Beyond the Pale: The Story of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

by Ken Grossman

Personal tales of perseverance and beer making from the founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Beyond the Pale chronicles Ken Grossman's journey from hobbyist homebrewer to owner of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., one of the most successful craft breweries in the United States. From youthful adventures to pioneering craft brewer, Ken Grossman shares the trials and tribulations of building a brewery that produces more than 800,000 barrels of beer a year while maintaining its commitment to using the finest ingredients available. Since Grossman founded Sierra Nevada in 1980, part of a growing beer revolution in America, critics have proclaimed his beer to be "among the best brewed anywhere in the world." Beyond the Pale shows how with hard work, dedication, and focus, you can be successful following your dream.

Genres: Beer, Nonfiction, Business, Brewing, History, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2012

Reviews

[Tommy Schenker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I love Sierra Nevada and I grew up in a time when it was a lot harder to find great beers. It was mostly all Bud, Miller and Coors back then. I loved reading about how Ken was inspired by Anchor Steam which was a higher quality beer than almost anything available at the time. I have a huge appreciation for what Ken achieved and it was fun reading the history of it. A cool compliment to the book was when my wife and I toured the brewery in Chico.

[James Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ken Grossman's kind, gracious demeanor is evident from the early pages of this heartfelt, and honest account of the Sierra Nevada story. Ken shares how he and his partner, from the humblest of beginnings - with raw ambition, ingenuity and countless hours of hard work - took cobbled together equipment and transformed it into one the most respected breweries in the world. I've had the pleasure of meeting Ken and, while you would be hard-pressed to detect any evidence of his massive success; it doesn't take long to see why people love to work for him. He invested his life into Sierra Nevada and his uncompromising commitment to quality touches all aspects of the business: Ken treats his staff, his beer, his facility, even his environment with the utmost respect. It is wonderful to have such a responsible leader in the industry truly worthy of our admiration. Ken is honest about the hard times and doesn't shy away from the frustration he faced along the way but his tenacity and commitment to build the best beer company he could build is nothing short of inspirational. Ken also pays homage to those who paved the way. Jack and Fritz were key figures in the early stages of the craft beer renaissance and it was nice to learn how the threads of New Albion and Anchor brewing were woven together with Sierra. For anyone interested in the early days of the craft beer movement this is a must read. Or if you are sick of hearing about corporate greed, it's refreshing to see what can happen when a company stays far away from Wall Street, takes the long view and does what's right despite how it impacts the quarterly earnings.

[Tarmo Tali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Grossman is craft brewing god. Simple as that. Although book feels more engineered than told. He is not great storyteller but story of Sierra Nevada Brewing as seen by its founder is worth reading whichever way it's written down.

[Tom Virtue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting history of the development of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, with a lot of detail on plant setup & the difficulties of setting up a brewery during a particularly difficult time for the industry. The drive for quality beer without compromise really comes through in Ken's writing, and would be a good inspiration for anyone working in the industry!

Does jump around a bit in the beginning, but becomes more focused a couple of chapters in, well worth a read.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massive respect to Ken Grossman and Sierra Nevada- he proves the American Dream is still out there for those who will work and sacrifice for it.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Chico during many of the years chronicled in the book, I had personal recollections of many of the events covered in the book, and I found it interesting to see behind the curtain, so to speak, and learn the history behind them. If you have an interest in the craft brewing industry or in the struggles of a small business trying to make it's way in the world, you'll find it an interesting read.

[Heather Keller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Torture! Did he even have an editor?!

[Sean Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you respect craft beer, and you love Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Pale Ale, do yourself a favor and read this book while having a pale ale.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well-written memoir about a fanatical hobbyist brewer turned entrepreneur. Grossman is the entrepreneur’s entrepreneur who bootstrapped a wildly successful business through perseverance and grit.

This would have been 5 stars for anyone interested in brewing beer or entrepreneurial success stories, however, Grossman seems occasionally detached from reality… Grossman’s relentless complaints about his cofounder Paul are somewhat off putting. Worse is Grossman’s puerile whining about his own poor decisions and his expectations that other people behave according to his interests and not their own (real estate investor/owner should just sell their property to him when it became convenient for him to purchase it, other nearby but otherwise completely unrelated property owners shouldn’t use their own property except in a fashion acceptable to Grossman, etc.). Even worse is how Grossman eviscerates others for their failures and presents them as inept, but readily and repeatedly gives himself a pass for every failure by chalking it up to some technicality.

[Max Finnance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Work book club: Terrific insight into the process, challenges, and behind the scenes details of Sierra Nevada’s 30+ year history as one of the most influential craft breweries in America. I’ve been a fan of their beers for a long time, but I had no idea of the scope of their early history, and I have exponentially more respect and admiration for the brand after reading this.

This book is aimed at someone who is already a bit of a beer geek, but if you don’t know anything about beer it will also do a good job of bringing you up to speed. Some of the minutia may seem unnecessary to a casual reader, and I could see some of the detail here getting boring to someone who isn’t immersed in craft beer, but those were exactly the parts I loved most about this book.

If you consider yourself a craft beer geek but think of Sierra Nevada as just another legacy brand, this book is sure to change your mind.

[Ramon van Dam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both an autobiography by Ken Grossman and a history of his highly influential Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Besides an excellent brewer, engineer and business man, Ken is apparently also a good writer. This book is an easy read, despite it containing quite a bit of information. I don't think you necessarily have to be interested in the world of beer to enjoy it, although that will definitely help with the many explanations of how Ken built and improved his brew houses.

