Grain 2 Glass: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada have gone back to their roots and published a home-brew recipe for their classic Pale Ale - the beer that launched Cascade onto the world. This is a G2G video on how I brewed it and more importantly how it turned out.

From the Sierra Nevada web site:
There's no silver bullet for nailing this Pale Ale homebrew. Factors like your brew system, ingredient suppliers, and fermentation conditions make each attempt unique. But that's just it: Brew it again (and again), keep detailed notes, and tinker until it's dialled.

"Try everything," says our Innovation Brewmaster Scott Jennings... "There are no rules - other than keep the beer clean."

Get more info at

Recipes

In this episode:

Follow the Journey

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My brewery equipment

[pschannel]

Just got back from a Sierra Nevada Pint Night at my local pub and I stumbled on your video. Great job. I brew Pale Ales quite often... Love Sierra Nevada Pale Ale...

[wachirapongboonnadee]

I’m from Thailand you have a very well organized brewing area i love it!!

[bluecat]

Great video. Really enjoyed it. Cheers from London!

[curtpick]

To date, I haven't tried this, and I do like Sierra Nevada PA. Looks like you came very close. Great job!

[MadeByMartyn]

Great video, and a great beer too.
Sierra Nevada are still an independently owned family brewery.

[vruychev]

Loved your video and watching your brew process. Cheers from Alabama.

[rkbeall]

Great job, you have a wonderful setup. I will definitely be trying this recipe soon.

[geneharrogate]

We stayed at some casino / lodge on a boys trip years ago at Lake Tahoe. SNPA on tap. $2 a pint. Good times..

[joshuabruno]

I am from Sacramento. We are nearly on the other side of the world from you. Your knowledge of this brewery and its role in the popularization of craft beer is pretty awesome man. It's kind of them to release homebrew guidance and see you compare yours to the OG.

[KelrynGrey]

Thanks for the video, it looks delicious! SNPA is such a classic! They play around with the hops a bit from time to time. A few years back they were using Magnum for bittering but it seems like they're back to just Cascade again.

I'm thinking of doing a batch again with a first wort hit for about 20 IBUs and then using all the rest in the whirlpool/hopstand. I've had good luck with that classic American hop character like that in other old school styles.

[ronbarnes]

Nice video 😎🍺. I wouldn’t stress too much about the ABV Sierra Nevada makes two versions of its Pale Ale one that’s 5% and one that’s 5.6% depending on what packaging it’s distributed in. They are also famous for using whole cone hops but if you can’t get those no biggy, just thought it worth mentioning in case you ever wanted to play around with whole cone hops. If you do remake it and you can get your hands on crystal 60 that might have some subtle differences. This is one of those beers I wouldn’t ferment under pressure if your wanting a clone and would be sure to oxygenate for that Chico yeast. Obviously time will clear that beer up 😎 But for some of us impatient guys 🤣 have you ever played with Biofine? I really did enjoy the video and I definitely don’t want to come across as “One of THOSE guys”
Cheers 🍻

[MetalGuru]

Wow. Great to stumble across a cross a fellow brewer from Brisbane on YouTube. Great to watch your content too. One thing I was wondering about though, when you did your side by side taste test, and mentioned the aroma difference between your pale ale and the original being different. I noticed when you added your yeast starter you tipped in the whole thing, including the 3l (approx) of highly oxygenated wort. I’ve seen lots of brewers do this, mostly American home brewers. I always cold crash my starters, tipping off the majority of the wort once settled, leaving
just enough wort to be able to stir up the yeast cake. I really think this would make a difference to your finished product. I might be wrong and if I am, could someone please explain to me, why brewers throw the whole stater in?
Thanks again for your video, I’m already looking forward to your next one.

PS. I was at Hip Hops to a few weeks back, nice venue hey. 🍻

[HeavyMetalWarriorHUN]

I've brewed this last year, and it turned out excelent! I got slightly higher OG/ABV, but I still got pretty close with side-by-side comparison, even though I couldn't get the exact same yeast and malts. Btw, the canned SN Pale Ale is 5% the bottle version is 5, 6%, which is their original. I only had the bottled version but I'd guess they are very close.
Cheers from Hungary!

[bruceedwards]

I remove the stir bar using a magnet before I pour, as yep I've had it go into the fermenter