Sierra Nevada Old Chico Crystal Wheat
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.
3.1
169 reviews
Chico, United States
Community reviews
Bottle at hotel room fart share @RBWG 2016. Almost clear golden liquid with medium white head. Aroma of earth, soil, grain and bread. Taste is very light sweet and light bitter with notes of wheat, earth and grain. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Pretty nice, if a bit bland.
Pour is a healthy golden glow, fluffy head of bubbles that retains and leaves some lacing. Smell is wheat, hayfields, bitter hops, and sweetness. Taste follows. Not so heavy on the wheat in the taste, more like their pale ale really, which I find is common with Sierra Nevada (everything being hoppy). But it sits well on you, good long aftertaste, and prett solid beer
Draft - Not much at all on the aroma, some sweetness. Pale gold with a rich white head. Light sweet and creamy with a touch of bitterness in the finish. Texture is nice, but very boring.
On tap at the Torpedo Room. Pours a clear gold with a thin white head. Grainy, crisp crackers and a touch of wheat on the nose. Medium-bodied, soft crackers, malt, a touch of grain. Soft crisp crackers into the finish, super grainy. A touch sweet, otherwise fairly clean.
33cl bottle
clear gold color
hoppy, fruity aroma
fruity flavor, quite drinkable
Refrigerated 12 oz. squat brown bottle, from slowrunner77, poured into a weizenbock glass. Clear golden with small white head. Aroma is light grain, light body, medium/light carbonation, and some lacing. Taste is light grain. No reason to have this again, just not much there.
355ml bottle from citysuper HK (in June). clear gold pour with thin white head. aroma is wheat and bread. taste is wheat, grass and cereal. not too exciting.
Draught at the Sierra Nevada, Chico, CA.
Clear golden colour with a small white head.
Mild wheat, fruity hops, mild bitterness and mild yeast in the aroma.
The flavour is wheat, mild yeast and mild candies.
draft at Sierra Nevada, simple floral, fruity wheat ale. medium bodied, golden pour, easy drinking, gateway beer
Clear copper-straw with fizzy white head and watery legs. Smells of faint malt, cereal grains, a bit corn-y like certain pale ales. Taste is even more faint, similar malt with light citrus/lemon. Body is light-to-medium, less carbonation than expected, finish is slightly more sharp and bitter. Overall not bad but rather boring (even though Sierra Nevada explicitly states it was aiming to make its lightest beer yet).
Bottle from Citysuper. Slightly hoppy Pilsner aroma - just slightly more interesting than standard Pilsner. Taste is pleasantly bubbly crisp and bitter. Pilsner-like crisp sharp finish. Drinkable. Not bad.
Bottle pour. Clear golden with lots of carbonation and a large soapy white head. Aroma is wheat, grains, and coriander. Light body. Wheat, hay, and very light hops. Not too much going on, but very easy to drink.
"some of the classic nose you expect from a wheat beer, but hoppier. in other styles i ilike hoppier, but this one doesn’t quite work. still too light and boring for my taste. 1/10-reaffirmed as their most boring and passable beer. why bother?"
355 ml bottle bought at CitySuper in Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Clear golden colour with no yeast sediments; Razor-thin head with residual soapy white foam which fades in 10 seconds; Very small sticky lacing and barely notable carbonation; Fragrant aroma of light Ale malt, with pretty sharp citrus, orange, light floral, light cinnamon, honey, light pepper, spices and hop cones; Close to medium sweet taste of light Ale malt, with light wheaty tartness, citrus zest, molasses notes, pine, light spices, lime, lemon, quite strong bitter hops and light sharp grass; Close to light body, crisp and hoppy palate; Mouth feel is pretty solid light maltyness, wheaty presence is very notable with light tartness.
Absence of yeast is filled up by strong spicys hops with sharp citrus, quite piney and spicy characters. Lots of hop cone taste with moderate bitterness for a lasting but light astringent finish; Quite dry after taste. Very hoppy and light bitter to mouth.
Comments: Not your usual estery and phenolic Wheat Ale, this one replace all these chemical chcarcters with very coney and spicy floral hoppiness. Quite expressive and at times tasted like a Premium Lager with wheaty element remain intact. A pretty good one and perfect for Summer!
A cool tribute to 19th Century Northwest breweries. Tastes plain, but good. Easy to drink.
On tap at some place in Redding CA. Nice easy drinker. Slightly sweet and easy on the palate, but not much too it.
Pours golden yellow color with a white head. Wheat, grain, malt and light hop aroma. Wheat, grain, grass, light hop, bubblegum and malt flavors. Light body and average carbonation. Light wheat finish.
12 oz can- Pours mostly clear with a two finger bone white head, cobwebby lace. Aroma is wheat, coriander, pepper, clove. The taste is light and smooth, wheat, barley, peppercorns, clove. Very sessionable, could drink a case of this, much better than I was anticipating.
tap at the Chico brewpub Aug 2013 - Pours clear gold with a lingering off-white head. It has a mild aroma of citrus and wheat. The light flavor is refreshing with mild hops bitterness. It’s light bodied and really good, especially for a style that’s not generally my favorite.
Similar to a macro lager with wheat. Straw color, soapy head. Very light in flavor, with the toasty wheat coming through. Somewhat bitter finish. Maybe a hint of banana.
Pours clear blonde with a decent white head that doesn’t last long and a floral aroma. There is a refreshing wheat flavor with a little banana ester and dry slightly bitter finish
Bottled around 01DEC11
A: pours a brilliant straw ale with a finger of fine, white foam. This falls to a sheet of the same leaving soapy lace.
S: Wheat, grain, dust, some earthy crispness. It seems to have a decent pilsner tone with subdued earthen hops.
T: Some sweet cereal flavors with a bit of crispy pizzazz that provides a slight peppery flavor. I can dig.
M: thin with hi carb and a dry finish.
O: Really a drinkable beer. I wouldn’t got too far outta my way to drink it, but if it were 100F outside, I’d be happy to split a pitcher.
Serving type: bottle
12-27-2011
Bottle from safeway, san francisco. Clear golden color, white head. Aroma is yeast, lemon notes and some wheat. Taste is also wheat, lemon notes, yeast. Body is quite light but decent.
Tap at Sierra Nevada Taproom, Berkeley. Colour is clear golden with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Wheat, some hops, sweetness, fruits and malts.
On tap @ Torpedo Room. Clear golden pour with a white head. Grape, bread, and grass on the nose. Quite dry. Some toast, wheat, and grain. Flavor is lightly sweet with a dry, mildly bitter finish. Lots of grape, wheat, bread, and cracker. A bit grainy. Meh.
Tap @ Black Bottle. Called Ale 20. Pours a clear golden yellow appearance with a white head. Fairly floral, a bit grainy, light lemon, slightly spicy aroma. Clean, light flavor with some hay and grainy notes. Not super exciting but easy to drink. Probably a good session ale.
Poured in to shaker from bottle. Golden pour with little to no head. Not much of an aroma. Very light taste
Small bottle from the shop in Yosemite village in the US. Golden / light orange body with a white head. Aroma and taste of wheat. Medium carbonation. Good drinkable beer. Nothing special. ***
From the can. Straw yellow w/ a white head. Grains and light biscuit. Some minor bitterness in the finish. Ok, but not great.
Old Chico is another example of an overall comment I have of the entire Sierra Nevada portfolio of beers: Technically clean, but lacks depth of flavor. Sierra is the sixth largest brewery in the U.S. and its mass production level prevents it from delivering exceptional beers in any category. We owe Sierra a thanks for pioneering the craft beer business, but unfortunately, its beers have become more macro than micro.