Elaborate bottle that I acquired for the somewhat bargain basement price of $16.99. Delighted to get it for that kind of money since there seems to have been a very mixed reception for this beer. Poured into the champagne flute, the appearance lives up the style with a hazed, darker than one might expect, peachy, golden body and a hugely effervescent head. The nose offers a dry, acidic alcohol aroma that is promising. The tastes on the other hand are nowhere near as dry as I was expecting, and...
Notes on beers brewed by
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA
12 oz single, Total Wine, Perimeter, Atlanta, GA, USA. Nice mid-copper pour with plenty of light carbonation and some decent, broken white, airy head. For an American IPA the nose is really quite malty. It reminds me a little of a Sam Oktoberfest. Quite a shock. Tastes are also strangely sweet and malt based with what comes across as a layering effect of bitterness from the hops. Middle, back end and finish combine to give quite a coinage metal effect and a short, sharp grapefruit ending. I...
LongShot Old Ben Ale
12 oz single from the Longshot pack. A nice looking pour that gives a simple, brown, clear beer with some pretty good carbonation considering the ABV. Head and lace are both adequate and better than I anticipated. This beer is nowhere near as intense as I was expecting, which may be due to the age of the beer. It has probably calmed down a bit since it was first bottled. Nose and tastes are pretty straightforward. Light alcohol amongst the sweet sugars (brown) and some simple raisin like...
LongShot Lemon Pepper Saison
12 oz single as part of the Longshot sixer. Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Crystal clear, lemon-yellow color. Head is good initially but fades quickly with poor retention but conversely leaves some nice, sticky lace. Mild, earthy funk in the nose but it's pretty light, simple and not big at all. Tastes are where there is a touch more lemon citrus than the nose would suggest. Nice creamy balance is in the mouth and the beer comes together well. Some nice round malts. There is an...
Samuel Adams Noble Pils
An impressive number of reviews for a beer that's only been out for a couple of months. I suppose that reflects both the distribution of Sam Adams and the relative power of BBC's advertising reach - they really are a macro, micro! I actually bought this 22 oz bomber on the road in OH. It's been here in GA for a few months now but I've only seen it here as a 12 pack, then again I've not really been looking for it. Pour is pretty much as expected with good clarity but the color is really VERY...
Samuel Adams Utopias
2007 Vintage. Pour is an oily looking, fairly light brown liquid which gives astonishing "legs" in the glass. That, and the searing alcoholic nose, give the game away in terms of the ABV. A touch viscous in the mouth, but what the hell were you expecting?? The nose is simple to place for me. It reminds me of a Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry. In fact, that, and the tastes which are almost identical, make this basically a sherry to me. It does have more alcohol presence than a normal fortified...
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat
12 oz single from Total Wine, Perimeter, Atlanta, GA, USA. Notched Mar 2010 on the label. I *think* that this is currently being included in the Sam Adams Winter 12 pack - GOD knows why - it doesn't belong there and it's a bloody liberty by BBC to put his beer in that mixer - out of order, STOP it! Marketing RULES in the USA! Pour gives a decent, hazed, honey colored body with a high white head and some really good lace in the Southampton Weizen glass. Good looker. Nose is largely neutral and...
LongShot Traditional Bock
In a nutshell, a very solid beer, to style and drinks well. 12 oz pour from the Longshot 6 pack. Lovely amber, mahogany body with a nicely formed, dense head that looks substantial. The beer has a malt based, sweet nose with a touch of alcohol. Good lace and retention. The alcohol comes through in the taste and it drinks every bit of the advertised 6.80%. Lots of malty depth, coating the mouth nicely and producing a satisfying experience. A touch of nuttiness in the finish as well. Alll in a...
