resilience and donate to a good cause.

In the meantime, if you can, make sure to swing by your local liquor store and scoop up some Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Pale Ale this weekend!

Check back here this time next week for the new Beer of the Week!