Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Sparks The American Hop Revolution

On November 15, 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. brewed the first batch of its flagship Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in Chico, California. Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi had developed their brewing skills as homebrewers before establishing the brewery, and Grossman had opened the Home Brew Shop in Chico in 1976. The brewery assembled its early brewhouse from repurposed dairy and scrapyard equipment, while Grossman developed Pale Ale around whole-cone Cascade hops. Brewing equipment later acquired from Germany remained in use until the brewery moved to a larger brewhouse in 1989. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale helped define the flavor of modern American craft beer. Its piney and citrusy Cascade-hop character introduced many drinkers to a bolder American interpretation of pale ale and created an important bridge between American pale ale and the later rise of American IPA. Sierra Nevada subsequently expanded beyond California, opening its second brewery in Mills River, North Carolina, in 2014.