Name: Campfire
Brewer: HideOut Craft Brewery (Philippines)
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (Base Style: Imperial Stout)
ABV: 8.1%
Review Year: 2020
With HideOut’s Campfire, an imperial stout brewed using a S’mores-inspired recipe, you can have your beer and your cake too. The Cubao-based brewery released Campfire last February, its third dessert beer in three months. According to head brewer, Tatz Ang, he created this beer using marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolates.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (30A) with the Imperial Stout (20C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Campfire conforms to the guidelines with its motor oil-like appearance. The nose suggests that this beer is influenced more by the adjuncts as it reveals marshmallow and salted caramel candy notes. In terms of flavor profile, we noted smokey, sweet cherry, and chocolate notes– implying that this is a dessert stout and not a traditional one. Full-bodied. After a sip, an impression of dryness, smokiness, nuts, and cacao maltiness remains.
THE VERDICT
In conclusion, HideOut’s Campfire is a step in the right direction. Despite the complexity of flavors, this beer maintains its balance and is far from being called a “hot mess.” Sweetness is tempered, which is good unlike the other overly sweet dessert beers out there. Our take on a great pastry stout in 10 words: you can have your pastry stout and your cake too.
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