Day 2 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar

Day 2: Rockmill Brewery Caamp IPA

Our first Ohio beer on the list and also the first IPA. Interestingly enough, there is virtually no info to be found about this beer on the brewery’s website, on the can or online anywhere. If anyone from Rockmill wants to reach out and tell us about this beer, please do so! It looks like we’re going into this one completely blind except for some info we received from Brad: Caamp is a band from Ohio University. Well, we can get down with that!

Reflections

Ben: This was a decent IPA for me. I would be interested to try a fresher version, as the can we had was from the end of September and it’s rare that an IPA still tastes fresh after 60 days. This did hold up pretty well though, which shows Rockmill knows what they’re doing. I wouldn’t necessarily buy a whole six pack of this, but I would try it again if I found it on tap somewhere once we’re back in civilization.

Julia: This beer is a delicious, light IPA. It’s almost slightly malty. I expected this to be like a Citra Noel but I don’t get any holiday vibes from this beer. This could be a beer you would find any day of the year. While it was good, I don’t think I would seek this beer out or pick it over any another holiday beer I enjoy. Mainly because I just don’t think there is anything special or memorable about it.

Adam: I picked this beer out for the group for a number of reasons.
1) Caamp is one of my favorite bands (in my 2020 Spotify unwrapped in fact)
2) it has an aesthetic that matches my sleeve tattoo
3) it has both a holiday AND first aesthetic
It reminds me of a lighter version of Citra Noel. I get the spruce notes and grapefruit notes. It’s a little bitter like the oils you would get from a citrus fruit zest and skin but not the juice itself… if that makes sense.  I really enjoy this and it makes me want to try a whole bunch of the other beers from this brewery I didn’t know existed.

Alex: This is another first for me!  Rockmill Brewery’s CAAMP IPA – Peace Among the Pines is a very light tasting IPA to me.  I can taste citrus and the pine, but it’s not overwhelmingly hoppy.  I think this is incredibly easy to drink, and would definitely do so again.  I think this would be a nice afternoon beer, light and crisp!

Scott: When we first opened this up, took a drink, I totally forgot we were doing a holiday beer tasting because I don’t taste much spice or typical Christmas beer flavors.  But that’s not a knock because this is such an easy to drink IPA that I could be 6 beers deep and not realize this one is 6.5% ABV.   It has a mild flavor, but very pleasing and will definitely be a future purchase during any time of the year.

Christa: When Scott poured this beer, my eyes lit right up and I said (with festive cheer), “Is this one an IPA!?” And reader, it was. I was sipping this, making banana pancakes, and asking Alexa repeatedly to play songs by Caamp…having the coziest time. I had no idea Caamp had ties to OU or that they made beer (thanks Heather and Brad!) and as it turns out, despite their questionable college choices—Go RedHawks—they make great music and great beer. I love the hoppy and crisp taste. I also get the notes of pine that lend to it’s namesake. Is it the most holiday beer to ever holiday? No, but I’ll be drinking this all December.

Tony: First thing you get is the hoppiness being an IPA but then a hint of pineyness, is pine a flavor?….I mostly just get hops and tastes like a normal IPA. I don’t get any spices or other holiday flavors. Not a big fan of this one, it just doesn’t stick out and doesn’t feel like a holiday beer to me.

Megan: For an IPA, this beer is on the lighter side so it’s super easy to drink for someone who is not a big IPA fan like myself. I get a crisp finish and some citrus so it could almost pass as a good summer drink as well but I’m not getting much of the pine which is fine because this beer is good by its citrusy self. Thumbs up 👍

Brad: I’ve driven through Lancaster many times on the way to OU. I wish they had a brewery back in the early 2000’s because I would have for sure stopped. This IPA is very good. I am not picking up on any specific flavorings but the beer itself, is excellent. After speaking to a few friends from the Lancaster area, it turns out Caamp is the name of a band from OU and now I love it even more. I’m going to follow them and stop next time I’m passing through. I’d buy this beer again!

Heather: Caamp IPA: I’m not sure there could be a more hipster beer than this. But I’m guessing this group will test that theory. It’s early in the game.
Caamp in a nutshell:
✔️IPA
✔️Purposely misspelled name
✔️Can design has a distinct nature vibe
✔️Brewery is a 23-acre 19th century horse farm that once served as a stagecoach stop, tavern and gathering place
✔️Tagline is “Peace among the pines
I don’t have the beard to pull off drinking it among casual friends. But as a former IPA-hater-turned apathetic, I can confidently say it’s drinkable. One thumb up. 👍🏼