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Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across the World 2017

The popular Chino, California brewery, Sierra Nevada, has been releasing collaboration 12-packs the last few years called Beer Camp. They get together with other popular and upcoming breweries and collaborate on unique, one-time beer releases. This year they put a little spin on it, doing six collaborations with Stateside breweries and six collaborations with breweries from around the world. In the past, I have been underwhelmed with the Beer Camp releases, they weren’t bad by any means but they didn’t really stick out as anything really special, however this year they have finally really decided to work toward the strengths of the breweries they are collaborating with and the results are distinct and impressive. This post will review all 12 worldwide collaborations, giving you, the reader, a sneak peek into the box before you buy.

First up, a collaboration with Tree House Brewing Company, East Meets West IPA. This beer is meant to be a representation of Sierra Nevada’s iconic West Coast-style IPA alongside Tree House’s New England-style IPA, known for its low bitterness, juicy flavor profile and hazy appearance. One of the first things I noticed about this one is the insane amount of carbonation and effervescence. You can definitely pick up the distinct West Coast-style bitterness and piney resinous but it is accompanied by notes of fresh clementine (both the fruit and the peel), mellow pineapple, bright lemon and light caramel maltiness. There's none of the telltale haze from the typical NEIPA and the body is lighter but it still has that soft characteristic and the juicy pop. It is definitely more West Coast than New England but this is the closest thing Arizona is going to see to having Tree House Brewing in distribution anytime soon so we'll have to accept it.

Next up, their Beer Camp collaboration with The Bruery from Placentia, California. This one is brewed with lactose, raspberry, cocoa and vanilla and is fittingly named Raspberry Sundae.  As expected, it is definitely sweet, but not overbearing, which I was worried about. There's a big hit of raspberry jam up front with a very mellow thread of vanilla running throughout followed by a lingering punch of milk chocolate. It has a nice, creamy mouthfeel and actually finishes pretty clean. I assumed it would be a sugar bomb with a lingering sweetness but they proved me wrong. This beer is a perfect example of them brewing to the strength of their collaborating partners as The Bruery is known for fruited sours and adjunct heavy beers. I could drink more of this one.

I decided to follow up the sweetness of Raspberry Sundae with their Ginger Lager, brewed in association with Minnesota's Surly Brewing. This one sounds particularly interesting as I am a fan of ginger but there is a fine line between delicious and way too much. They brewed this lager with ginger and cayenne and fermented it on oak, which I'm hoping will provide a really unique flavor profile. Bold, spicy ginger presents up front with a healthy kick of cayenne spice on the back end. The two distinct spicy flavors really work well together providing a spark on the palate and a slow burn in the gut. This collaboration finishes incredibly dry, which is a delectable follow up to the mouthwatering ginger up front. Light, crisp, flavorful, effervescent and dry. So far they're three for three this year in my book.

After a couple of funky twists and adjunct focused beers I decided to go for a more classic brew. Working with Boneyard Beer, Sierra Nevada brewed up this classic West Coast-style DIPA. A classic example of a crisp, clean, golden double IPA, there are notes of fresh pine and juicy grapefruit mingling with herbal hop flavors and a robust, mildly boozy backbone. The flavors are bright and fresh and the finish is dry with a nice, lingering bitterness. Not a lot to say here, this brew is just a really well-done example of a West Coast-style double from two breweries that have a lot of experience with the style.

I just realized that I have yet to crack into any of the overseas collabs so I figured I could start with a simple, classic brew, Dunkel Weisse from Ayinger, a classic brewery that has been cranking out delicious German beers for over 130 years. This one is pretty straight forward, dunkel weisse means dark wheat, so you pretty much know what to expect. It's a Bavarian-style dark wheat beer was created using traditional open fermentation to assist in highlighting Ayinger's famous Hefeweizen yeast. Banana and wheat malt characteristics dominate this brew with bread crust flavors and a low sweetness and long, dry finish. An absolutely perfect example of a traditional German-style beer, this is full flavored and refreshing. Killed it.

