Happy Camper IPA - Santa Fe Brewing Company

Happy Camper IPAHappy Camper IPA

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BA SCORE
85
good
-
208 Ratings
THE BROS
N/A

-
send 'em beer »
rAvg: 3.79
pDev: 12.14%
Reviews: 106
Hads: 102

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Brewed by:
Santa Fe Brewing Company visit their website
New Mexico, United States

Style | ABV
American IPA |  6.60% ABV

Availability: Year-round. can (100), bottle (4), on-tap (2)

Notes:
A classic beer for those beer lovers who love their hops, Happy Camper IPA will take the Pepsi Challenge (or IPA challenge, as we say in New Mexico) against any other pretenders to the throne. Was it divine providence that made this beer the king of the IPA world? Was it a tireless pursuit of glory? No, this IPA has a top-secret recipe to thank for its success, and this meticulously formulated combination of several different hops combined with a very specific brewing process give Happy Camper IPA a spicy, citric, and floral infusion of hop character, which is masterfully counterbalanced with the full-bodied maltiness characteristic of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s distinctive beers.
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Reviews

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Reviews by JMad:
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JMad

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I drank this from a pint glass...

The beer is a light murky copper/ brown color with at thin soapy off white head. It smells heavily of pine, grapefruit and sweet malt. The taste is very bitter up front with pine, citrus peel, with a hint of ginger and sweet malt. It is light/ medium with a silky carbonation and a super dry finish. This is an excellent IPA that hang with the best.

Serving type: can

07-24-2011 07:04:41 | More by JMad
More User Reviews:
Photo of Christoba3
Christoba3

California

5/5  rDev +31.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...Great Beer...did i mention great beer?

Serving type: can

05-22-2013 18:41:58 | More by Christoba3
Photo of SportsandJorts
SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

05-20-2013 13:15:44 | More by SportsandJorts
Photo of OCdrummer7271
OCdrummer7271

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +25.3%

05-19-2013 23:34:25 | More by OCdrummer7271
Photo of Stevotex
Stevotex

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

05-19-2013 00:53:35 | More by Stevotex
Photo of SmellsofMahagony
SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3/5  rDev -20.8%

05-16-2013 02:05:50 | More by SmellsofMahagony
Photo of TheBrewo
TheBrewo

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to StonedTrippin for including this guy in our trade. We crack the tab and pour a brew of solid golden orange into our Great Lakes pints. It holds a cakey two and a half finger head of toasted marshmallow colored bubbles, showing great retention. Geographic lacing is left around the glass as it eventually goes. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears to be lightly moderate. The aroma is massively toasty, lightly biscuity, and robustly hoppy, with bright citric and grass hops. Filling the gaps are notes of caramel, plastics, light booziness, butters, raw carrot juice, faint lactics, ginger root, soft banana esters, and more sourdough breadiness with warmth. Our first impression is the flavors are much more heavily to the malt side, as the hops fall away, but the final blend is sweet and pleasant. As we sip, the taste begins with caramel malts, white sugar sweetness, earthen honey, tannic lemon breakfast tea, honeydew melon, tinny metallics, lighter grassy hop bitterness, and sweet banana ester fruitiness. The middle comes to a peak with enhanced sweetness of residual dextrins, more bready caramel and pale malts, syrupy red raisins, and white flour. Washing through the finish is a blend of sweet toffees, drying and resiny hop stems, peppery booze, herbal tea leafiness, continued toasty pale malts, nectarine fleshiness, and floral honey sweetness. The aftertaste breathes of black pepper, herbal and grassy hop bite, weedy greenness, bread pudding, cloying raisin bite, mineral, chalked yeasted, and fusel airs of booze. The body is medium, and the carbonation is light to medium. The mouth is wetly coated, with nice tannic astringency down the hard palate and tongue. Each sip gives nice slurp, smack, cream, and frothiness. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its drinkability and balance through both the nose and the flavoring. At first this guy takes you a bit by surprise because the malts are sweet and tannic, giving both juiciness and dryness to compete with one another. While the heavy maltiness may deter the stalwart hophead, the balance from the hops is definitely there. These give grass, earth, and even some light soapiness way back on the aftertaste to effectively cut the bready, dextrin cloy of the grain. This is an exciting brew that hits all of the senses, while giving you a little bit extra to ponder.

