Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Founded: 
1980
Brief History and Information: 

We set out with a simple goal: brew the beers we wanted to drink. We started small, with a homebrew shop, a love of American hops and plenty of passion. In the process, we changed the beer world forever. Decades later, we’re still at it, and the passion burns brighter than ever.

There’s a lot going on at Sierra Nevada. If you want to see it all, we’ll pull back the curtains for you. We’ve designed several tours whose durations and content vary, so one of them is bound to fulfill your curiosity—or try them all! Common among them is a dose of history that underscores our role as a craft beer pioneer. Depending on the adventure, you’ll get your hands on our ingredients, peer into brewhouse vessels, stroll beneath fermenters, overlook our packaging facility, and take in our sea of solar panels. If you’re over 21 years old, a guided beer tasting of new and limited release beers is in the cards, or sample brews fresh from the tank if you take our brand new Beer Geek Tour.

Choose your destiny. We can’t wait to show you around.

Our tours fill up quickly! We highly recommend making your reservations in advance. (Provided by brewery)

Location: 
Chico, California
Map: 
Tap Room Hours: 

Chico:
Sunday – Thursday
11:00am – 9:00pm

Friday – Saturday
11:00am – 10:00pm

What They Brew...

  • American Barleywine
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    Bigfoot is a beast of a beer, brimming with bold flavors of bittersweet malt and heaps of aggressive whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops. First introduced in the winter of 1983, Bigfoot is a cult-...

  • American Double / Imperial Pilsner
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    Beer Camp is the ultimate brewing experience. We bring beer fans into our brewery nearly every week to create their own beer with us—the more daring the better—and each spring we’ll highlight one...

  • American Barleywine
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    4.5
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    4.5
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    4.5

    Bigfoot is a beast of a beer, brimming with bold flavors of bittersweet malt and heaps of aggressive whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops. First introduced in the winter of 1983, Bigfoot is a cult-...

  • American Black Ale
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    Blindfold blankets us in darkness yet maintains a surprisingly light body and bold, hoppy character. This black IPA emerged from our Beer Camp program and builds on Sierra Nevada’s legendary love...

  • American IPA
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    Whole-cone hops, the whole time—our philosophy since the beginning. We use hops in their purest form, and we’re fortunate to get first crack at some of the rare and exciting varietals new to brew...

  • American IPA
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    Hop Hunter IPA harnesses the complex flavors of just-picked hops through an all-new method of steam distilling wet hops before they even leave the fields. This revolutionary technique captures and...

  • Russian Imperial Stout
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    4.5
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    5
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    4.5

    Narwhal Imperial Stout is inspired by the mysterious creature that thrives in the deepest fathoms of the frigid Arctic Ocean. Featuring incredible depth of malt flavor, rich with notes of espresso...

  • American Stout
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    Sierra Nevada is celebrating the official start of brewing at its new Mills River, North Carolina, facility with the release of Rain Check Spiced Stout, a specialty beer brewed for western North...

  • American IPA
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    Rugged and resilient, rye has been a staple grain for ages and its spicy black pepper-like flavor has been prized by distillers and brewers for centuries. Rye thrives in the harshest conditions...

  • American IPA
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    The start of Celebration season is a festive event. We can’t start brewing until the first fresh hops have arrived, but once they have the season is officially under way! First brewed in 1981,...

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