Sierra Nevada Sidecar Orange Pale Ale American Pale Ale at 5.3% ABV | 35 IBU (C$3.69 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, bottle date 28-Dec-2016, acquired 27-Mar-2017, reviewed 29-Mar-2017)
Appearance: largely clear medium gold with some large particulate, two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: zesty orange, grass, pale malt, floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mild bitter finish. (3/5)
Not bad, but a bit on the bland side. Along those lines, it smells a fair bit better than it tastes: the orange zest that dominates the nose hardly comes through on the tongue at all, and it ends up tasting like a fairly run-of-the-mill Pale Ale, except for the lingering orange zest oils that remain in the finish. And no, it isn’t particularly Sidecar-ish. Somewhat disappointing from a normally solid brewer. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
