Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #94 Black IPA

Black IPA is a trendy sort of beer style. Before a few years ago, they were more experimental and something interesting for brewers to play around with, but with the explosion in popularity of IPAs in particular and craft beer in general, they're becoming something that many breweries offer. I've reviewed a couple of other black IPAs before (Wookey Jack and Back in Black), let's see how this one compares.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is best known for their pale ale, which is a great example of the taste of cascade hops. Sierra Nevada pale ale is easy to find, and even at the saddest convenience stores you can often find it beside the Coors Light and Corona. I should do another post one of these days on the standby craft beers. Anyway, Sierra Nevada is still an innovative craft brewery, and the success of their flagship beer allows them to have limited release brews for beer fans to try. Every year they release a handful in the Beer Camp series, mostly on draught, but with some available in 22 oz. bottles. I got this one at Costco, and the label says "Belgian-Style Black IPA".

The beer pours very dark with a big foamy head. The nose is pleasant and fruity. I'd know it was Belgian-style from that alone. There's nothing that screams out IPA or stout to me. First sip - big taste, again, fruity, and not really bitter or roasty at all. At the finish, the hops come through a bit, and it's a little bitter on the tongue at the end. It's very nicely balanced and super drinkable. I wish I had more bottles of it.

How does it compare to the others? Well, I thought Wookey Jack was too hoppy and not anything else. Back in Black is a great beer with a good blend of piney hops and coffee notes. The Beer Camp #94 is something different. It's not really very hoppy, nor is it very roasty. It's more like a Belgian-style strong ale, and I think that's a great style and relatively hard to find (and when you can find it, the bottles are usually expensive). At 7.7% it does have the higher alcohol content of beers these days, but what are you going to do?  I suggest you sit back, pour a glass of this beer, and enjoy.