Garage Project is a small brewery from New Zealand that opened with a 50 liter brewkit back in 2011 (that's the equivalent of roughly 13 gallons). Their business model is to create unique and experimental beers. For this year's Beer Camp project they joined with Sierra Nevada to brew Campout Porter, brewed with malt smoked on Manuka wood (a tree native to New Zealand) and Mankua honey as well as beechwood honey from California and Tahitian vanilla beans. Creamy and dark, this beer is exactly as advertised, maybe even better than I expected. Roasted malt, mellow smoke, creamy, light honey sweetness with just the slightest hint of vanilla in the background. It's like a smokey, toasty marshmallow drizzled in honey. The best “smore” beer I've ever had and maybe my favorite from the 12-pack thus far.

Denmark's premier gypsy brewer, Mikkeller, is known for his eclectic style and crazy ass recipes. Thai-style Iced Tea is a drink popular in Southeast Asia typically made from strongly brewed Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind seed and other spices. To try to recreate the classic flavor of this drink Mikkeller and Sierra Nevada brewed a spiced amber ale with black tea, sweet orange peel, tamarind and star anise with lactose added in place of the condensed milk. The bottle pours with a golden amber hue and a nice level of carbonation that maintains a consistent half inch of white, foamy head. The anise really comes through strong backed up by strong, dark tea and sweet citrus with a medium body and a crisp bite. I haven't ever had Thai Iced Tea but I'd imagine this is pretty close. It's very refreshing and would make a delicious summer beer. This isn't my favorite of the box so far but I'm really enjoying it, I think the only thing I'd change is to lessen the amount of star anise.

Duvel Moortgat Brewery is a Flemish family-controlled brewery founded in 1871 that currently produces approximately 1,200,000 barrels of beer per year. They're a large European brand that owns a few smaller brands including Ommegang, De Koninck, d'Achouffe, Boulevard and Firestone Walker. For this collaboration, they brewed a Hoppy Belgian-style Golden Ale, which is a variation of the style they are already known for but hopped up and brewed with lemon peel. This brew is full of sweet, estery yeast flavors, a slight booze kick, bitter lemon and sweet citrus finishing with a sharp, dry bitterness. A tasty classic with a welcome twist.

Next up is Kiuchi Brewery from Japan. This collaboration is a White IPA with Yuzu. Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit and the beer was also brewed with nutmeg and coriander. Up front is a ton of bright lemon and tangerine peel followed by spicy coriander and a dry, piney hop profile. There's a thread of sweetness on the back end but the beer finishes fairly dry. Another light, crisp summer style beer in the 12-pack and another delicious addition to the Beer Camp series.

I'm coming up on the home stretch here with Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp Across the World 2017 limited edition 12-pack. My next brew is a collaboration with Saint Arnold Brewing from Texas, known for crafting everything from traditional German-style recipes, like this one, to big experiemental styles. For this collabrew they decided to put together a Dry-Hopped Berliner-style Weisse. There is a citrusy, fruity hop profile that is backed by a crisp, mellow tartness with a lemony wheat base. Pretty classic berliner with a mildy hoppy, fruit forward hop twist, very clean and refreshing.

Avery Brewing, from Boulder, Colorado, is partially known for their barrel program and their big beers, like Mephistopheles Stout, Tweak and The Beast. When collaborating with Sierra Nevada they decided to head down this road by brewing this Dry-Hopped Barleywine-style Ale. Despite the name, which comes from the fact that the alcohol level is usually high, like wine, barleywine is definitely beer. They are typically 8-16% ABV and, depending on the style, American or English, can vary in hoppiness and bitterness. English barleywines are more malt forward and less bitter, with little to no hop flavor, closer to Old Ales than anything else. American barleywines, just like any other Americanized styles of beer, are super hopped up and really taste much more related to double IPAs, just with a much more powerful malt bill. Both of these breweries make a popular American-style barleywine already so it is no surprise they decided to go that direction. Sierra Nevada releases their yearly Bigfoot Barleywine and Avery has their Hog Heaven, which was recently rebranded as an Imperial Red IPA, as “IPA” will always outsell “barleywine”.

