I just returned from Sierra Nevada Beer Camp. It was probably the single best, most fun beer experience I’ve ever had. We spent the first day touring the plant and learning about how they do things there. The second day we brewed 2 10 bbl. batches of our beer, “Alternate Ending” altbier, in the pilot brewhouse. We used both American and German hops, including a new experimental variety called only #366. I’ll be writing more about it in the next few days, but here are some pics to get you started.
Just like I told you, Denny! Those guys are great. Glad it lived up to my hype.
One way to go to Beer Camp is to have “connections” like Denny. Most attendees are from the accounts and distributors that sell SN beers. One year, Ken Grossman was the keynote speaker at the NHC in Oakland, and invited all of the Gold Medal winners to attend. If there was ever a year to win a Gold, that was it, and we lucked out somehow and had the time of our lives (the wife was my co-brewer, and they got invited too).
They run a video competition once a year. This is the way to get there if you don’t brew, are not in the industry, but love the Sierra Nevada beers. Looking at past winner’s videos, my advice is to be creative and entertaining. They are not looking for a brewing documentary.
Edited for spelling and punctuation.
Denny - what can you tell us about X-366. I have a pound of one called X-369 that was called “Son of Simcoe”, and need to use that this winter. Picked that up at Bell’s General Store, as it was left over from the beer they made with it.
Jeff, I went with high expectations that were wildly exceeded! 366 has a kind of dankness like Columbus, but also some lemon and tangerine notes. We used it very sparingly in the hopback. I’m not even sure what the AA is, but they said they’d send us all info.