Happy Camper IPA
Santa Fe Brewing Company

Happy Camper IPAHappy Camper IPA
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From:
Santa Fe Brewing Company
 
New Mexico, United States
Style:
American IPA
Ranked #2,909
ABV:
6.6%
Score:
85
Ranked #21,519
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 12.23%
Reviews:
184
Ratings:
686
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 08, 2024
Added:
Aug 18, 2010
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  159
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.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by 2xHops:
Photo of 2xHops
Reviewed by 2xHops from Texas

4.05/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The can was poured into a non-standard pint glass, but I gotta work with what I have. The appearance looked very good with a healthy foam rising and dissipating fairly quickly. It had copper color that looked lively.

The taste was the part that surprised me. While the beer has 6.6% ABV, it does not taste as hoppy as I thought it would with alcohol coming through strongly as you will see in other IPAs. I could taste the hops coming alive, but it isn't as coarse.

The mouthfeel is soft and long, and I feel like it's contradiction for an IPA. I had envisioned it to be more strong, but it still has the signature bitter aftertaste that lingers and lingers.

Overall, I'd buy this again. I think it's a good example of an IPA, especially when it comes in cans. It'll be a great addition to anybody's boating trips or even my tubing excursion I'm taking soon.
Sep 02, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of MutuelsMark
Reviewed by MutuelsMark from Kentucky

3.84/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours more cloudy and darker amber than a typical IPA. Head was everso white and caressed sides of glass fading to a good amount of lacing. Nose was very hop forward, kind of piney. Taste was more malt forward though, which was off to me. Saving grace was the bitterness on back end.
Jan 08, 2024
 
Rated: 3.59 by untitledeuphoria from New York

Nov 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.17 by Sinister-Palm from Mexico

Nov 22, 2023
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.97/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Copper colored with a quarter inch of creamy beige on top. The body is clear and there’s plenty of soapy lacing on the glass.The aroma is of piney hops and light malt. I’m tasting piney hops and light malt. The mouth is crisp and resinous.
Sep 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.43 by HighwayChile from Kansas

Jul 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by zotzot from Vermont

Jun 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.6 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Jan 23, 2023
Photo of tucson_brewson
Reviewed by tucson_brewson from Arizona

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12 oz can poured into a pint glass.

L - Pours a cloudy, copper amber color with a good finger of off-white head that stays thick throughout.

S - Malty, herbal, caramel, toffee, slightly citrusy with a Juicy Juice quality. Not a dank or piney quality typical of most IPAs.

T - Follows the nose with malty sweetness, citrus and tropical fruit, slightly bitter hoppy bite in the middle, but finishes malty sweet, think white grape juice.

F - More medium bodied, lighter carbonation, slightly sticky towards the end but finishes smooth, can’t quite nail the profile

O - Like other reviews, this drinks more like an amber ale, maybe a pale ale, but has more malty sweet, low-medium carbonation notes that makes it feel like more amber or pale. It’s confusing but I don’t know of other IPAs coming out of NM, just glad they didn’t call it “Hoppy Camper.” It’s a fine beer without the IPA label, I just wouldn’t pick this up again thinking I’m getting an IPA.
Oct 07, 2022
 
Rated: 3.71 by btbcolo from Colorado

May 06, 2022
Photo of NorCalYeti
Rated by NorCalYeti from California

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Had at Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi bar in Santa Fe NM. Bit of a malt bomb. Didn’t seem true to the style.
Oct 24, 2021
Photo of Andrew_NYC
Reviewed by Andrew_NYC from New York

4.23/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Nice murky amber, brown-orange pour with a thick fluffy head.

Dank, resinous pine on the nose with maybe a hint of citrus juice and some maltiness in the background.

Taste is dank and hoppy. Exactly what you’d expect from the smell. Nice bitterness and plenty of pine but with maybe a little bit of orange pith flavor too. Nice long finish. No alcohol flavor but with how big the flavor of the beer is, I’d expect this to be maybe an 8%.

Crisp, light feel with plenty of carbonation.

It’s a lovely west coast style IPA. Really big flavor for a single IPA but light, refreshing and pleasantly bitter. I’ve had this one before in New Mexico and I’ll happily reach for it whenever I’m there.
Jul 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.65 by TrojanRB from Texas

Jul 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by DerwinWentworth from Utah

Jul 01, 2021
 
Rated: 3 by VaporDome from New York

Jun 27, 2021
Photo of iguanodon
Reviewed by iguanodon from Utah

3.77/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 oz can. Pours dark gold with a medium white head. Aroma: malt, leather, tobacco, citrus. Taste: citrus, sweet malt, straw, some hops in the finish. A bit sweet for an IPA but still pretty good.
May 29, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by paulish from New York

Apr 30, 2021
Photo of RedStickPhil
Reviewed by RedStickPhil from New Mexico

3.37/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a cloudy gold with a dense and persistent head. Not a lot of nose- some piney stuff. Dry on the palate with something that lingers on the roof of the mouth and has a nice feel.
Dec 28, 2020
Photo of jwp777
Reviewed by jwp777 from Oklahoma

3.67/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12 oz can that says best by 7/14 so just in time to catch the last remaining freshness.

Pours a gorgeous amber color with a slight orange tint. Head is off white and foamy, roughly one finger thick. Excellent retention and the lacing is good too.

Aroma is faint but is mainly floral hops and herbs with malty sweetness mixed in.

Taste follows the nose, but the malt and caramel are way more present. The hops don’t show up until the middle, but then the finish is long and malty with a light bitterness.

Feel isn’t unpleasant but it is confusing. It’s medium bodied with lighter carbonation for an IPA. It goes down more like an amber ale. It has some malty sweetness and smoothness of an amber, but some hop bite on the tongue like an IPA. I like the taste, but my tongue can’t quite make sense of the way it feels. Hard to explain.

Overall, it’s not bad but I’ll stick with 7K.
Jul 12, 2020
 
Rated: 3.73 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Feb 04, 2020
Happy Camper IPA from Santa Fe Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 686 ratings