Sierra Nevada The Best of Beer Camp Double IPA (Camp #29)

Ahoy hoy fellow snobs!

Well, International IPA day is upon us and being a big fan of the India Pale Ale I thought I should take a moment and review one. It seems like there are many great IPA’s on the market today not to mention several brewed here in the fair state of Tennessee that I thoroughly enjoy. However, since Sierra Nevada is still considering the Volunteer State as a potential home for an east coast brewery and of the many rumors I’m hearing, one is that a decision will be made this week, I thought I’d highlight this one just to let ’em know they’ve got friends here – lots of ’em.

On deck we have a brew from the beer camp series. What’s beer camp? Well, I like to think of it as the Willie Wonka Chocolate Factory of beer just not as creepy and with beer instead of chocolate. Basically you make a video to convince Sierra Nevada why you should go, if they pick you then you’re on your merry way to being a brewer for a day. If they like your brew well they’ll crank out a batch or two for distribution. Pretty cool.

So, this best of beer is a double IPA. What’s a double? Some would say that’s when you double the hops but that’s not always the case. In short it’s a hoppier version of whatever recipe is being used which results in more flavors, more bitterness and a higher ABV. This one is cranking in at 8.5%. We also often see “imperial” instead of “double” but as far as we snobs are concerned these words are synonymous with “more tasty.”

Out of the bottle this smells like an IPA, looks like an IPA, and even sounds like an IPA. What does an IPA sound like? Angels singing – that’s what. The floral notes are strong with this one but it’s got a great even sweet and bitter flavor to it. This is a very nice double IPA – nothing crazy but an excellent example of a double and very tasty to boot.

Final Snobs: Great IPA and an excellent job by the campers. I do hope they got an extra helping from the canteen the night this was created.

Cheers!