Due to the nature it is quite one-sided though, which is mainly an issue in the section that handles a big clash between him and another important party. I'd like to hear more from the other side, but it makes sense that we don't get that here.

Inspiring, informative and interesting.

[Lana Svitankova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Починалося цікаво, але якось казково - ріст без ніяких зусиль, окрім фізичного порання з обладнанням, зібраного з гівна і палок і в цьому крихітна команда Сьєрри просто супермени. Перші 2/3 книжки зберігають хронологію, але потім починається якесь зібрання есе на різні теми, що кидаються у оізні часові простори, як блогдописи. Зорієнтуватися в них часто важко. Але тим не менш, пізнавальні мемуари, хай оповідач з Ґроссмана гірший, ніж з Кука чи Каладжіоне, часто повторюється, розповідає трохи сухувато і без байок.
Випущена у 2013, і Кен з захопленням повідомляє, що на цей рік у США працюватиме 1000 пивоварень. Ох, Кен, ти навіть не уявляєш, скільки їх буде невдовзі

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like beer, you will probably like this book. A wee bit too long for my taste, but still an interesting tale of building a successful brewery. It was pretty interesting to see how e brewery started and how it has grown over 35 years. Unfortunately, the NC location was barely mentioned at the end of the book as it was still being built. Kenn Grossman is quite a man- very knowledgeable and mechanical. He seems to be a guy who succeeds at everything he does, but in a good way. I want a Sierra Nevada Pale ale now.

[Michael Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read, considering the work I am doing on my book project related to Kansas breweries. Ken was incredibly curious, street smart and had no fear...well, little fear. It is simply amazing what he and the team he had accomplished, considering the early days with dairy farm milk vessels being patched together to build a brewing system.

[Maureen Sepulveda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a beer drinker but I picked up this book in Asheville, NC last year on vacation. We went to the Sierra Nevada brewery there. It was interesting reading about how difficult and time consuming and how much hard work goes into starting your own business. From a business perspective, I enjoyed reading the book although it was a slightly bland writing style.

[Ashley Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of the founding of one of the craft brew legends, Ken Grossman at Sierra Nevada. Interesting read about the beginning days of the brewery and how they become an industry leader. Must read for craft brew lovers.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dry but informative look at the beginnings of Sierra Nevada. A great look into the revolution of good beer on the West coast, and into what it takes to build an energy efficient brewery from scratch

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great autobiographical story of building a business around passion and an engineering mentality. Ken achieved the geek Nirvana of producing something that largely sold itself, allowing him years to grow his business and managerial skills to what the business would ultimately demand.

[JayBooksie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, this book is almost unreadable. This is mostly due to the very-clear fact that the author is a brewer and far from an author. Nearly every other single sentence starts with “I” or “we.”

I’m sure the story is fascinating, but not as it’s written.

[Paul Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. The writing style reflects what I expect the author's personality to be. Facts, figures, etc. Not many wacky anecdotes or funny stories. Grossman worked hard, accomplished more than you or me, and made the world a better place with his beer.

[Erinp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting enough if you love beer and Sierra Nevada. Not A+ writing but okay enough to read, if Beer is your thing of if its for a book club.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story of entrepreneurship and general grit!

[Raimondo Albarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good I go back and read portions again

[Andrew Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn the history of the company. Near the end the book became laborious.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the American dream. Work hard, be smart, and really love what you do.
An author has dedicated his life to this business.
I like this book. It inspires me.

[Sean F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid all around. Ken never goes very in depth in any one part of his and with so much to cover over his 30 years there’s not a ton of detail. Easy to read and great insight into his life though!

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Chico and was curious about how Sierra Nevada became so successful. Ah, hard work, tenacity, timing, careful management of risk, devotion to quality. Wow.

[Michael Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love success stories and Beer. If your the same then you'll want to read this.

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What you'll take away from this book first and foremost is that Ken Grossman is good guy with his heart in the right place. Passionate for beer and honest in business. I wish i had boss like Ken. I wish i worked at a brewer for that matter.

Ken might not be the best writer but this book is a pleasant and fairly easy read. Ken Grossman is of course the owner of Sierra Nevada brewing and one of a handful of true American Craft beer pioneers. The book is part autobiography and part history of history of Sierra Nevada. I thought the first half to be most interesting, reading about Grossman growing up and the early stages of setting up the brewery. Later on the book gets a bit drier, mainly listing the developments regarding the brewery when it is already a established business. This part might be a little less interesting if you're not really into the craft scene.

The origin story of Sierra Nevada is inspiring though. The way Grossman build his first jury-rigged brewery with sheer hard work, fabricating stuff himself, scraping by with money lent from family and friends. All with one clear vision; making better beer and, against all odds, making the business a succes. For Sierra Nevada to be successful and ever expanding 35 years on, to be independent, to be a good employer to it's employees, to strive for self-sufficiency regarding energy and water usage and above all to place consistent quality of it's beers above all else, Grossman deserves the utmost respect. Don't know if there's a Beer Hall of Fame but if there is, Grossman definitely deserves a spot.

The book is fairly easy to read, there is some technical stuff which for some might be a bit dull. A basic understanding of brewing helps but there's more about the business side of things than there is about brewing. You could definitely read this as an inspirational story about building a ethical and healthy small business, brewery or something else.
If you are thinking of starting a brewery this book is definitely recommended. And if you're a lover of craft beer it is as well as Sierra Nevada is one of the originals, in business long before you got the craft beer bug.

Now all i have to do is finally secure me some Sierra Nevada Brews.

[Andrew West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an easy, interesting read.