Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Tater Ridge Scottish Ale

The past few days in SLC have been a a tug-of-war between the passing and present season. The resulting constant precipitation and 50° nights have made the victor quite evident. I live for the summer, but it's the dragging winter days of February and March that kill me, so for now I rejoice! I am content to break out the warm sweaters, stock my fridge with beer darker than my summer skin, and perhaps make the quarter-block trek to the local tea shop a daily event. Welcome to autumn, ladies and gents.

Thanks to Eric Kammerer, I've got a few different bottles of Beer Camp for my tasting pleasure. Yay!! I can't imagine drinking a sweet potato Scottish ale in the dog days of summer, but I can say for certain that it goes down easy on a soggy night such as this! I was even lucky enough to catch the sun set under the rain clouds this evening, complete with a full rainbow. This is what I live for... sky appreciation and seasonally appropriate beer. ;)

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Tater Ridge Scottish Ale - Collaboration with Asheville Brewers Alliance

BG 9/29/14

Poured from a 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottle into a stemmed tulip, 7% ABV, Bottled 06/04/14

A Blackish/brown in color with copper hues and 2 fingers of tan head that leaves big tufts of lacing behind.

A Roasted malt, wet dirt, touch of alcohol, floral hops, molasses

T Chocolaty malt, coffee, roasted nuts, wet dirt, burnt brown sugar, sweet potatoes!, a bit of alcohol, vanilla wafers, hint of smoke

M Med-light in body, creamy

A Dark chocolate, coffee grounds

C Some of my favorite beers are the result of collaborations between two or more breweries. This is my first taste of anything from Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp, a group of collaborative brews from a few of America’s best breweries. I particularly love brewers that aren’t afraid to experiment with unusual flavors like sweet potato and come out on the other side with a gem like this. I can just see myself sitting around a fire with a bunch of friends, using a few of these to chase the autumn chill out of my jacket. It has all the right flavors for the season, and enough ABV to keep you warm as summer nights.

FP BBQ pulled pork sandwich, potato latkes, sweet potato pie, salty french fries