Beer and Cider · Chico, California
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
The Chico brewery whose Pale Ale helped launch American craft beer.
- Founded
- 1980
- Founded by
- Ken Grossman, Paul Camusi
- Based in
- Chico, California
Making it since
1980
Their story
Sierra Nevada began with two homebrewers, Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi, in Chico, California. They brewed their first batch of Pale Ale in November 1980, and after a lean start a 1982 San Francisco Chronicle story helped them find a following.
Camusi retired in 1998 and sold his share to Grossman, and the brewery remains privately held. In 2014 it opened a second brewery in Mills River, North Carolina.
How it's made
The flagship Pale Ale balances bold Cascade hops, with their grapefruit notes, against a sturdy malt base and is bottle-conditioned. Both breweries put a lot into sustainability, from thousands of solar panels in Chico to reusing wastewater for irrigation and sending spent grain to cattle ranchers.
Why we carry them
We think every beer shelf needs Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It is still a benchmark, and a California original.
More makers like this
All makers-
10 Barrel Brewing Co.
Bend, Oregon
Easygoing Oregon beer from a Bend brewery that started with kegs in the back of a truck.
-
2 Towns Ciderhouse
Corvallis, Oregon
Pacific Northwest craft cider, started in a taxi garage outside Corvallis.
-
21st Amendment Brewery
San Francisco, California
San Francisco's South Park brewpub, home of Hell or High Watermelon.
Find more makers like this in Provisions Club, our curated subscription.
Explore Provisions Club