What is Sierra Nevada Beer Camp? Beer geeks invade the Sierra Nevada brewery in Chico, California for a three-day “hands-on beer-focused adventure.” 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, which Sierra Nevada has gratefully made available to the masses in their Beer Camp mixed 12-pack.

The variety pack debuted in May 2011, and I found the 2012 edition on the beer shelves at Magruder’s last month. I grabbed the 12-pack with no hesitation and couldn’t wait to see what the campers had brewed up this time.

The 2012 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 12-pack features:

• Floral IPA (5.9%), This unique take on the traditional IPA style pairs the bold and intense aromas of whole-cone hop “flowers” with aromatic natural rose hips and petals for complex aromas and unexpected flavors. AKA Beer Camp #53 Long Stem IPA.

• Imperial Pilsner (5.6%),Packing a big hop-forward punch and bright crisp finish, this golden pilsner features a hearty dose of “sticky,” resinous Crystal and Pacifica dry hops, which balance the light-bodied yet complex malt backbone. AKA Beer Camp #43 Sticke Pilsner.

• Imperial Red (8.1%), This Imperial Red Ale takes the intense hop profile found in a traditional double IPA and turns up the malt. It has aromatic hop notes of grapefruit, peach, and melon – balanced by a smooth and surprisingly robust malt body. AKA Beer Camp #65 Red-oric.

• Oatmeal Stout (9.0%), This big oatmeal stout is midnight black in color-with a big, roast, mocha-like aroma.  It has a silky body from the use of rolled oats, and a round and lasting finish.  Perfect as an after dinner treat. AKA Beer Camp #45 Snowed In Stout.

Want to go to Beer Camp? Sierra Nevada is now accepting entries for a contest to attend their winter 2012 beer camps! Entries are due by September 30 — see SierraBeerCamp.com for more details!

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