There’s a satisfying little rebellion in drinking a rye-forward brew from a namesake West Coast IPA house: it feels like Sierra Nevada nudging tradition and saying, “Let’s spice things up.” Rye Torpedo is that nudge — a confident, approachable IPA that leans on an assertive rye backbone and classic piney-hop character to deliver something familiar with a wink. It’s not a revolution, but it’s a deliberate, well-executed spin that rewards repeated sips.

Rye Torpedo by Sierra Nevada

Appearance: Poured into a tulip, Rye Torpedo shows a clear amber-gold hue with a faint copper tint and a steady, off-white head that leaves a tidy lace as you work through the glass. The carbonation sits lively but not aggressive; at rest it presents the kind of clarity and color that says this beer knows its job and plans to do it without fuss.

Aroma: Upfront, the nose is a textbook Sierra Nevada blend of citrus rind, resinous pine, and floral hop perfume — think grapefruit peel, orange blossom, and fresh-cut spruce. Beneath that, the rye steps in with a subtle spiciness and a whisper of black pepper and dry biscuit that keeps the aroma from falling into one-note hop territory. There’s also a soft, bready malt sweetness that grounds the hops without weighing them down. It’s inviting and balanced: aromatic enough to promise a hop-forward ride but tempered by cereal warmth and rye tang.

Taste: First sip delivers the expected punch of citrus and resin, but the rye is the star of the mid-palate. It brings a peppery, slightly nutty snap that complements rather than competes with the hop bitterness. The bitterness is firm — assertive, but clean — and it plays nicely off a modest caramel malt base that gives the beer some chew and body. Hop flavors range from grapefruit and tangerine to a sapmy, piney undercurrent; they’re classic West Coast but tuned so the rye can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. The beer never feels overly sticky or sugary — instead, it’s brisk, with the rye adding a dry, spicy dimension that keeps each sip lively.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a crisp, dry finish, Rye Torpedo offers a pleasant contrast between weight and snap. There’s enough malt to give it substance, but the carbonation and rye’s dryness push it toward a finish that cleans the palate rather than clinging to it. That crispness is one reason the beer drinks easier than the hops’ aromatics might lead you to expect; you can comfortably have two without feeling overwhelmed.

Balance and complexity: Where Rye Torpedo earns its four stars is in the way it balances familiarity with a little adventurousness. Sierra Nevada doesn’t try to complicate the beer with exotic adjuncts or gimmicks — it pares the recipe down to a solid malt bill, a healthy dose of rye, and a hop program that leans classic. That combination produces more nuance than a straight IPA: you get peppery spice, piney resin, citrus tang, and just enough malt sweetness to keep things grounded. It’s not a hyper-complex craft IPA in the avant-garde sense, but it’s thoughtfully assembled and nuanced enough to reward repeated drinking and discussion.

Drinkability and food pairing: With its medium body and dry finish, Rye Torpedo is highly drinkable; it pairs especially well with spiced dishes and smoky proteins. Think pepper-crusted steak, grilled sausages with mustard, or a smoked gouda sandwich — the rye and hop bitterness will stand up to bold flavors without getting lost. For lighter fare, it also complements sharper cheeses and bright salads with citrus-forward dressings. In short, it’s versatile at the table and dependable in the hand.

Packaging and presentation: Brewed by a stalwart of American craft brewing, Rye Torpedo wears the Sierra Nevada badge with quiet confidence. Whether from a can or on draft, it pours true to style and carries a familiar label of quality — no theatrical packaging required. That steady presentation is part of the appeal: this is a brewery that knows how to execute a concept without needing to shout about it.

Who it’s for: If you like West Coast-style IPAs but are curious about something with a spicy twist, Rye Torpedo is a natural fit. It’s friendly enough for hop lovers who prefer balance over pure bitterness, and it has enough character to please drinkers who enjoy rye-forward beers or those looking for a little more texture than a straightforward pale. It’s also a good middle ground for folks who enjoy traditional Sierra Nevada offerings but want something with a touch more grit.

What could be better: The beer’s restraint is mostly a virtue, but it’s also the reason Rye Torpedo doesn’t earn a perfect score. For hop die-hards chasing maximalism or brewers pushing the envelope of acidity, haze, or experimental adjuncts, this will read as conservative — deliberately so. A slightly more adventurous hop profile or a bolder rye presence might tip this from “very good” to “unforgettable” for some palates. That said, the decision to keep it measured preserves broad appeal and drinkability.

Final thoughts: Rye Torpedo is a smart, well-balanced IPA that blends classic West Coast hop character with a spicy rye core for extra personality. It’s not a radical departure from what you expect from Sierra Nevada, but it’s a welcome variant — thoughtful, tasty, and thoroughly drinkable. For those reasons, it earns a solid four out of five stars: a reliable, characterful brew that hits the sweet spot between approachability and distinctiveness.