Brewer Patriot Collection – Traditional Ginger Honey Ale
12 oz bottle. Absolutely delighted to get a chance to try this after my own bottle fell out of the DBF and smashed on to the floor at the tome the patriot four-pack was original released. Didn't think I would ever see this again, but thanks to a recent trader, I got this bottle. Best Before October 2006 - err....almost three years late; never mind. Pour is a bright, tangerine body with a healthy head and some sediment. Head fades to a thin film on the surface of the beer. It looks as though it...
LongShot Double IPA
12 oz bottle as part of the 2009 mixed sixer with the cranberry wit and the traditional bock. In a nutshell, VERY, VERY disappointed, but at the same time not all that surprised. Once certain beers start getting some momentum and hype it can quickly get out of control and that's what's happened here. Pour is a solid, bronzed orange body with a lot of haze and really good head. The lace it leaves is solid too. Looks good, but that's the beers' best attribute by a mile. A somewhat awkward...
Samuel Adams Imperial Stout
$2.99 for the 12 oz bottle from Total Wine, Perimeter, Atlanta, GA, USA. This one goes into the Terrapin 22 oz snifter in small portions. I want to let this one warm over an extended period. Standard, black opaque beer with a thinnish, dark tan spotty head and a small collar. Light solvent alcohol in the nose but with some sweetness. The tastes are really quite light too, and definitely sit on the side of milk chocolate rather than dark. It's not really very aggressive at all and it reminds me...
Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
12 oz single from Tower on Buford. Pretty much exactly as expected. Pour is a clear, golden hue with a decent head and some lace. Carbonation levels are appropriate and good. The beer basically looks like, acts like and feels like a simple, well put together lager. There are simple crisp notes that make it very drinkable, and a hint of fruit in amongst the malt and hop balance. Drinks VERY easily and is tailor made for summer drinking in the south. It doesn't fel or drink much like a...
Samuel Adams Imperial White
12 oz bottle from Total Wine at Perimeter, Atlanta, GA, USA. A little pricey @ $2.99 methinks, but we'll see. Poured into the Southampton Weizen glass, the beer is much darker than I was expecting. Dark golden. Very fine carbonation, not much of it but it is consistent. Better than expected for a 9.00% beer. Dark gold, a touch of lace and some creamy, small head. HUGE, HUGE bubble-gum nose. Not sure if I like it, because the alcohol that's in there starts to take on a very astringent, solvent...
Samuel Adams Irish Red
Six-pack, Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. 12oz bottle. Attractive bottle and label. Classy. Well carbonated pour with a big, creamy attractive head. Leaves some pretty good lace. Nice clarity on the brown/red body. Some organic, grassy notes of hops in the nose. Caramel malt, simple drying finish make up a classic example of the style. Tasty and toasty. Very nice dry finish is apparent which is a great sign for the style. Sharp, satisfying bitterness. This is very tasty. Very...
LongShot Weizenbock
12oz single from the Grape and Weizenbock mixed pack in 2008. Turbid brown, somewhat unattractive, but fairly standard look for the style. Nice, high head with good density. Some lace. Chocolate milk colored body. Decent carbonation. Usually the nose and the taste match fairly well on Weizenbock's (one of my favorite styles), but this one has banana, (slight) clove and sweetness in the taste but more emphasis on the alcohol in the nose. Sweetness is a little too much EVEN for my tastes, and I...
LongShot Grape Pale Ale
12oz bottle as part of the Longshot mixed sixer, $7.99 at The Wine Shop, Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA, USA. Notched July 2008. Poured into the Sam Adams glass the beer has great clarity and initially a light, frothy head. The head fades quickly to leave some scant lace. Very bright orange color makes this look pretty good in the glass. Aroma is a solvent like alcohol as are the initial tastes. Some fruity character, but not distinguishable as grape to me. I'm not sure if that's the grape...
Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner
New review - 2008 version (best before Jan 2009) === 12 oz bottle as a single from Total Wine. Great looking orange pour withe super head and retention again. Seems a little sweeter and less "upfront hoppy" than some of the earlier vintages but that may be because I am drinking this later in the season than in the past. Still ahs the aspirin bite in the back end, finish and aftertaste. Year after year this a great beer. Original review 10/2007 === This FINALLY makes it to GA. I had just about...
