With Philly Beer Week and the abundance of pop-up beer gardens in the summertime, it’s evident Philadelphia is obsessed with beer. That’s why it’s one of eight cities that hosts Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp. After a stop in Chicago, the largest traveling beer festival made its way to Penn’s Landing on Saturday, June 17.
Since 2014, Beer Camp’s goal has been to share a cross-country adventure with craft beer lovers. This year, the festival gathered breweries near and far to Philadelphia, turning the Great Plaza into a grand circle of cold brews. Of course, we loved spotting local gems such as Yards, Sterling Pig Brewery, Evil Genius, and more. Though, some other favorites included the classic Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Stone Ripper Pale Ale from the West Coast, and LIC Beer Project’s Pile of Crowns Imperial IPA.
Neither rain nor shine could stop the party. Luckily, we found ourselves in the Rare Beers tent during a squall. We parked right near Rivertowne Brewing, tasting the Suburban Housewife Kölsch made with cucumbers and blackberries. Other rare beers included St. Boniface bourbon-barrel aged Hegemony Anniversary Reserve, Franklin’s Abbey Tripel by local St. Benjamin Brewing, and Sierra Nevada’s 2011 barleywine-style Vintage Bigfoot.
Interestingly, the international beers were featured in their own tent, highlighting distinct flavors from around the world. “The craft beer revolution has spread from the U.S. to pretty much every country in the world, and we thought ‘let’s invite brewers we know and respect around the globe as a celebration of craft brewing and the spirit of collaboration,'” said Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada’s founder and CEO.1
As the beer movement grows, other fermented alcohols are growing along with them. Blake’s Hard Cider Co., ACE Cider, Downeast Cider House, and Jack’s Hard Cider strongly represented their category at the festival. Plus, other unique non-beers included The Colony Meadery with their sweet, bold meads made in nearby Allentown.
For those that couldn’t make it to the festival, Sierra Nevada spent a considerate amount of time putting together a twelve-pack collaboration. It features six domestic and six international breweries, available in select retail locations across the country.
This year’s pack is made of:
- Boneyard of Bend West Coast Style DIPA (OR)
- The Bruery of Placentia Raspberry Sundae (CA)
- Saint Arnold of Houston Dry Hopped Berlinner Weisse (TX)
- Avery of Boulder Dry Hopped Barleywine Style Ale (CO)
- Surly of Minneapolis Ginger Lager (MN)
- Tree House of Monson East Meets West IPA (MA)
- Ayinger Dunkle Weisse (Germany)
- Duvel Hoppy Belgian Style Golden (Belgium)
- Fuller Atlantic Vintage Ale (UK)
- Garage Project Campout Porter (NZ)
- Kiuchi White IPA with Yuzu (Japan)
- Mikkeller Thai Iced Tea (Denmark)
For more information on Sierra Nevada Beer Camp, visit the website and follow Sierra Nevada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For a full list of breweries and beers, download the Beer Camp app.
What are you favorite craft beers and beer festivals? Share with us in the comments!
Sources:
[1] CNBC
[Images] Sierra Nevada
