Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp 2014: Myron's Walk Belgian-Style Pale Ale (brewed with Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine)

Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California 
Purchased: Single 12oz bottle from the 2014 Beer Camp bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 (PKG 06/03/14)
Style/ABV: Belgian Pale Ale, 5.3%

Reported IBUs: 38

What is Beer Camp? It is Sierra Nevada's celebration of craft beer and the numerous breweries across America that make that craft beer. For 2014, Sierra Nevada collaborated with 12 different breweries to make 12 different beers. They also have a Beer Camp Across America Beer Festival, which will stop at seven different cities and feature many different breweries and beers.

About Sierra Nevada:

Sierra Nevada are one of the big players in craft brewing, and one of the first craft breweries to arrive on the craft beer scene. If you check out their history page, you will see that founder Ken Grossman began his quest to build a brewery in 1976. In 1980, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi brewed their first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. According to Wikipedia, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the second best selling craft beer behind Boston Lager. Sierra Nevada is the sixth largest brewing company in the United States as well, cranking out over 750,000 barrels in 2010. For more info, check out their website.

Myron's Walk is a collaboration with the Allagash Brewing Company, everyone's favorite Belgian-inspired, American brewery. The bottle reads: "This collaboration honors Myron Avery, a founder of the Appalachian Trail which spans our North Carolina brewery and Allagash's home in Maine. We share a great love of the outdoors, and Avery and the AT are great reminders of the wild spirit of exploration that connects us both." 

Myron's Walk Belgian-Style Pale Ale

This one pours out a hazy, golden color; there are yellow, orange, and bronze tones. Two fingers of lush white head form, with nice lacing and head retention. The carbonation is moderately busy.

The aroma is quite hoppy up front, but then the coriander and bready Belgian funk kicks in. I'm getting barynyard, malty and bready notes, biscuit, lemon, orange peel, coriander spice, and mild perfume/candy notes. It smells good.

This tastes super clean, but as it lingers on your palate you get hit with black pepper, peppery-salt-dryness, and coriander spice. There's big lemon and orange in here, and lots of bready malts. This has mild clove funk. It's like a Saison more than a wit...truly an Allagash beer if I have ever had one.

At 5.3% and 35 IBUs you knew this would be light and drinkable. So let's talk about the balance. This is clean with clove up front, hoppy and spicy in the middle, and bready in the back. Palate depth is good, complexity is average. This is light-bodied. Up front: clove, clean malt sugars, grassy hops, lemon; mids hit big black pepper, coriander, drying spice and nice hop bitterness, rye; back end is lingering spice with bready malts; finishes clean, spicy, and dry.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. It's good, but it's also a penny in the well of growing Saisons/Belgian Pale Ales. For example, see: Penrose, Solemn Oath, etc. This would have been more unique and cool two or three years ago. Food pairings here include mac and cheese, pizza, and any American-style chicken dish.

Random Thought: Not a bad start though.