My Untappd Rating: **** out of 5
Global Untappd Rating: 3.85 out of 5 (as of 5.10.26)

Untappd Description:

Bold hop flavor and full-bodied malt combine in this IPA, inspired by our classic Torpedo but brewed with rye malt.

MALTS
C-60, Munich, Rye, Two-row Pale

HOPS
Chinook

YEAST
Ale

-B. Kline

Sierra Nevada’s Trail Pass starts a new adventure in non-alcoholic brewing. After more than 5 years of development, and propelled by an innovative yeast strain, the iconic brewery believes Trail Pass IPA and Trail Pass Golden will turn heads.

Trail Pass Non-Alcoholic Brews – Untappd Blog

Just in time for Dry January. A yearly tradition for some people to get back in shape or to curb and moderate themselves after the excess of the end of year holidays (from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years Eve/Day).

Dry January is also the bane of most craft breweries. A lull in their years, with people not drinking as much, not having as much disposable income due to the holidays, and with travel down due to weather, etc.

If a craft drinker is looking for that non-alcoholic option, but still wants a complete beer experience, this is gonna do it for them.

James Conery, Innovation Brewmaster at Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Brewing uses traditional method, not alcohol extraction to brew Trail Pass. This creates a more full and bold flavor, and they are still able to dial it in to under 0.5% ABV (which is where most non-alcohol beers reside).

There are two Trail Pass variants. The citrus and pine forward Trail Pass IPA and the biscuity malt and smooth forward Trail Pass Golden.

Sierra Nevada Trail Pass is currently available online, shipping to select states. Find it in stores nationwide beginning January 2024.

Some Non-Alcoholic Beer Related Articles

• I’ve Missed Drinking (A Look at Non Alcoholic Beers)
• Beer Review: Free Wave Hazy IPA (Non – Alcoholic Beer) (Athletic Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Run Wild IPA (Non – Alcoholic Beer) (Athletic Brewing Company)
• The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Beer: A Guide to the Best Non Alcoholic Brews
• Brewery Review: Otto’s Pub and Brewery
• How Does Beer Affect Studying? Understanding the Impact of Alcohol on Academic Performance
• Breaking Down the Buzz: The Health Benefits of Craft Beer
• Best Non-Alcoholic Beers For 2021
• Surly Releasing Outlook Good Hoppy Non-Alcoholic
• Flying Dog’s DeepFake Non-Alcoholic Beer
• Sierra Nevada’s Trail Pass Non-Alcoholic Beer

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

Like I said in my Icicle beer review yesterday; I would ATTEMPT to do an evening beer review or article. Attempt would be the key word. Because I started one, and still have it here on the docket, but I’ve now switched to doing this beer review, because the other article was becoming too depressing. I started writing up an article about the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) will be having on the beer industry, restaurant industry, and breweries in general. Stuff like how the Prototype Invitational Brewfest was postponed (until August), and how most likely the AC Beerfest will be postponed as well (their making an announcement on Monday).

So many things and events are being postponed, cancelled, or affected in some way by the virus. Look at sports – NHL and NBA suspended their seasons indefinitely. The NCAA tournaments cancelled. MLS and XFL also announced their seasons suspended indefinitely (XFL outright cancelling the remainder of their season). MLB has announced their stopping pre-season and postponing opening day for at least two weeks and will reevaluate after that. WrestleMania 36 is still currently on for April 5th in Tampa Bay; but will most likely be postponed as well. Travel bans coming in and out of certain countries. Schools closing for weeks. Colleges and universities switching to online instruction only. Things are serious with this.

Many breweries and restaurants have announced on their social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc) their new taproom policies, or reinforced their stance on cleanliness, etc. Breweries like Troegs, Tree House, Trillium, etc, have all made such announcements. Flying Dog has closed their taproom.

So instead of being depressing and upsetting, and instead trying to bring some entertainment, lightness, and happiness into these bleak, troubling times (and since I have no eggs to present you), I offer you a beer review instead.

Yes, I know, not much of an offering, but at least its something, and who knows, maybe it’ll take your mind off of things. So, I present you with this – the 40th Anniversary Hoppy Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing.

Beer: 40th Anniversary Hoppy Ale
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Style: IPA – American
ABV: 6%
IBU: 65
Untappd Description: Hop-forward beers weren’t popular when we started brewing in 1980. But we loved them, and knew that if we were going to open a brewery, we’d better make something distinctive. It’s been 40 years since then, and we’re still brewing what we love. This beer showcases the bold flavors and aromas of a classic West Coast IPA: intense pine and citrus with a deep gold color and slight caramel sweetness. Here’s to following your passion, and to the next 40 years.

First off, lets discuss the food. I met my mom at the Warwick Hotel in Hummelstown for dinner. She ordered the chicken alfredo and I ordered the pastrami hash. It was incredibly delicious and amazing. Super spicy, but extremely good. So if you get the chance to try it at the Warwick, I fully recommend you do.

