Wrap up of Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp Across America

When is a craft beer tour bus across America a bad idea?

After 4,800 whirlwind miles over two weeks (July 19–Aug. 3), Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. completed Beer Camp Across America, a traveling beer festival that celebrated craft breweries and beer fans nationwide. Each stop on the adventure featured local and regional breweries that together are helping craft beer thrive in every corner of the country. Sierra Nevada partnered with a different brewers guild in each city and will make a festival donation to those groups and their efforts to grow the craft beer industry.

Beer Camp Across America by the numbers:

Festival path: Chico, Calif., at Sierra Nevada’s brewery; San Diego; Denver; Chicago; Portland, Maine; Philadelphia; Mills River, N.C., at Sierra Nevada’s brand new East Coast brewery.
Breweries: More than 700.
Unique beers: More than 1,400.
Festival attendees: More than 22,000.
Guild partners: California Craft Brewers Association, San Diego Brewers Guild, Colorado Brewers Guild, Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, Maine Brewers’ Guild, Brewers of Pennsylvania, North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild.
Donation to Guild partners: $70,000 total.
Donation to hops and barley research: $80,000 from Beer Camp Across America mixed 12-pack proceeds.
Tour bus breakdowns: Several close calls and one true sidelining — a mere 70 miles from the final festival in Mills River, N.C.

“Sixteen days on a bus could’ve worn us down, but everywhere we went, the enthusiasm for craft beer recharged us,” said Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada. “Beer Camp Across America was more exciting and encouraging than we could have imagined. Brewers and beer fans both are shaping a great future. It will be fun to watch our momentum continue.”

In conjunction with the festivals, Sierra Nevada partnered with a dozen craft breweries to create 12 different beers for one Beer Camp Across America mixed 12-pack, a first in the craft beer world. A portion of proceeds from the 12-pack sales — an estimated $80,000 — will go toward hops and barley research. The 12-pack, now nearly sold out nationwide, features the following collaboration beers:

Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, Maine | Myron’s Walk Belgian-Style Pale Ale

Asheville Brewers Alliance, Asheville, N.C. | Tater Ridge Scottish Ale

Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, Calif. | Electric Ray India Pale Lager

Bell’s Brewery Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. | Maillard’s Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale

Cigar City Brewing LLC, Tampa, Fla. | Yonder Bock Tropical Maibock

Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, Calif. | Torpedo Pilsner

New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, Wisc. | There and Back English-Style Bitter

Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene, Ore. | Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout

Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, Colo./Brevard, N.C. | CANfusion Rye Bock

Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA | Yvan the Great Belgian-Style Blonde

3 Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN | Chico King Pale Ale

Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, PA | Alt Route Altbier