Break out the Celebration Ale: this year marks the 30th anniversary of Chico's Sierra Nevada brewery, which was founded in 1980 by Ken Grossman and is currently the nation's second-largest microbrewery (after Samuel Adams). To celebrate, Grossman has embarked on five beer collaborations in the past year, beginning with Life & Limb, produced in partnership with Dogfish Head (read more about it here). Life & Limb was followed by four specially designated Sierra 30 beers, released over the course of 2010.
Fritz and Ken's Ale, the first beer in the series, is an imperial stout co-brewed with Fritz Maytag of SF's own Anchor Brewing, who helped Grossman build his business in its earliest years. It was followed by Jack and Ken's Ale, an American barleywine concocted with New Albion Brewing's Jack McAuliffe, who was one of California's first microbrewers. The third beer in the series, Charlie, Fred, and Ken's Ale, is a bock produced with the help of homebrewing pioneers Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhart, whose homebrewing books were a major influence on Grossman. Finally, Grossman introduced his own Brewers' Reserve Oak-Aged Ale, a dry-hopped blend of the company's beloved Bigfoot, Celebration, and Pale Ales.
If your mouth is watering just reading about all these delicious brews, you're in luck: the Sierra gang will be at the Toronado tonight, November 15, to serve them up. Their site promises plenty of special brews and pricing, so don't miss out. The festivities start at 6 pm.
To learn more about the Sierra 30 brews, visit their special anniversary site.
