Sierra Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada)

This kit has the honor of being the first 5 batch kit I did about a year ago and I will always relish it. I have brewed ten since, including a much more accurate recipe provided by Brew Your Own Magazine in the special issue of 150 clone recipes (p.33) that gives an accurate draft version (no hoppiness killed through pasteurization).

The SRM or color of the beer is much more pale, not amber. Also Sierra Nevada now also uses a small, but potent amount of Magnum as a bittering hop (see sierranevada.com).

Full extract recipe (60 min boil):
1.8 lbs Briess Light DME (just before boil)
4.0 lbs Briess Light LME (15 min, with flame off during stir in)
1lb 6oz 2-row pale malt (steep)
10oz crystal malt (steep)
2.5 AAU Magnum hops (60min)
4.8 AAU Perle hops (60 min)
5 AAU Cascade hops (15 min)
.75 oz Cascade at flameout
.75 oz Cascade dryhop in secondary fermenter
1 tsp Irish Moss
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or similar

Steep grains for 45 min in 154 F in 3 quarts of water.
At same time boil 2.4 Gallons of water in brew pot.
Remove .83 quarts from brew pot and add to graint tea.
Remove grains, place in colander, and rinse with grain tea water into brew pot.

Add DME, and commence 60 min boil adding remaining ingredients as indicated above. After primary fermentation and dry hop with Cascade hops.

OG:1.052
FG: 1.011
IBU: 37
SRM :11
ABV = 5.3%

This is one recipe that I plan to make often!

I've made this kit 3 or 4 times now and it has turned out excellent every time. The first time I made it I dry hopped the primary with a 1/2 oz. of Cascade and it turned out very hoppy. The last time I made it I didn't dry hop at all and it turned out perfect (for me). I will make this again and often. In fact I just ordered another kit.

As my 4th kit, this was by far my best, and was the first I've shared with buddies and family where their eyes lit up as they took their first sip. Not as accurate (as Jonathan noted above) as could be, but the beer stands on its own. Plan to get another batch going once I am done touring the other kits Midwest has to offer.

I did a side-by-side with this and SNPA about 4-6 weeks after bottling, and it was pretty darn close. Friends agreed and were impressed. It was alright after 2 weeks, but had a slight off taste that has since died down. Now it seems to be getting better every day! Can't keep this out of my beer glass. I imagine it would be even considerably better kegged, just like the original. Much, much closer to the real thing than the Flat Tire kit.

SNPA is my main beer to drink. This recipe tastes nothing like SNPA. It has the bitterness and color, but not "grapefruit" aroma or taste. Maybe dryhopping would have helped, but I always follow the directions to the letter, the first time I brew a recipe, and then modify from there.
The beer is tasty, but it ain't no SNPA!

This was my first homebrew and I am hooked. I followed the instructions and the beer came out great. I have been making wine for years and decided to try my hand at beer. I used two stage fermentation and dry yeast. It was carbonated within a week of bottling so I cracked one open. Very good and I'm sure it will get better with time. I'll be ordering more kits.

I purchased the kit to brew for the boss. Great taste and smell. It was close, but I was a bit off on the carbonation. I will definitely buy it again.

My first kit and the beer is really outstanding. The best that I have made so far. As others have noted, not quite SNPA but close, maybe a SNPA light. The hoppy afterbite that SNPA has is not quite there and the color is slightly lighter. Will def make again and add some Magnum hops to the recipe. After 2 months in the bottle, it is crystal clear and forms a creamy head and leaves a great lacing, However after 2 month in the bottle I only have a 6 pack left!

I decided to brew this batch with bottled water to get the cleanest taste I could, and it was completely worth the extra five bucks. It didn't have quite the citrusy bite of SNPA but was plenty hoppy regardless. This has gotten the best reviews of my batches so far (this was my 5th) and I will be brewing this often-and keeping more for myself!

Good, balanced hop flavors. Made this kit just once. Next time I will add one extra lb. of DME to get the gravity a bit higher.