LongShot Dortmunder Style Export
12oz bottle as part of the mixed LONGSHOT sixer, $6.49 @ Cheers, Carrollton, GA, USA. The LONGSHOT six-pack just made it to GA in the last few days. Notched label suggests Best Before June 2007. Lovely golden color with great clarity, nice carbonation and a smallish, but perfectly formed billowing, pillow-like head. Looks like a hgh quality Pilsner. Light and crisp hop aroma. Very smooth, silky mouthfeel that is almost slightly slick, makes this feel like a much higher ABV beer than it really...
LongShot Old Ale
12oz bottle as part of the mixed LONGSHOT sixer, $6.49 @ Cheers, Carrollton, GA, USA. The LONGSHOT six-pack just made it to GA in the last few days. Notched label suggests Best Before June 2007. If I had to blind taste this I would have described it as an English/American Barleywie hybrid. It certainly has the big malt character that the Old Ale style should show, but it also shows an interesting mild hop bitterness. Plenty of caramel and some dark fruits - figs and other Christmas type...
LongShot Boysenberry Wheat
12oz bottle as part of the mixed LONGSHOT sixer, $6.49 @ Cheers, Carrollton, GA, USA. The LONGSHOT six-pack just made it to GA in the last few days. Notched label suggests Best Before June 2007. Standard cloudy pour for an unfiltered wheat with some decent head (and retention). Mild carbonation amidst the pale, clouded gold color. Aroma is a full-on artificial (kids juice) type fruit flavor that is VERY strong. Luckily this is not repeated in the taste which is much more subtle (just as well)....
Samuel Adams Honey Porter
12 ozer as part of the mixed pack made up of this, the Black Lager and the Brown Ale (two bottles of each). $6.49 at Arbor Place Beverage. Looks nice with a high and dense head and a very dark brown pour. Sweetness is definitely there with the honey influence (in the aroma too) but this drinks like a high quality brown ale. Smooth, drinkable and whilst not exactly rich, still smooth and drinkable. Easy drinking and simple, but certainly sweet. Not everyone would like this but I enjoy the...
Sam Adams Light
$4.00 Taco Mac, Douglasville, GA, USA. 12 oz Bottle. Light Amber clarity with a head that disappears quickly to leave virtually no lace or head. Aroma? Not much at all. Some light biscuit malts and a dryish clean feel. Distinct lack of bitterness but a surprisingly creamy feel to the body. This is unusual to say the least because everything else about the beer is light and uninteresting. Increase in sweetness as it warms. Rich moutheel (considering) is surprising. Well, I suppose this is a...
Brewer Patriot Collection – George Washington Porter
Well, interesting if nothing else. Pour is good looking. Nice Porter color, dark red/brown and a really rather impressive head (if somewhat airy) and lacing - looks good. Smell is really nice too. Creamy alcohol sweetness and some dark treacle. As far as the taste goes I was impressed with the way it literally mimicked what it claimed on the label - DEFINITE "licorice" notes, "assertive hop finish" and "medium bodied" so at least it has that going for it. However, for me the licorice was a...
Brewer Patriot Collection – 1790 Root Beer Brew
Bizarre and unique to say the least. Hazed orange pour with a good head and some nice lacing. Frankly this looks pretty good. After that, well, it's a bit of a mess. Mint and more profoundly very strong medicinal tones in the nose and taste. These very odd aromas and flavors are very difficult to get beyond and this makes this difficult to drink. The best way I can describe it is as sweet child's medicine. Reminded me of the infamous Cherry Wheat in some respects! Pretty nasty, and although...
