This Gal recently found herself at her fav beer store, Trenton Road Take Out, I was there to pick up a few things but decided to treat myself to a small beer. I always find the tap list to have a nice selection but on this particular occasion it was spot on! I was trying to decide between Toppling Goliath Light Speed DDH Pale Ale or Bissel Brothers “Lux” Pale Ale when the helpful young gentleman working the taps recommended a taste of the Sierra Nevada 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale…ding, ding, ding we had the winner. I’m so glad he recommended it and was kicking myself for glossing right over it on the board. After all, I talk so often about Sierra can be overlooked and yet is so good. Here I was doing it myself…I was distracted by the shiny new beer and looking over the classic.

As I sat back and enjoyed this fab classic it really started to sink in that they were celebrating 40 years…40 years! That 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale transported me back in time to my first sip of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale; it was the parking lot of a Grate Dead show. I thought it was so cool I was drinking a beer on the east coast that I never heard of and was from the west coast. The next time I was at a show I found myself searching for that beer from California. It was rare once, stood the test of time and all the various beer trends and is still going strong. Sitting back at Trenton Road Take Out sipping on that Sierra made me appreciate their journey as well as my own.

Thank you to the young gentleman for reminding me to cherish the classics.