Pioneering brewers hopping mad for Aus
The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale wasn’t the first craft beer to come out of America, but it’s certainly been one of the most popular and influential.
Since its humble beginnings in 1980, the year after Ken Grossman founded the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California, the delicious, full-bodied, citrusy gem has made its way around the world, and has been a staple in Australian bottle shops long before the craft beer revolution took off in this country.
Indeed, the trailblazing brew may have helped change the industry itself, with many brewers and enthusiasts around the world crediting the Pale Ale as being their introduction to craft beer.
Steve Grossman, brother of Ken, travels the world in his role as the ambassador and spokesman for the US’s first billion-dollar independent brewery and says he meets devotees of the beer he describes as a “game changer” whenever he goes.
“I just got back from Japan two weeks ago, and I did several events over there,” he says via Zoom from a huge craft brewing convention in Nashville, ahead of his visit to Australia for the annual Great Australian Beer Spectapular (GABS).
“I had four different individuals come up to me and say, ‘Sierra Nevada Pale Ale changed my life’. I don’t know if I would go that far – although it certainly changed my life – but it’s certainly something that consumers and a lot of brewers come up to us and say ‘this is what got us into craft’. So, I think it did change the industry actually.”
As is customary for the more than 180 breweries taking part in this year’s GABS, which kicks off in Melbourne next week before heading to Sydney and Brisbane, Sierra Nevada is bringing a special one-off brew for consumers to try.
Reflecting a love of Australian hops, which Sierra Nevada has been using in its Southern Hemisphere Harvest IPA for years, the brewery has come up with the No Place Like Aus.
“The idea was to brew a beer that features the Australian hops, primarily Vic Secret and Galaxy, so we designed a West Coast style beer around those hops, which were really great. We brewed a beer that’s 6.5% alcohol, 60 IBUs in a modern style.”
Grossman has visited GABS twice before and he says he was impressed by vast array of styles on offer and the “very enthusiastic beer drinkers and aficionados”. This time he’s keen to see what has changed in a rapidly evolving industry as well as catching up with old friends – and making new ones.
“That’s what I think beer is about,” he says. “It’s a very collegial atmosphere where everyone seems to get along.”