Rhinegeist’s Camp Nelson – a hazy New Zealand IPA brewed with only Nelson hops
Sitting in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio is Rhinegeist Brewery. They opened up over a decade ago, in late June of 2013, and have been crushing it ever since.
Rhinegeist was one of the first breweries from Cincinnati that I ever had and their Truth IPA made me a believer in them and even made an appearance on Belt’s Beer Garden a whopping EIGHT years ago! I have, sadly, lived in areas that rarely get their brews but, when I do see them, I’m going to pick up a few cans.
And today I have their Camp Nelson – a limited release New Zealand IPA brewed exclusively with Nelson Sauvin hops. It was packaged on June 10th and features a solid 7% ABV. I was able to snag a 12-ounce can for $5.50 but if you’re in their distribution range – Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin – I’m sure a six-pack is much cheaper.
This New Zealand IPA poured a deep golden straw color with about a finger of bright white head topping it off. There was some haze to the beer but it was mostly translucent. The head dissipated until it reached about a quarter of a finger thick, where it settled down around the edge of the glass. There was some light lacing but not too much.
On the nose there was a blend of earthy and fruity hops. There are white grape notes up front that mix into a massive resinous pine aroma that really controls most of the scent. However, under the pine and grape, you can pick up some more subtle notes of melon and berries as well.
Each sip begins with a dose of dank and herbal hops with some of that bold pine spiking quickly up front. It almost has a slightly nutty quality to it, although it was mostly pine.
The white grapes slowly begin to appear a moment or two later and they bring a brut-like dryness along with them. It’s at this point that some honeydew melon and gooseberry flavors join in and stifle the earlier flavors…at least for a moment or two.
On the back end there is one final push of super dank pine. There’s also a twinge of hoppy bitterness that comes in the form of a pithy grapefruit rind flavor that is very reminiscent of those West Coast hop bombs from a decade ago…only much less harsh.
The slightly higher alcohol content is mostly hidden but it was interesting because there were a few times that it was more noticeable, adding a small alcohol burn in my chest.
Overall, it was a good IPA. It had a nice mixture of hoppy flavors and reminded me of the beers that got me into craft beer. If you enjoy hops, it’s an easy enough beer to drink and highlights the Nelson hops very nicely.
