Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Dry-hopped Barleywine
When Sierra Nevada and Avery Brewing got together to collaborate on their Beer Camp offering, they decided not to make a new beer. Instead, the two companies opted combine their own barleywines (Bigfoot and Hog Heaven, respectively), creating a new beer that was then finished with a healthy dry-hopping. I’m a big fan of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot — I have vintages of the release going back several years — and am sure to pick some up every year. Avery’s Hog Heaven is a bit harder to find at times, though I do have a few bottles sitting in the basement as I type.
Together, this new barleywine, thanks mostly to that dry-hopping, is packed with tropical fruitiness as orange, tangerine and grapefruit wash smoothly over the tongue. Everything is supported nicely by a solid malt backbone, grain and caramel while a tingle of white pepper lingers at the edges. As expected, based on the original brews used in this blend, there’s a solid hop bite (90 IBU) that lasts a good long while into the drying and warming finish.
This particular beer, along with the Hoppy Belgian Golden also available in the Beer Camp pack, was one of my favorites presented. It’s not quite as good as either of the stand alone beers that went into the blend, but still darn tasty. Those flavors courtesy the dry-hopping stand out the most, but it’s that level of ho bitterness that I enjoyed the most. I’m glad the duo of breweries decided to keep that potent bite present.