Book Review: The story of Sierra Nevada Brewery

It would be hard to find someone in Chico or in the world of beer who does not know the name Ken Grossman. He is the founder and owner of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

His memoir Beyond the Pale: The story of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (John Wiley & Sons, 2013) is a must read for anyone who has an interest in beer, Chico, entrepreneurship and a start-up business.

Even if you don’t have an interest in any of those things, this was an extremely interesting—and quick—read that might surprise you.

Some of the stories/information I knew from going on tours at the brewery and some from people sharing what they know.

It’s amazing Sierra Nevada survived. It would have been so easy to give up.

Innovation is a constant at the brewery. That’s what stood out to me. Settling on what they have is not good enough. They are constantly refining and tweaking things. It’s about trying new recipes. It’s about being sustainable and self-reliant.

Considering this book was published 13 years ago, it seems like it would be time for Grossman to write another book. Clearly, more has taken place with the company in this time: craft beer and alcohol sales as a whole are waning, and then there was the pandemic, supply chain issues and so much more.