Beer camp.
Instead of canoeing or basket weaving you learn how to make beer. And you get to taste beer – really, really good beer.
It sounds too good to be true. Just imagine the campfire songs.
This is not a sophomoric fantasy. This place exists and it’s run by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. , in Chico, California.
Right now beer camp is only for Sierra Nevada’s industry partners, but the company is thinking about expanding attendance.
Several farmers who supplied barley to Sierra Nevada through Prairie Malt in Biggar, Saskatchewan, attended beer camp last year. They followed their malted barley down to California and not only saw how it was turned into beer, but helped in the process.
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The result: Biggar Beer. It’s available at Sierra Nevada’s pub, while quantities last.
And folks around Biggar will get to sample the brew at several events there later this year.
Always willing to serve the reader, this reporter recently sampled some Biggar Beer, during a reception at the Canadian Wheat Board. It was delicious, and with an alcohol content of 6.7 per cent, potentially quite intoxicating.
Here’s how Sierra Nevada describes the nectar:
“Biggar Beer. Made with our Prairie Malt growers from Biggar, Saskatchewan, this golden ale is a perfect session beer – medium bodied, and perfectly balanced. Mild sweetness and delicate malt flavours play smoothly against an understated backbone of hops, offering a dry finish and superb drinkability.”
American beer never tasted so good.