Brewer Patriot Collection – James Madison Dark Wheat Ale
Part of the Patriot boxed four pack collection, $9.50 @ Toco Giant, Atlanta, GA, USA. English toffee colored pour with a lovely looking dense head and some really nice thick, creamy lacing. Body is clouded but good looking carbonation (a bit like a better looking, lighter Dubbel). Nose has some really nice honey malts and a hint of alcohol. Mouthfeel is good (a little silky even) and the tastes are a combination of slightly tart, sweet malts and some dry bock like character. Unusual and rather...
Samuel Adams Brown Ale
The beauty here is the simplicity. Very easy drinking with a full flavor but not huge. Definitely a complex, layered malt backbone, biscuity and then a lovely hop finish. Mouthfeel is really full, and thirst quenching. Simply put, a simply built beer that satisfies and is very flavorful to boot. The subtlety is as refreshing as the beer.
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
Deep garnet pour with plenty of brown and red/brown highlights at the extremities. Nice tan head, good size and some lacing. A little repeated agitation starts to reveal more head with some good carbonation. Reminiscent of a quality brown ale. A very mild burnt and smoky feature in the nose as well as a tiny bit of chocolate, but it's not strong. Taste has a very slightly acidic chocolate essence character. Definitely an artificial taste, but at the same time not unpleasant. Again, a small...
Samuel Adams White Ale
Poured with an orange hue, but a good looking cloudy, unfiltered appearance. Half-decent head and some sticky, if somewhat conservative lacing. Spiced and smooth aroma, with a really quite full mouthfeel. Chunky on the palate. Taste is where things start getting complicated. I get a certain initial spice (maybe coriander), but this rapidly changes in to a wild peppermint!? The peppermint to me is very strong and overpowering. My imagination? I don't know, but it was very odd! Pretty...
Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest
Review: 09/06 - thanks to SilentSabre for a chance to re-visit. Well past what Jim Koch recommends, but I wanted to experiment wih some age on this. Looks identical to ten months ago with great sticky lacing, and orange clouded body. From memory it appears that the hop profile has receeded alot (expected) but at the same time a strong grapefruit bitterness has replaced it. Almost as if a hop bitterness has been replaced by an acidic bitterness. Having said that, there is still a sweet alcohol...
Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Original notes 11/29/2005. Picture from 2021. Good, black color, nice creamy head and some surprisingly good lacing. A little red highlight at the bottom of the glass too. Smell is sweeter and less bitter than many American Porters, and emphasizes the smooth aspects of the style. All good I feel. Taste is rounded and subtle with a distinct lack of bitterness, and a very nice smooth feel. Too often I find American Porters to concentrate on the bitter, hoppy, dark coffee flavors rather than the...
Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
Pale yellow, macro lager like body with a slight pink tinge. Some nice carbonation and as a result a pretty decent head and some surprisingly good lacing. Taste has a refreshing fruit tartness with a little tiny hop bite in the short finish. The fruit is evident both in the taste and the nose, but I can't say that I can place either as being cranberry based. It's certainly a tart, acidic character but beyond that a bit non-descript. Refreshing and drinkable. This gets a very poor press here...
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Additional notes 11/06/21 After a hiatus Fezzy is back in what used to called the Winter Sampler Pack but now carries a new name. Label has changed, and this is the beer pictured here. The beer seems cleaner than it has been in the past which might be considered better by some, but for me it feels lighter, and lacking depth in terms of the body and the taste. Just meh compared to a decade ago for me. Updated Review 11/10 Got really lucky and managed to pick up four, single bottles at Macs in...
Samuel Adams Scotch Ale
Very nice. This is a very attractive beer, with an absolutely crystal clear pour in the dark red body. Good carbonation, some creamy spotty head and some significant sticky lacing all add to the substantial and pleasing appearance. Roasted malts in the nose and some sugary sweetness as well. As expected, a nice malt backbone with a significant bitter hop finish. Sweetness and bitterness (without drying) complement one another nicely, for excellent balance. A sort of sweet and sour combo!...