This one follows much of the barleywine blueprint to a t. Incredibly rich and malt forward with bittersweet caramel and toffee malt characteristics accompanied by a piney, floral hop twist. Typically an American-style barleywine is going to have a very piney, resinous hop profile, which is present here, but it is joined by a somewhat light, floral, lingering hoppiness sprinkled over the top. This was probably the one I looked forward to the least, as I'm not particularly a barleywine fan, but it is surprisingly tasty though it may be my least favorite of the set.

Well, this has been a fun journey across the US and the world with Sierra Nevada Brewing and its time to wrap up this entry with the final review of my favorite beer from this box, Fuller's Brewery Atlantic-style Vintage Ale, an English-style old ale brewed with plums. It isn't the most unique or the most standout beer in the box, but it is an outstandingly brewed, solid, classic brew and it really hits what this collaboration was all about. Fuller's is known for their series Vintage Ale, which has been released with a new recipe every year since 1997. The releases that I have had are always very malt forward, rich, deeply complex beers and they are intended for aging, which usually means sparing use of hops, which fall off of the flavor profile very quickly. This is another robust entry in the series, heavy caramel malts and dark fruit (plums and raisins) back up a yeast-driven aroma and flavor. There is a deep, fruity richness that just coats the throat and creates a heavy, hot, deep feeling upon the swallow. This beer is straightforward and simple but with a subtle complexity and richness that allows you to savor each sip.

The Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across the World 2017 12-pack is a resounding success in my book. The beers range from classic standby ales to experimental “everything but the kitchen sink” style modern brews and there is a little something here for every fan of craft beer. I think this is far and away the best Beer Camp pack that has ever been released and, if they are still available in your area, I'd recommend checking it out. Not one of the twelve beers was an all out disappointment and, coming in at about $2 per bottle/can, it's actually one of the better deals you can find in craft beer currently. Try them for yourselves and decide, maybe I'm insane. See you next time, same craft time, same craft channel.

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Mergers & Acquisitions

Well, this has been an eventful week in the world of the craft beer business and it has brought up some issues that are always boiling below the surface in the business side of beer. First up…

The acquisition of one of the premier sour breweries in America, North Carolina’s Wicked Weed, by the all-consuming entity of Anheuser-Busch-InBev. It is well known that ABI has been snatching up mid-size breweries across the country and across the world for the past few years. It began in 2011 with the purchase of Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery. Then starting in 2014 they went all out, picking up Blue Point and 10 Barrel followed by Elysian, Golden Road, Four Peaks, Breckenridge and England’s Camden Town Brewery in 2015 then finally Devil’s Backbone, Karbach and Brazil’s Belo and Cervezeria Colorado in 2016. Now by acquiring Wicked Weed they have taken another step toward their mission of dominating the beer market. 

This purchase came as a big shock to many in the world of craft beer. Wicked Weed has long had a big fan base, especially amongst fans of sour and barrel-aged beers, and they have worked in partnership with other well-known sour brewers such as Jester King and Black Project Ales. Those relationships put pressure on these other small brewers to respond to the news of the purchase, which they did quickly. Jefferey Stuffings, the founder of Jester King Brewery, posted this response on their website:

“This has been a difficult day for us. The news that our great friend Wicked Weed Brewing was acquired by AB In-Bev came as quite a shock. As you might guess, we’ve been getting a lot of e-mails, media inquiries, and online questions about what we think and what it means for Jester King. It’s no secret that Wicked Weed has been one of our closest friends in the beer industry. Regardless of what has transpired, we’ll always consider the people of Wicked Weed friends, and want the best for them and their families.

With that said, we have some core principles that define who we are as a brewery, and those principles must not be compromised. One of our core principles is that we do not sell beer from AB In-Bev or its affiliates. We’ve chosen this stance, not because of the quality of the beer, but because a portion of the money made off of selling it is used to oppose the interests of craft brewers. In Texas, large brewers (and their distributors) routinely oppose law changes that would help small, independent brewers. We choose not to support these large brewers because of their political stances, and in some cases, their economic practices as well.

