An ode to...
SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.
Sierra Nevada - located a few miles away from me in Chico, CA - is the gold standard for craft brew in the US.
Great ****ing beer, while nearing 100% sustainability. You read that right... 100% sustainability... they have taken recycle, reuse, reduce to a whole 'nother level. Leftover food scraps that most restaurants chuck are even put to good use by Sierra Nevada.
A tight thing, in my opinion, is that they don't flaunt their practices- even in a market where being "green" (in any way, shape, or form) is "cool". They go out and do their thing, and don't do it for praise or to boost sales.
Alright, enough talking about NOT beer, on to talking about beer...
The one you've seen
The green label (Pale Ale) is complex and flavorful. Perfect. There are more hops in this than there are naked pictures of Vanessa Hudgens on the net- a lot.
The one you haven't seen
This beer is a replacement of the old red label (Wheat). Yellow label (Kellerweis) is a hef that is very refreshing on a hot day. It's got a banana undertone, worth trying...
The one you should probably avoid
To be fair, Barleywine beer is an acquired taste. With that said, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Ale is the only beverage they produce that could make me vomit in small quantity. It checks in near 10% alcohol content, and has so many intense flavors... Ugh. This is an award winner, though, so if you're into that kind of thing- then who am I to judge?
...(to be continued)....