Beer Camp Across America is the brainchild of the folks up at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. After doing Beer Camp for thousands of people in the beer business over the past 4 years, (I was fortunate to go to Beer Camp in May 2014) and actually having several of those beers be worthy enough to make it to the bottle and keg for sale to the consumer, they came up with something huge. What if they did a series of Collaboration beers with their Professional Brewer friends? This has been done before with many breweries, but nothing on this large of a scale. So, they made a list of possible Breweries they would like to work with, then they made some calls, then they had some meetings. Well, the folks at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company came up with the idea that 12 Hand Selected Breweries throughout the United States would be a good number. Beer can be sold in a 12-pack.
This awesome Celebration to Craft Beer is an amazing accomplishment and took a grip of planning, patience and one hell of a logistics team to pull this all together. These festivals will not only serve the 12 beers from the Beer Camp, but will have many of the local Craft Brewers located near every festival venue. If you are a Craft Beer Junkie, then buy a ticket to all seven Festivals and you will be guaranteed to be in Beer Heaven.
The Beer Camp Festival Kick-off party starts at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Hop Field in Chico, CA on Saturday July 19th. From there you can follow the brew; 2) San Diego, CA on Sunday July 20th, 3) Denver, CO on Friday July 25th, 4) Chicago, IL on Sunday July 27th, 5) Portland, ME on Friday August 1st, 6) Philadelphia, PA on Saturday August 2nd and the final, final Festival is at Sierra Nevada’s new Brewery in Mills River, NC on Sunday August 3rd. Check the Beer Camp Across America Website for all the details.
I am heading to the San Diego Beer Camp Festival, but if I could manage to hit a few others, I would definitely make that happen. This will truly be a great series of events and a great experience for all involved.
How Did Matt Work This Deal?
Matt Denny’s Ale House will be one of only 3 establishments in all of Southern California that are lucky enough to be able to enjoy a 12 Tap Takeover with all the Beer Camp Brews. We will be receiving a Five Gallon Keg of each of these One of a Kind beers. Our Beer Camp Event is scheduled on Wednesday July 9th at 5:00 p.m. Due to the limited supply of the Beer Camp Brews, and to allow as many of our customers to enjoy them as possible, we will be serving all the beers in flights of 4 or individually in our 4 ounce tasting glass.
The Beer Line-up from Beer Camp Across America
1. Allagash Brewing Company ~ Portland, Maine ~ Myron’s Walk – Belgian Style Pale Ale
Belgian Style Pale Ale. Features intense citrusy flavor and complex aroma from the fruity
and whole cone Citra and mosaic hops. These flavors are offset by the complex spicy
character of Allagash’s house Belgian Yeast Strain.
ABV 5.3%
Malt ~ Two-row Pale, Unmalted Wheat, Munich and Victory
Yeast ~ Belgian
Bittering Hops ~ Bravo
Finishing Hops ~ Cascade, Citra and Mosaic
2. Asheville Brewers Alliance ~ Asheville, North Carolina ~ Tater Ridge – Scottish Ale
This brew pays tribute to the Appalachian Mountains Scottish Highland history. This
Scotch Ale is rich and malty, using special floor malted six row barley and gets a little
Kick from the use of sweet potatoes.
ABV 7.0%
Malt ~ Six-row Barley, Riverbend, Golden Promise, Caramel and Chocolate
Other ~ Noth Carolina Sweet Potatoes
Yeast ~ Ale
Bittering Hops ~ Horizon
Finishing Hops ~ Motueka and Mosaic
3. Ballast Point Brewing Company ~ San Diego, California ~ Electric Ray – Imperial Pale Lager
This IPL combines intense citrusy and floral American hop aroma with the clean, crisp
classic malt body of a robust blonde lager. This brew was traditionally dry hopped and then torpedoed with whole cone American hops for an intense grapefruit and rose like nose.
ABV 8.5%
Malt ~ Two-row Pale, Pilsner, Oats, Munich and Caramel
Yeast ~ Lager
Bittering Hops ~ Cascade, Zues, Nugget and Northern Brewer
Finishing Hops ~ Amarillo, Crystal, Centennial and Cascade
4. Bells Brewing Company ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan ~ Maillard’s Odyssey – Imperial Dark Ale
This is a robust dark ale layered with complex malt flavors of toffee, caramel,
Chocolate, Coffee and dark fruit. This heavily malted beer has a very rich,
semi-sweet and intense experience
ABV 8.5%
Malt ~ Two-row Pale, Munich, Caramel, Chocolate, Wheat, Oats and Roasted Barley
Yeast ~ Ale
Bittering Hops ~ Magnum
Finishing Hops ~ Sterling and Cascade
5. Cigar City Brewing Company ~ Tampa, Florida ~ Yonder Bock – Tropical Maibock
A Summery robust blonde bock. This brew is silky, with a semi-sweet malt body
Bolstered by a blend of the new Experimental hops that impart bright fruity hop
Aromas of guava, mango and passionfruit.
