{"id":1995,"date":"2010-11-10T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2010-11-10T15:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/?p=1995"},"modified":"2021-08-26T11:47:46","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T16:47:46","slug":"review-sierra-nevada-old-chico-crystal-wheat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/review-sierra-nevada-old-chico-crystal-wheat\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sierra Nevada Old Chico Crystal Wheat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nSierra Nevada says:<\/p>\n

“Brewed using 65% wheat malt and 35% barley malt. This filtered wheat beer is light blonde in color, light bodied and has a wonderfully clean finish. This is a great choice for craft brew novices and beer aficionados alike.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sierra Nevada Old Chico Crystal Wheat
\nPale Wheat Ale, 5% ABV
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Sayeth the Guys:<\/em><\/p>\n

Karl:<\/strong> Before we get rolling here, allow me to take you along with me on the journey of this beer. \u00a0The El<\/del> Old Chico, as you can see from the label, is \u201conly available locally.\u201d \u00a0So how the hell did we end up with it in Chicago? \u00a0No, there was no lying to the USPS. \u00a0No shipping. \u00a0No intracontinental trading. \u00a0The El<\/del> Old Chico came to us the old fashioned way – on a beer run.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

“Only available locally.” Read: NOT IN CHICAGO<\/p><\/div>\n

See, my brother was working for Americorps a while back and took his rare time off to scavenge for beers unknown to Illinois. \u00a0He came back with a trunk full of Sierra Nevada beers that I had never heard of – and boy, did they pay off. \u00a0He kindly graced me with a dozen 24oz. bottles of SN\u2019s Southern Hemisphere, and my other brother got a case of the El<\/del> Old Chico. \u00a0I traded him 24oz. of the Hemisphere for one lonely 12oz. bottle of Chico – and having now had it, I consider it a fair trade.<\/p>\n

So, to review: \u00a0Chico, California, to Sacramento. \u00a0Then, they drove all over the American West and central midwestern states. \u00a0(This beer saw Mount Rushmore, for example.) \u00a0After that, to my other brother\u2019s refrigerator, to my closet, to Ryan\u2019s beer fridge, to our respective stomachs. \u00a0Quite a journey. \u00a0And well worth it.<\/p>\n

The El<\/del> Old Chico is a damn good looking beer. \u00a0Gleaming golden in color and filtered crystal clear – what the \u201cCrystal\u201d in \u201cCrystal Wheat\u201d refers to, I\u2019d wager. \u00a0It even sparkles a little bit with champagne-like carbonation bubbling up from the bottom of the glass, as you can see from our handy-dandy YouTube footage:<\/p>\n

Okay, so you can sorta see it. \u00a0That\u2019s not the point. \u00a0Nor is my bad camera usage. \u00a0The point is, this is an excellent, excellent session beer.<\/p>\n

Ryan:<\/strong> “I would drink eight of these.”\u00a0 I scribbled this in my notebook after taking my first sip of a beer that I may never have again.\u00a0 As Karl laid out for you, using everything but google maps, this is only available to locals.\u00a0 Which leads me to believe people who live in Chico, CA have it alright.\u00a0 The Old Chico looks good, it tastes good and goes down very smooth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Did I mention it looks good?\u00a0 Just look at that gorgeous, golden straw coloring and the nearly crystal clear opaqueness.\u00a0 Does it smell and taste as good as it looks?\u00a0 You betcha.<\/p>\n

This beer smells like a pilsner, has a body that’s pretty darn close to a berlinner weis and the taste of a toned down pale wheat ale.\u00a0 I say toned down because the wheat up front and the slightly bitter hops in the finish, while subdued, are present enough to make this very flavorful without packing a high ABV punch (5%).\u00a0 The carbonation is very lively and almost champagne-like which prompted the berlinner weis comparison.<\/p>\n

This is the kind of beer that you give to someone that claims they only drink Bud Light or Miller Lite or any other lite\/light beer you can think of.\u00a0 There is tons of flavor in this beer, but not so much that a virgin palate is overwhelmed.\u00a0 If I had this readily available I’d be drinking it year-round.\u00a0 Sierra Nevada, we just might be paying you a visit soon to pick up a case or two of this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sierra Nevada Old Chico Crystal Wheat, as you can see from the label, is \u201conly available locally.\u201d So how the hell did we end up with it in Chicago?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[298],"yoast_head":"\nReview: Sierra Nevada Old Chico Crystal Wheat | Guys Drinking Beer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Sierra Nevada Old Chico Crystal Wheat, as you can see from the label, is \u201conly available locally.\u201d So how the hell did we end up with it in Chicago?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/review-sierra-nevada-old-chico-crystal-wheat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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