In the event you have been living under a rock Sierra Nevada embarked on a very ambitious and genius project this year. The fact that this many breweries participated and this program was done nationwide is a beer miracle. Beer camp last year was a flop of a variety pack, but this year with 12 different collaborations the hype was fierce with this one. The beer pictured about is the invitation, a 24oz double IPA, that is one of the best of that style I have ever had from Sierra. The invitation was sent out through distributors to invite beer drinkers to attend beer camp events across the Nation. The beer camp events have over 700 breweries participating that will pouring their own beers at the events.
I will not attempt to sit down and drink all 13 beers in one day. I have to come up with a good drinking order. Due to the time it may take, possibly three weekends or better, I have elected to drink the hoppy beers first. I will narrate my journey as if it was a week at camp, like the one I worked at an enjoyed so much. I am very excited about this twelve pack because there are several breweries represented that do not make it to Virginia.
Camp: Day One
Much like Charlie Bucket, I feel as if I got the golden ticket. As this series was released in Virginia it hit Northern Virginia and Richmond at about the same time. Retailers in northern Virginia looked at me like I was crazy, knowing very little about beer camp. Then I started to see pictures of the liquid invitation in Richmond, but nothing in northern Virginia. This beer was due out before the twelve packs!?
Much like the first day of camp, I was a hyper mess. I didn't know which way to look, or what I wanted to do first. I needed to talk with my fellow campers, beer drinkers, to help map my course through this exciting series. I opened the box, like unpacking, sorted through the ten bottles and two cans. I saw names like Ninkasi, Three Floyds, and Russian River, oh boy! What was going to be the stand out this summer? Well I have to say the liquid invitation was phenomenal, please if you are into this series find these bottles while they are still sort of fresh.
Camp: Day Two
As before mentioned, I felt the need to drink these in order of hoppy to malty due to the nature of hops to loose flavor over time. I was so excited to get into this series I arranged them on my desk and began with the electric ray imperial pale lager. See the thing about camp is it is seven days and you should spread your energy out over the entire week. These snap judgements often lead to getting hurt or in this case drinking one beer that vastly over shadows the next.
Electric Ray is the imperial pale lager that was done with ballast point, out of San Diego. I should have known that these two breweries, know for having a firm handle of west coast style IPA's, would not going to deliver another flop known as pale lager. As a style, pale lager, is usually just the scent of a pale and the disappointing mouth feel of a lager. This ray of light was intensely hoppy, and maintained a good malt feel. The finish was the only thing lager like, and washed clean away. I could drink a ton of this beer.
Torpedo Pilsner is the hoppy pilsner that was done with Firestone Walker, out of Paso Robles. I am unsure if I have had any other example of this style other than Victory prima pils. My experience with hoppy pilsner is that they are mostly aromatic and bitter on the very front of the tasting experience. On the heels of the electric ray, this beer had no chance of being received by my tongue. It came across extremely light. I made my first mistake in this tasting. If you have not yet drank these beers, start with this pilsner. Firestone Walker can do no wrong in my book.
Camp: Day Three
This pairing was much like the first. One beer was phenomenal and the other was invisible in comparison. I wish I had drink the chico king after the electric ray on day two, and had the myrons walk as the third with torpedo pilsner.
Chico King is the collaboration with Indiana based 3 Floyd's brewing company. I have the honor and privilege of knowing someone who has sent me beers from this brewery from time to time. I have to say they make beers that are exactly what I want. I would say that gumball head even gave me an experience that I didn't know I wanted. Sierra nevada, some would say the pale ale OG, wants to pair up with the creator of arctic panzer wolf, and zombie dust and brew a pale ale? ? Can I just have a twelve pack of that? This is one of the collaborations that makes this 12 pack totally work the price of admission. This beer was spot on pale, with out being extreme. It was so enjoyable with the piney citrus flavors. This is definitely one that people will be talking about from this pack.
Myron's Walk is the think pair share of sierra nevada and allagash brewing. Very boring choice for them to make a belgian pale ale, but it is the obvious choice. I do not have a great appreciation for american style belgian craft style. It is usually all up in my nose with flowers and lacks the complexity in the middle and back of the experience. Allagash is praised often for some of their barrel projects and things they do with belgian yeast, but I have yet to give them the respect. Someone please tell me which one of their beers is going to blow my hair back? I assure you it does not come in a four pack carrier. It was very hot outside the day I drank these beers, and the glass was sweating like crazy. It should have been perfect weather for this beer. Keep walking dude, I ain't buying.
Camp: Day Four
Almost half way through, we are out of the bines and into the fields of grain. This place has gotten very comfortable. There is a beer I am really looking forward to just over the horizon. First we must take the alt route to get there and back.
