Inspired by a recent Greg Kitsock beer column in the Washington Post, I’ve been on the hunt for mixed 12-packs. I love this opener from Kitsock’s column:

Chocoholics have their Whitman’s Samplers; beer connoisseurs have their variety packs.

I’ve written many times about variety 12-packs, but from Kitsock’s column, I learned about three new mixed packs that I had never tried – and that I had to get my hands on. I found them at Magruder’s, my DC beer store. Thus begins a three-posts-in-three-days review of these 12-packs.

First up: the Sierra Nevada Best of Beer Camp Variety Pack.

What is Beer Camp? Sierra Nevada describes it as a “hands-on beer-focused adventure.” For three days, beer geeks invade the brewery in Chico, California.  Camp activities include an in-depth, behind-the-scenes brewery tour of the entire brewing operation and guided tastings of one-off rarities with Sierra Nevada brew masters. It all culminates in a collaborative brew with fellow campers, and these camps have produced some amazing brews. Check the list on the Beer Camp web site!

I bet you’d love to get your hands on some of these beers – and you can through the Best of Beer Camp Variety Pack, which includes:

• California Common (Camp #8), a light, easy-drinker, at least compared to the other brews in this 12-pack; a steam beer with flavor (6.5%)
• Juniper Black Ale (Camp #16), this delicious, strong black beer is brewed with juniper berries (8.2%)
• Double IPA (Camp #29), originally called Ghidorah IPA, this American Double IPA is a strong hop bomb (8.1%)
• Weizenbock (Camp #37), a strong wheat beer, full of flavor (6.6%)

I enjoyed these beers during our annual Memorial Day Weekend camping trip at Point Lookout State Park in southern Maryland.

Speaking of camping, Sierra Nevada is now accepting entries for a contest to attend their 2011 summer beer camps. Entries are due July 7 — see SierraBeerCamp.com for more details!

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