Sierra Nevada Trail Pass Golden
By Sierra Nevada · USA
The other of Sierra Nevada’s first two alcohol-free beers, from January 2024: a golden ale under 0.5% with “a surge of hops for bright floral and citrus notes”, the brewer says.
At under 0.5% ABV, this isn’t alcohol-free under UK guidance, which keeps the term for 0.05% or less. We list it with alcohol-free beers, as UK shops do. How UK labels work
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What is Trail Pass Golden?
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. started in Chico, California, in 1980, and Ken Grossman, who founded it with Paul Camusi, still owns it: it says it’s “100% family-owned and operated”. Its alcohol-free range, Trail Pass, began in January 2024 with an IPA and a Golden, and Sierra Nevada says the beers are brewed with “traditional brewing methods, not alcohol removal”. In the UK you can buy Trail Pass IPA, Golden, Hazy IPA and Brewveza; Fest Brew has been sold here too. Cave Direct has imported Sierra Nevada into the UK since June 2025.
Sierra Nevada calls Golden “a refreshing easy-drinker with a surge of hops for bright floral and citrus notes”, hopped with Bravo, Cascade and Centennial, at 15 IBU. The UK shops sell it as a golden ale or pale ale.
It comes in 355ml cans. Sierra Nevada’s own pages give three different calorie figures for it, 70, 71 and 95 kcal a can, so we don’t quote one. Nobody publishes a full ingredients list, a vegan claim or a gluten-free claim. We haven’t scored it yet.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and Sierra Nevada’s description (floral and citrus hops, an easy-drinker; 15 IBU), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Key facts
| Official name | Trail Pass Golden; the shops sell it as Trail Pass Golden Ale |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Sierra Nevada, USA |
| Style | Golden ale |
| ABV | Under 0.5% ABV, Sierra Nevada says; the UK shops say 0.5% |
| Pack | 355ml cans, Sierra Nevada says: singles and cases at The Alcohol Free Co; cases at Dry Drinker |
| Calories | Unconfirmed: Sierra Nevada’s own pages give 70, 71 and 95 kcal for a 355ml can |
| Ingredients | Not published in full; Sierra Nevada names Bravo, Cascade and Centennial hops and an ale yeast |
| Hops | Bravo, Cascade and Centennial |
| Bitterness | 15 IBU, Sierra Nevada says |
| Allergens | Not published |
| Vegan | Not stated by Sierra Nevada |
| Gluten | No gluten-free claim |
| How it’s made | Brewed to stay under 0.5% with “traditional brewing methods, not alcohol removal”, Sierra Nevada says; trade press reports a yeast that makes little alcohol |
| Brewed | In the USA, by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., which brews in Chico, California, and Mills River, North Carolina |
| UK availability | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker |
Sources: Sierra Nevada’s own website, The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
How Trail Pass Golden sits in the Sierra Nevada range
| Beer | Style | ABV | Per 100ml | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Pass Hazy IPA | Hazy IPA | <0.5% | Unconfirmed | Not yet rated | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker |
| Trail Pass IPA | IPA | <0.5% | 23 kcal | Not yet rated | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender |
| Trail Pass Golden (this beer) | Golden ale | <0.5% | Unconfirmed | Not yet rated | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker |
| Trail Pass Brewveza | Blonde ale | <0.5% | 20 kcal | Not yet rated | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co |
| Trail Pass Fest Brew | Festbier-style lager | <0.5% | 21 kcal | Not yet rated | Not on sale in the UK when we checked |
The Sierra Nevada beers in our directory, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10. ‘Unconfirmed’ means the only calorie figures we found look unreliable. Per-100ml figures are our sums from Sierra Nevada’s per-can figures.
About Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. started in Chico, California, in 1980 and is still family-owned. Its alcohol-free Trail Pass beers, launched in 2024, are brewed to stay under 0.5% rather than having the alcohol taken out, it says.
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