Beer Camp is back! That’s right, Sierra Nevada is at it again with another 12-pack sampler of fine collaboration brews. There have been some changes, though, since the last time they did this two years ago. Back in 2014, the 12-Pack had 12 different beers; this time it’s two bottles each of 6. Then too, the first go-round featured for each brew a collaboration with Sierra Nevada and a unique brewer per beer. Now, each beer is a joint effort between Sierra Nevada and several notable brewers.

Then too, I had to spend some time hunting down the first one; this time, the Beer Camp Across America 12-pack found me. I was in Total Wine in early May when I spied them in a large display; several customers were already walking out the door with them. The first one I popped when I got home was Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Pat-Rye-Ot Revolutionary Pale Ale.

This beer is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada, Devil’s Backbone Brewing, Dogfish Head, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Stoudt’s Brewing, and Trillium Brewing. I’m not sure the benefit of a number of breweries versus just two, but the beer is very nice indeed.

From the label:

Pat-Rye-Ot is an “old-meets-new” take on a pale ale by brewers all located in the original 13 colonies. It features rye and apples, which were among the first ingredients used by American brewers in the colonies, alongside bold American hops—hallmarks of our modern craft beer “revolution.”

Ingredients from the website:

Bittering hops: Cluster

Finishing Hops: Experimental

Malts: Two-row Pale, rye, Crystal

Other: Delaware and Vermont apple cider

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Pat-Rye-Ot Revolutionary Pale Ale has an alcohol content of 5.6% by volume with 39 IBUs. My bottle was likely packaged in Mills River, North Carolina. It was bottled on April 5^th 2016 at 2:30 in the afternoon. Now here’s the kicker: the price. Two years ago, I complained about the $25 price tag for BCAA; this year we’re up to $30 a 12-pack. The fact that in 2014 the pack was a selection of 12 singles helped soften the blow of the high price. Today, that’s not the case, although there is the advantage that if you really like the beers you will have another bottle of each one to enjoy. Still, the price here is just too high.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Pat-Rye-Ot Revolutionary Pale Ale pours to a pale hazy yellow color with a light creamy head and a nose that absolutely SCREAMS rye and grassy herbal Cluster hops. Taking a sip, the beer immediately assaults the tongue with that same amazing grainy rye character. The body is medium, and the finish features the same very earthy, grassy herbal hops. As it warms, some grapefruit rind pokes through. The finish just explodes with those earthy, bitter hops. What I don’t get are the apples, not at all, but perhaps the cider lightens the beer. Anyway, this is one amazing beer.  

Overall, I’d give Pat-Rye-Ot Revolutionary Pale Ale 4.5 stars, less a half star for price. Would I buy it again? Probably not. Oh I might order it on tap if I came across it, but I certainly wouldn’t pay $30 for another 12-pack. That, of course, is the most likely way I would be able to enjoy it again. I’ll recommend picking up the 12-pack sampler despite the high price, but that would be for a try, and not a re-buy.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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