This summer has seen a resurgence of a classic craft beer style that for several years has been hard to find (outside the ubiquitous AleSmith 394 Pale Ale). It would be an easy argument to make that the modern craft beer movement began with pale ale.
Most brewers I’ve interviewed over the last few years have cited the style — Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale in particular — as a cornerstone in their love of craft beer.
The style derives from English pale or English bitter. But thanks to Sierra Nevada — and other American breweries — the style developed a uniquely American flavor throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
The pale ale offers a hop-forward flavor but dials back the bitterness so prominent in IPAs. The pale ale also provides softer biscuit or caramel notes from the malts and a crispness making it effervescent.
Sadly, with the constant demand for IPAs, the pale ale seemed to be lost to the not too distant past. But, to my delight, the style is finding its way back to breweries across the county.
Here are some excellent pale ales brewed locally and worth enjoying as a reminder of the glory of this wonderful beer style.
Vista: Inzane Brewing’s Pale Ale
This beer is an homage to Sierra Nevada’s classic beer. This beer hits all the right notes for the style.
“My first love for craft beer started with my time in Chico and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I am hoping to push people back to the pale ale style with what I’m brewing. There’s a world of pale ales out there that IPA lovers would enjoy if they’d give them a shot,” says owner Mike Zane.
Best enjoyed on premises while listening to live music or stand-up comedy on the Inzane Brewing stage.
Oceanside: Bagby Beer Company’s CopyCat Pale
Jeff Bagby has been a fan of the style since his college days. His lineup features an extra pale (Struggle Bus) and a pale similar to Sierra Nevada’s flagship beer. Bagby explained that while his original intent wasn’t to mirror Sierra Nevada, the result “color, abv and body were spot on.”
Hence the name: CopyCat.
“Very similar hops, cascade heavy, but a little more hop presence in CopyCat than Sierra Nevada,” says Bagby.
Bagby serves his Copycat Pale in a proper pint English ale Nonic glass. Some may overlook this detail, but it is a much-appreciated touch to the purists and beer nerds.
Copycat Pale “pairs well with food but best with our fish tacos–depending on how much salsa you add,” says Bagby.
Del Mar: Viewpoint Brewing’s Tinny Smasher, a collaboration with Half-Door Brewing in San Diego
According to head brewer Moe Katomsk, “Tinny Smasher is a British style Pale Ale that was intended to stick to the style guidelines. We used all British ingredients for the beer. We put our San Diego twist on it by using a touch of honey malt for sweetness.”
This style’s milder, maltier version makes Tinny Smasher both old-school and unique to San Diego. Best enjoyed paired with a Viewpoint chicken pot pie.
Carlsbad: Burgeon Beer’s Carlsbad Crush and Carlsbad Brewing’s By the Sea
Crush is “charged with an abundance of mosaic hops to create a light and tropical pale ale that’s the best of both worlds: hoppy and crushable,” says Mackenzie Kline of Burgeon Beer.
Crush contains subtle blueberry and stone fruit notes and earned a Silver Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Best enjoyed at sunset at the Carlsbad Camp Store, where it is served on draft. Also available in cans everywhere. By the Sea is a single-hop citra pale ale lighter and dryer than Crush.
“We are big fans of tried and true traditional styles like the pale ale,” says owner Tommaso Maggiore.
“We start with tradition in mind and then our means of getting there are a little more modern,” added head brewer Cody Gagnon. “By the Sea is double dry-hopped to get the flavors and dry it out.”
The result is an easily approachable beer that is best paired with a second pint.
While the tourists crowd the beaches, please get out and enjoy our local brewery scene and some classic pale ales as they enjoy a hopefully not-too-brief revival this summer.
Jeff Spanier is the host of I Like Beer the Podcast. Take a listen wherever you get podcasts. Follow Spanier’s adventures @ilikebeerthepodcast on Instagram or ilikebeerthepodcast.com