Now, onto the beer.

Appearance is a light colored IPA. Not quite the full darker hued amber-ish look of a typical West Coast IPA; but certainly nothing reminiscent of hazy New England IPAs either. Almost like a fair compromise between the two. Its light bodied, it has a small white to off white head with interspersed and varied bubbles, and it leaves a nice lacing down the pint glass. Wonderful appearance.

Aroma is pretty light. Some good hoppy notes of citrus, tropical, a small bit of piney and foresty smells. Bit of earthy notes. The citrus and pine out power the other notes but you do get a bit of a malt, caramel or carmalized malt smell at the end.

This is a simple, refreshing, easy to drink beer (especially when eating a spicy dinner). There’s nothing super outstanding or grandstanding about this beer, but its a great dinner beer. It meets all of its criteria perfectly. This is a clean, crisp, clear, tasty, quality refreshment. Its sweet, its hoppy, its honestly a middle-point compromise between a true West Coast style IPA and a New England style IPA. There is some very good hoppy notes to this; you get citrus, pine, in pretty good abundance, with just a pit of tropical hop notes peeking through. There is a sweetness to this. Nothing cloying or too overly sweet, just the right amount of caramel malt sweetness. This provides just the right balance with the hops.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 3.13.20)

(not often my rating exactly matches with the rating of the beer, thats pretty cool)

Hopefully this review found you happy, gave you some kind of entertainment, helped you take your mind off these troubling times. If so, then it did its job. Lets not panic, lets all stay calm, enjoy Friday the 13th, lets relax, deep breathe, and enjoy some good beers.

Hopefully I’ll see some of you tomorrow for Kegs and Eggs. Be sure to come out and support a great cause!

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

See Also: Beer Review: Icicle (New Trail Brewing)

BFD

First… let’s ask ourselves what B – F- D stands for. Is it Beer For Drinking? Is it Big F….ing Deal? Is it Beautiful Fractional Dimensions? Is it Bubbly Farts Dissipate? Sierra Nevada Brewing tells us it means “Beer For Drinking” so let’s just go with that then!

Introduced in 2017, Sierra Nevada proudly features BFD among their year-round beer selections, sharing the stage with other newcomers like Hop Bullet, Sidecar Orange IPA, Hazy Little Thing, Otra Vez Lime & Agave, and Sierraveza. However, the absence of BFD from the brewery’s 2019 release calendar raises eyebrows, hinting that Sierra Nevada might not be actively promoting this particular brew. It’s a challenge to find on store shelves, typically confined to solitary tallboy cans in gas station convenience stores, despite being a year-round offering from the nation’s third-largest craft brewery.

Beer Review: Beer For Drinking (BFD) by Sierra Nevada

Beer: Beer For Drinking (BFD)
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Style: Golden Ale – Other
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 33
Untappd Description: There are days when you want a beer —just a beer — that hits all the right spots. Well, this is it. No snifters required, no special occasions, just an unfussy, uncomplicated hoppy golden ale brewed to fit in no matter where it goes. This isn’t beer for collecting, this is beer for drinking.

Tasting Notes: I crack open a substantial 19.2oz can, bearing a clear packaging date of 2/1/19. As I pour it into the glass, BFD reveals a slightly hazy pale golden hue, crowned with a voluminous head of bright white foam that lingers for well over a minute. The aroma takes me by surprise; it’s reminiscent of fresh air with subtle floral hops, notes of honeysuckle, and even a hint of celery stalk. As the beer warms, orange blossom honey emerges, giving BFD a delicate quality that oddly resembles a saison.

The flavor profile further emphasizes the saison comparison, presenting a reasonably dry and minimally bitter (0/10) experience. High carbonation and a touch of sourdough acidity add to the overall effect, which some might describe as bland, but I lean towards a petite saison vibe. It’s refreshing, with subtle flavors reminiscent of lemon seltzer water. While I appreciate the nuanced experience, it’s likely to leave many consumers, especially long-time Sierra Nevada aficionados, somewhat perplexed.

Final Thoughts: BFD departs from Sierra Nevada’s typical grainy flavors and lacks the expected hoppiness, contradicting its official description and the brewery’s usual associations. Understandably, Sierra Nevada aims to tap into a different consumer base—one that is more casual, less brand-conscious, and seeks simplicity in their beer. However, Firestone Walker’s 805 achieves this effortlessly and deliciously.

Despite its quirks, BFD does serve a purpose by accentuating the appeal of Sierraveza. Another addition to Sierra Nevada’s “easy-drinking” lineup, Sierraveza can be readily found in stores. It shares BFD’s light-bodied and approachable characteristics but offers a more cohesive experience with enhanced hop aromas and richer malt flavors. My recommendation is to opt for Sierraveza and reserve BFD for those intrigued by novelty.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.5

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)