Join BYO for a New England Beer & Baseball Adventure, Aug. 2-7, 2026 Click here for details.
Read the history of a true craft brewing pioneer and try brewing 5 of Sierra Nevada’s popular offerings.
I like to make my imperial stouts on the dry/thin side so I mash low, but feel free to raise your mash temperature, or add some rolled oats for more of a “wet” stout with added mouthfeel.
Recipe submitted by BYO reader Ryan DeLutis. The combination of fresh watermelon juice and a little watermelon extract combine to provide a nice watermelon kick on the palate while not being overwhelming.
Chris Poel, Lead Brewer at Baird Brewing in Numazu, Japan says this beer relies on a light body and mild hop character, but features a spiciness and subtle esters from a Belgian yeast strain that adds “just enough complexity without becoming too over-the-top with phenolics.”
Close to a traditional English style Strong Ale, with earthy English East Kent Golding hops and roasted barley, pale and dark malts and some wheat malt for added body. “I would call ours a ‘Classic’ English Strong, because it isn’t as aggressive as the more modern examples out there,” says Stewart’s Head Brewer, Ric Hoffman.
According to Snake River Brewing Co. “This Strong Ale is sweet and fruity, balanced with a generous amount of hops. Fashioned after the “Old” ales of England this beer is intended to be heavy in alcohol. Ol’ Stinky’s has a small amount of Roasted Barley for color. In addition to a large amount of bittering hops, this beer is also dry hopped. The alcohol content is 8.2%”
Head Brewer Mark Purciel considers his beer a hybrid of all three styles. “It has the malt richness of the English without the high alpha acids from the hops in an American variety,” Purciel says. “It has the neutral yeast as an American, but candi sugar as an adjunct with a Belgian.”
Ovila is Sierra Nevada’s Belgian beer line that is brewed in collaboration with the monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. Here is a recipe for one of the beers that has been released from that series, their Ovila Quad.
Chinook, Citra®, and US Magnum hops are the shining star in this Rye IPA with a little rye kick that rounds out the hop profile.
This recipe is easy to reproduce in a modern homebrewery. In the recipe for easy tesgüino, the fermentable sugars are derived from sugar rather than corn.
Terry Foster utilizes bourbon barrel soaked oak cubes to create a complex and layered imperial stout.
Victory Brewing Co. says, “Storm King is dense and full-bodied, with deep, dark chocolate flavors of roasted malts under a massive hop aroma.”
“First introduced in the winter of 1983, Bigfoot is a cult-classic beer brewed in the barleywine style, meaning a strong, robust, bruiser of a beer with the refined intensity of a wine.”
“This ale is bold, hoppy, and complex with chocolate and roasted malts adding a full malty character. The strong American hops balance the beer with an aggressive bitterness, followed by a fruity hop flavor and a full hop aroma.”
First brewed in 1981, Sierra Nevada explains that Celebration Ale is one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA, and it’s still one of the few hop-forward holiday beers. The intense, hop-heavy beer features Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops.
Dark, sweet and full-bodied, sweet stout — also known as milk stout — is a fun beer to add to your Repertoire. in this issue three brewers discuss brewing this winter-friendly style with balance.
Updated recipe with the latest information gleaned from Sierra Nevada’s website. ‘The’ classic American Pale Ale.
The aptly named sweet stout shows a balance between sugary sweetness, hop bitterness and roasted malt flavors.
A pasta sauce with pumpkin, bacon, and brown ale that’s perfect for fall dinners.