There and back is the collaboration effort with new glarius brewing. New glarius is not available in the state of Virginia. I am familiar with the lambics and sours they produce as being highly acclaimed. This English style bitter was very smooth, and the flavors are very delicate. The bitterness in this beer is more dull than hoppy. I am not quite sure how new glarius and sierra Nevada agreed to brew this beer. The time constraint would not have allowed for the beer styles that put new glarius on the map. This is an old style English special bitter that is very mild compared to the current trendy beers in craft.
Alt route was made with Victory brewing out of Pennsylvania. Victory has been been brewing in 1996, and has been one of the strongest brands in Pa since. They were one of the early craft brands that I tried everything from. When I say early, we inherited the rights to this brand when brown purchased legendary distributing. Before that our craft portfolio consisted on magic hat, red hook and widmer brothers. Alt beer can be a sweet malty treat, with the occasionally smokey or hoppy bitter finish. It is another very subtle style. These beers have been like the days at camp that drag on a bit. I see something at the end of the week that I am very excited to try but I have to get through this first. When it is all said and done I will miss everyone of these beers as a stepping stone in the experience that is, Beer Camp!
Camp: Day Five
Double Latte brewed with Ninkasi brewing out of Oregon was one of the beers I was really looking forward to trying. I have never had any Ninkasi beers, and this name made the package exciting for me. The words stout and latte are going to grab my attention every time. Milk stout or lactose not necessarily as dear to my heart but the sweetness of this beer worked very well with the coffee notes. Like a iced coffee, or iced latte. Lactose sugar is refined from milk, and is added to beer to give sweet and creamy characteristics to beer, usually stouts. Sugar is normally the fuel for fermentation that makes alcohol, but lactose sugars are more complex and do not ferment. I had to share this beer with my wife. I am guilty of creating some of the most fierce dark beer snobs in the greater Va area.
Yvan the Great brewed with Russian River brewing out of California was another highly desirable titan in this twelve pack. This Belgian style blond ale provides flavors to satisfy the wheat beer lover and Belgian beer aficionado. I have had damnation, pliney the elder, and blind pig but this beer is nothing like what most people look for from Russian River. I wanted more bold flavor. This beer was very clean and distinct in flavor. I might even say it was refreshing. This one would be great on a hot day.
Camp: Day Six
Canfusion a horrible pun of a beer brewed with Oskar Blues out of Colorado was one of the two odd cans in the twelve pack. This beer was a bock style beer that enhanced the flavors of aluminum, the perfect fusion of old world flavors. No there wasn't any aluminum in this beer but the rye is a component in brewing that has a definite impact of flavor. Most of the time rye is used to dry out the finish on a beer, or help ease the sweetness of a beer. Bock style beers are known for a sweet malty, big back bone assault. I love that these two breweries chose to can their beer. I think of taking beers camping and I think of cans, or Dales pale ale. This beer was what I want in an everyday beer. It has some body and multi note flavor, and is something I could drink lots of in one day.
Yonder Bock is a tropical miabock was brewed with Cigar City, from Tampa Fl. I am coming down from a recent tap take over featuring cigar city beers that Mekong had a week ago. I hope that those of you who only know cigar city through this beer don't cast them aside. Please understand the coordination it took to collaborate can and distribute these beers. I felt like this beer was a little glimpse of what Cigar City can do to create tropical flavors that make you think Tampa, or even Cuba. There was a bright tropical fruit flavor in this beer. It seemed to burst, but was not so intense that this beer came across bitter or overly sweet. Once again this can is session-able on the flavor scale.
Camp: Day Seven
It has been a long week of camp. This proved to be a difficult task, writing seven blog posts about this huge collaboration project. I chose these two to be my last beers, predicting that I would love them both. The Tater Ridge beer, done with the Ashville Brewers Alliance, was dead on what I expected. It had backbone, way thicker than most of the other beers in this box. I would like to have this again to see if the sweet potato flavor was all in my head. The sweetness was spot on with that of a really good sweet potato during a holiday dinner. This beer could have been teeth crushingly sweet but it exercised great self control. Some of you that are off the deep end with German marzen or pumpkin beers at the moment should reach for some scotch ale as soon as it starts to get cold. I think seasonally this beer deserves more action.
Maillard's Odyssey was my top beer in camp, brewed with Bell's brewing out of Michigan. I should have gotten more into the names of these beers from the start but Maillards reaction is the flavor explosions that occur when you caramelize sugars. This porter has that amber highlight that makes me think of burnt sugar, or like the burnt edges of a marshmallow. It is no secret that I am a sucker for dark beers. I often crave barrel aged stouts out of nowhere, my palette just craves it. It was the sentimental end to a long journey the last few sips of this beer. I wish there was more of a few of these and I am sure I could find another twelve pack, but it has been a great week. There is more excitement for next year, and I trust that will build year after year. If you felt taken advantage of having to pay $26 for this experience, you need to get out to your local brewery. Meet the people that make the product, and learn something about the headaches of this kind of coordinating effort. This project and collaborations perfectly illustrated what craft beer means. I shall remain loyal to the efforts of brewers, thank you for the experience.