Because of this core principle, it pains us to say that we won’t be carrying Wicked Weed anymore at Jester King. We think Wicked Weed beer is some of the best in the world. Their talent, techniques, and patience produces some of the most beautiful beer we’ve ever tasted. That, combined with their great friendship, is what makes this decision so tough for us. But like we said, our core values must be paramount at the end of the day.

We wish Wicked Weed the best, will deeply miss having their beer at Jester King and working with them on collaborations, and expect them to continue to make fantastic beer. Like we mentioned, they’ll always have our friendship and we look forward to the next time we can share a beer together.”

James and Sarah Howat of Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, who actually had two collaborations in progress with Wicked Weed at the time of the announcement, also posted their thoughts, which are very similar to Jester King’s:

This morning, we received an email from Walt Dickinson, of Wicked Weed Brewing Company, a few minutes before the news appeared publicly, informing us of the big news. When we checked online, our social media feed was flooded with posts about Wicked Weed and ABInBev. Personally, Sarah and I were shocked to learn of ABInBev’s acquisition of Wicked Weed, and we still are.

We consider Walt and the rest of the Wicked Weed crew to be friends and we are happy for them and honestly wish them the best. However, at Black Project, we have deep and serious issues with many of ABInBev’s business strategies, mission, and overall ethics as they relate to craft beer in America. In Denver alone, we’ve seen several instances of highly aggressive, predatory, and what we consider to be unethical practices. We truly believe that ABInBev intends to systematically destroy American craft beer as we know it. We don’t personally buy, seek, trade, or acquire any of their products for this reason, and we’ve been known to encourage our friends to do the same.

As some of you may know, and something many people have asked us about today, we have two collaboration beers with Wicked Weed currently in-progress; one beer at our facility and one at theirs. We also had plans, and were looking forward to attending, the Wicked Weed Funkatorium Invitational this July. We had a decision to make - to continue a business relationship with Wicked Weed now that they will be owned by ABInBev, or to cut ties and hopefully remain friends.

For us, the choice is clear. At this stage, we don’t feel we are able to have a business relationship with Wicked Weed because that connection, ultimately, is one with ABInBev. Unfortunately, we don’t feel that having any connection with ABInBev is something we can do while still maintaining our mission, values, and core beliefs.

What this means is that we will not be able to lend our name to the unfinished collaboration beer currently aging in Asheville, NC. Additionally, the beer we brewed with Wicked Weed here at Black Project will be blended with other existing aged beer we have on hand to make something totally different which we will not consider a Wicked Weed collaboration. Finally, we will not be attending the Wicked Weed Funkatorium Invitational in July.

We wish the best to everyone at Wicked Weed and we are happy for their success. We know they will continue to make great beers and we hope to remain personal friends in the future.

The consensus here seems to be perfectly in line with my personal belief system. I understand that some people view the “American Dream” as starting your own business, building it up to a desirable size then selling it to the highest bidder and never having to work another day in your life. I don’t hold anything against any of the brewers that have sold their companies to the big boys but I will no longer support their brands. I’ve spent my hard earned money on many beers from many small brewers but once they have that ABI money behind them, they really don’t NEED my support anymore. Their beers will soon be available in every stadium, Applebee’s, airport bar, Yardhouse, grocery store and convenience mart across the nation. They will have plenty of business from others. When I have this conversation with other craft drinkers I hear a lot of agreement but I also hear a lot of the other side as well. A lot of people are more than happy to continue drinking those brands, and that’s fine for them, but I choose not to support them primarily for political and economic reasons. Any money I spend on an ABI beer with be used to fund their attempts at stifling real craft brewers through legislation, intimidation and undercutting their prices. 