ABV 7.7%
Malt ~ Vienna, Munich, Pilsner and Honey
Yeast ~ Lager
Bittering Hops ~ Magnum and Experimental
Finishing Hops ~ Azacca, Calypso and Experimental
6. Firestone Walker Brewing Company ~ Paso Robles, California ~ Torpedo Pilsner
A heavy hopped Pilsner, that has a traditional golden malt body with intense and floral
New Zealand grown Motueka and Southern Cross Hops, making this an alternate
And delicious take on the classic pilsner
ABV 5.2%
Malt ~ Pilsner and Aciduated
Yeast ~ Lager
Bittering Hops ~ Southern Cross and Pacifica
Finishing Hops ~ Motueka and Southern Cross
7. New Glarus Brewing Company ~ New Glarus, Wisconsin ~ There and Back – English Style Bitter
A classic sessionable, English Style Bitter that has easy drinkability but is full of flavor. It
Features nutty toasted, Golden Promise and English Crystal malts balanced by a solid dose of
zesty hops with a fruity dry finish from the use of Authentic English yeast
ABV 5.6%
Malt ~ Golden Promise and Caramel
Yeast ~ Ale
Bittering Hops ~ Northern Brewer
Finishing Hops ~ Willamette, Sterling
8. Ninkasi Brewing Company ~ Eugene, Oregon ~ Double Latte – Coffee Milk Stout
This is a cold press milk stout featuring roasted grain, amazing coffee and a sweet
coffee /chocolate mocha like flavor. A play on the milk in a classic latte, lactose or
“milk sugar” helps produce a robust, rich body and a sweet malty backbone.
ABV 5.2%
Malt ~ Pilsner and Aciduated
Yeast ~ Lager
Bittering Hops ~ Southern Cross and Pacifica
Finishing Hops ~ Motueka and Southern Cross
9. Oskar Blues Brewing company ~ Longmont , Colorado/Brevard, North Carolina ~ Canfusion – Rye Bock
A dry hopped rye bock with a complex malt body that launches a peppery blast
from the rye, but balanced by a fruity hop aroma. The dry hopping adds an aroma
punch from the citrusy and spice like Australian Ella Hop.
ABV 7.2%
Malt ~ Two-row Pale, Full Pint Rye, Red Wheat, Munich, Melanoidan and Acidulated
Yeast ~ Lager
Bittering Hops ~ Summit
Finishing Hops ~ Aurora and Ella
10. Russian River Brewing Company ~ Santa Rosa, California ~ Yvan The Great – Belgian Style Blonde
Named after the legendary Belgian Brewer Yvan De Baets. This beer has rhe bright
resinous hop profile of an American IPA blended with the dry and complex yeast
character of a Belgian farmhouse ale. Yvan The Great is a perfect combination of the
two breweries styles ~ Hoppy, Dry, Spicy and Impressive
ABV 6.3%
Malt ~ Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Acidulated
Yeast ~ Belgian Ale
Bittering Hops ~ Brewers Gold
Finishing Hops ~ Celeia and Strissel Spalt
11. Three Floyds Brewing Company ~ Munster, Indiana ~ Chico King – Pale Ale
A regal yet raucous take on the pale ale that both breweries adore. It features a complex malt body from the use of an under modified malt which leads to a nutty flavor and a bright fruit forward blend of Mosaic, El Dorado and Calypso Hop varietals. Chico King is a beer fit for royalty.
ABV 6.5%
Malt ~ Two-row Pale, Pilsner and Caramel
Yeast ~ Ale
Bittering Hops ~ Mosaic and El Dorado
Finishing Hops ~ El dorado, Citra and Calypso
12. Victory Brewing Company ~ Downington, Pennsylvania ~ Alt Rout – Alt Bier
An old school German Alt Bier style featuring and ale/lager style yeast, which is top
fermenting and fruity like an ale, but matured at cool temperatures for a clean lager
flavor. This deep amber beer has a slight emphasis on the richly layered, slightly sweet malt body with enough citrusy hop flavor and aroma to produce a balanced, dry finish
ABV 6.6%
Malt ~ Pilsner, Munich, Caramel and Carata III
Yeast ~ Ale/Lager
Bittering Hops ~ Summit
Finishing Hops ~ Liberty and Mount Hood
Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant, 145 East Huntington Drive, Arcadia, (626) 462-0250 or visit www.mattdennys.com.