Serving type: can

05-16-2013 01:07:19 | More by TheBrewo
Photo of HouvilleSwamp
HouvilleSwamp

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.5%

05-14-2013 22:32:15 | More by HouvilleSwamp
Photo of ACY73
ACY73

California

3/5  rDev -20.8%

05-14-2013 19:59:54 | More by ACY73
Photo of BucannonXC5
BucannonXC5

California

3.29/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Type: 12-oz. can
Glass: Hotel glass (half pint, half snifter)
From: Wilbur’s Total Beverage in Fort Collins, Colo.
Price: Part of a variety 6-pack for $9.99
Purchased: May 2, 2013
Consumed: May 4, 2013
Misc.: Best by July 10, 2013

Poured a dark caramel orange clear color with 1-2 fingers of khaki white head. Below-to-minimal lacing on the sides. Average retention on the top all the way down.

Tough to get any smells out. Worked hard and got some citrus hops, grapefruit, lemon, caramel malts and buttery malts.

Tasted similar to the nose, which isn’t saying that much. Got bitter buttery hops, orange, caramel malts, tropical hops and orange rind. Could definitely taste the alcohol.

Medium body. Creamy-to-oily texture. Average carbonation. Long, refreshing finish.

I was hoping for better, but was ultimately disappointed.

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 06:52:43 | More by BucannonXC5
Photo of Sturmthis
Sturmthis

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-09-2013 02:58:18 | More by Sturmthis
Photo of gpogo
gpogo

California

3.65/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A- Clear light copper body and a white foam cap.

A- Sweet malt, pine, and grapefruit. The hop aromas were a bit faint as this can has sat in the fridge for a while.

T- Sweet malt with a nice bitterness throughout.

M- Medium light body and moderate carbonation. Clean, but it does stick around a bit.

D- A very pleasant IPA, not a crazy hop bomb.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 02:28:34 | More by gpogo
Photo of bh123
bh123

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-02-2013 03:20:22 | More by bh123
Photo of ajtorres311
ajtorres311

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

05-01-2013 15:31:23 | More by ajtorres311
Photo of bmwats
bmwats

Louisiana

3.71/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz can into a standard pint.

A: Hazy, orange golden hue. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, white head. Settles slowly. Lots of beer ring lacing.

S: Pine, honey, orange peel, and clove.

T: Very piney hop, accentuated with just a touch of sweetness and orange citrus. Something of a floral character.

M: Mouth puckering hop. Bitter finish.

D: Sip and enjoy, the hop will dictate it.

Atmosphere is pretty good. Interesting hazy coloration, nice head, and some pretty thick persistent lacing. Nose is very strong pine, with a little honey and spice. Very bitter floral hop, balanced with some sweetness. Overall, this is a pretty good quaff.

Serving type: can

05-01-2013 04:39:01 | More by bmwats
Photo of Perducci
Perducci

Arizona

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-27-2013 02:40:40 | More by Perducci
Photo of brees6221
brees6221

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

04-10-2013 20:33:12 | More by brees6221
Photo of tronester
tronester

Oklahoma

3.56/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear amber with a thin tan head. Aromas of musty hops. Taste begins with a bit of citrus, then caramel, and a herbal, piney finish. Mouthfeel is good. Carbonation is a bit low for the style. Overall a decent IPA. The can is a huge plus too .

Serving type: can

04-06-2013 21:27:16 | More by tronester
Photo of zeff80
zeff80

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

04-03-2013 23:44:37 | More by zeff80
Photo of cbcrunch
cbcrunch

Wyoming

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

04-02-2013 11:31:40 | More by cbcrunch
Photo of dannykugler
dannykugler

Oregon

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-27-2013 04:19:30 | More by dannykugler
Photo of cfh64
cfh64

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

03-24-2013 20:33:21 | More by cfh64
Photo of denver10
denver10

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a caramel orange with a nice effervescent off white head. Decent lacing. Aroma is sweet florals, grapefruit, a touch of pine, biscuit and caramel. Flavor prettty much follows suit.
A crisp, active mouthfeel. Overall, a solid amercian pale ale. Definitely something I would drink again.

Serving type: can

03-22-2013 02:09:41 | More by denver10
Photo of Cvescalante
Cvescalante

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-11-2013 19:56:48 | More by Cvescalante
Photo of JeffSuttonTX
JeffSuttonTX

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-11-2013 02:39:24 | More by JeffSuttonTX
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Happy Camper IPA from Santa Fe Brewing Company
85 out of 100 based on 208 user ratings.