Now this actually leads me into the other big news topic I wanted to cover…

In September 2015, Heineken took 50% control of Petaluma, California-based Lagunitas Brewing Company. There was a bit of a debate over this one in the craft beer world because it wasn’t a CONTROLLING interest in the company. For me personally, I wasn’t sure how to feel because, as far as I know, Heineken isn’t taking the steps that ABI is taking to crush small brewers through legislation and bullying, which, as I stated earlier, is my primary concern with Big Beer acquisitions. As of today, however, Heineken has purchased the remaining shares of Lagunitas, making it now 100% controlled and owned by a foreign brewery. Again, Heineken isn’t trying to hurt the craft world, they’re just trying to make some extra cash, but I think in the wake of this news Lagunitas will have to join the list of breweries I can no longer support personally.

All this talk of purchases by Big Beer remind me of one more quote from Jacob McKean of Modern Times Brewing. This really sums up my feelings on the subject as well:

“One way I pledge to keep this industry awesome is by never selling my brewery to Big Beer. There will likely come a time when I’m tired of carrying the weight of so much responsibility. But when that time comes, I’m not going to screw the people who made my success possible in the first place. That would be an unethical choice I could never be proud of. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to everyone in this industry, and when it comes time for me to do something else, I refuse to throw a hand grenade over my shoulder on my way out the door. Selling Modern Times to Big Beer would make life harder for everyone who stayed behind: it would give the macro brewers another zombie brewery with which to deceive consumers, it would be used to keep real craft breweries out of distribution books, and the price of Modern Times beer would inevitably be slashed to the bone with the malicious goal of putting my friends and colleagues out of business. Ultimately, what I decide to do with Modern Times will affect everyone in this room. And I will not allow greed and short-sightedness to blind me to that reality. I would urge you all to make the same commitment.”

All of this news just goes to remind everyone that although craft beer is an art and a beautiful world of experimentation and enjoyment, it is also a world of big business and big money. It is up to each and every consumer to make their own purchasing decisions, just remember that the choices you make will affect the whole world of craft brewing and where it goes in the future.

UPDATE: Since posting this article more information has come to my attention. Berekely, California’s The Rare Barrel released a statement along the line of Jester King and Black Project, basically saying “good night and good luck” to Wicked Weed. There has also been a big push of taprooms and bottle shops dropping Wicked Weed as well. Ouch.

[craftrising-blog]

ABInBev is purchasing Wicked Weed Brewing as their next craft beer conquest. In my opinion, this is a huge loss as it is the first really good brewery they have acquired. Read my Facebook post about this, and craft beer buyouts in general, here: https://goo.gl/XlCFKU

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First post and Rare Barrel review

Welcome to my new online venture. I try to be involved in as many aspects of the Arizona beer scene as I can; working as a beertender at one of the best bars in the state, selling craft beer with a distributor, working at one of my favorite local breweries and just generally being a pain in everyone’s ass as possible. I’ve also written beer reviews on Facebook and Instagram and I’ve had people say “hey, why not make a blog?” So I decided, why the hell not? And here it is. I will be reviewing beers and talking about local breweries, beers, events and anything involving the Arizona craft beer culture, especially in Tucson. I’m not here to rip off my good friend The Classy Alcoholic, as a matter of fact he has been instrumental in helping me get this started. Now, on to the fun stuff...

Now, while my main focus is the Tucson and Arizona craft beer scene, I also love beer from all over the world. For my inaugural first review, I have decided to tackle this beast of a sour from The Rare Barrel in Berkeley, CA. Supermassive is a variation of their dark sour beer aged in oak with blackberries and black currants and it clocks in at 6.9% ABV.

The color is a deep ruby that is nearly opaque. The nose is a rich blend of dark berries, light oak barrel and tart cherries. This beer is explosively jammy with huge notes of overripe blackberry, acai and bitter currants washing over pomegranate and light oak with a backbone of lactic tartness and sour cherries. Just a nice, punchy, jammy American-style fruited sour ale.

Rare Barrel beers are only available from The Rare Barrel and many of their releases are only available to members of their “Ambassador” program but lucky me I have nice friends!