We've profiled some of our favorite breweries in order to give you an up-close look at a few of America's best beer brewers. After each brewery's profile, we rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. If you would like to submit a review/profile of your favorite American craft brewery for addition to this section, send us an email.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Sierra Nevada Brewery (Chico, CA) was co-founded in 1979 by home brewer, Ken Grossman, and his partner, Paul Camusi. Grossman and Camusi were able to acquire enough second-hand brewing and bottling equipment to begin producing beer by November of 1980. While their equipment was less than optimal, the ingredients they used in their beer were nothing but the best.
Sierra Nevada's first beer was their Pale Ale, which is still their flagship beer today. Demand for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale grew quickly, and in an effort to keep up, they moved into their current Chico, CA location in 1989. Before long, it was necessary to expand again. In 1997, Sierra Nevada expanded their production capabilities to their current level of nearly 800,000 barrels per year.
Over the years, Sierra Nevada has stayed true to their roots of time-honored brewing techniques and using the finest ingredients. However, they have taken a very modern approach to environmental stewardship. Sierra Nevada's environmental conservation initiatives include one of the country's largest private solar installations, four 250kw co-generation fuel cell power units, a vapor condenser to capture waste steam, a Co2 recovery system. They've also utilized energy efficiency initiatives, water conservation, emissions reduction, and byproduct recycling. Each of these initiatives add up to Sierra Nevada being one of the greenest businesses in the United States.
Sierra Nevada has four flagship beers, which are sold year-round. Those four include their Pale Ale, which is their most popular brew, a Porter, a Wheat, and a Stout. They also have four seasonal beers. Their winter beer is the Celebration Ale, followed by the ESB in the the spring. Their Summerfest beer is a Pilsner style Lager, and finally, their Anniversary Ale is an American IPA that is released in the fall in correspondence to Sierra Nevada's anniversary. Finally, they have some limited selections, which include Bigfoot, a barleywine style ale, and their Harvest Series. The Harvest Series includes Chico Estate Harvest Ale, which is brewed using hops grown on Sierra Nevada's estate, Harvest Ale, and Southern Hemisphere, which is brewed using hops grown in the Southern Hemisphere.
We believe Sierra Nevada to be one of the top breweries in the United States, and have given them a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. If you like high quality beers, especially those of the hop heavy variety, make sure you try some of Sierra Nevada's collection.