Samuel Adams Double Bock (Imperial Series)
Thick looking, malty monster, with an amazing dense cascading bubble laden head. There is minimal lacing. Beautiful mahogany, amber crystal clear pour. Very round, full mouthfeel as the layered malts compete for your senses attention. Obviously bags of sweetness, malt, alcohol and toffee like caramel flavors. I like this a lot, because I am a huge fan of the style, but the whole beer still feels somewhat disjointed to me. In one mouthful there is a cacophony of competing flavors. It's all a...
Samuel Adams Black Lager
Brown/black pour with a head that quickly turns to a spotty cream on the surface of the beer and some minimal lacing. A little sweet rounded coffee in the nose, but also a very sweet sensation in the aroma and the up-front tastes. I would describe this as a lactose-milk, carbonated Porter! Does that make sense? Well, if not, it's sweet, dark, light and easy drinking with a nice mouthfeel and satisfying end. Definitely some roastiness in there, but this only develops on the way through the beer...
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
Nasty. Very artificial cherry aroma and flavor is all you get here, and coupled with the alcohol it reminds me of kids cough medicine. That image and sense, are ones that I simply could not get past. Only one redeeming feature - a good, attractive head and some significant sticky lacing. However, this was probably the cherry syrup making it stick to the side of the glass! Don't bother with this, there are hundreds of other infinitely better fruit beers out there.
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Very servicable brew. Clear, dark copper with big fluffy head. I found this really quite satisfying, both from a body point of view and the decent ABV. Very malty and bready all the way through with a nice smooth ending. Lacks any spice for the style, but still is a nice package. Refreshing too which is an unusual characteristic for the style.
Samuel Adams Pale Ale
$7.99 Six Pack, Save-Rite supermarket, Douglasville, GA, USA. I don't seem to see the Sam Adams Pale Ale around very much and perhaps that is a distribution issue or the fact that it seems to me to be a very mediocre brew. Everything about this beer screams OK, but nothing more. Decent appearance, slightly orange with some head and lacing. The aromas and the tastes are all very mild. A very weak malt backbone with some dryish, very mildly bitter hops, it's all too uninspiring for me. The beer...
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Updated Review 10/10: Six years on since my original review, I still really love this beer. Today I paid $8.23 for a sixer, so this is still fantastic value. Color in 2010 seems even richer than ever and the malt depth is always impressive to me. Great aftertaste of mellow caramel sweetness is just so satisfying and pleasing to me. Highly drinkable, great value truly one of my favorite beers in the USA. Original Review 10/04: Really pretty good for around $7 a sixer. This is a very attractive...
Samuel Adams Cream Stout
Part of a mixed six pack (2 Hefe, 2 Cream Stout, 2 Boston Ale) from Sam Adams @ 7.49, Publix, Villa Rica, GA, USA. Nice dark, mahogany brown/black pour with a considerable rocky, light brown head that hung around. Some decent lacing too. There are some seriously sweet, sherry like aromas. This is a soft drinking, sweet stout, with a medium body that gives a mouthfeel larger than one would expect. However it doesn't suffer from excessive sweetness that some of the Milk Stouts can. The...
Samuel Adams Boston Ale (Stock Ale)
Part of a mixed six pack (2 Hefe, 2 Cream Stout, 2 Boston Ale) from Sam Adams @ 7.49, Publix Supermarkets, Villa Rica, GA, USA. Really very nice. I was expecting little, but got much more. A very attractive light amber/orange pour with a white rocky head. Some good lacing. The carbonation is lively. Extremely refreshing with an excellent balance of hops and malt. The hops are exactly as I like them, under-stated but evident. This is a clean drink, as refreshing as a light "lawnmower" adjunct...
Samuel Adams Hefeweizen
Looks good, tastes average. Part of a mixed six pack (2 Hefe, 2 Cream Stout, 2 Boston Ale) from Sam Adams @ 7.49, Publix Supermarkets, Villa Rica, GA, USA. Somewhat disappointed. As many others have noted, the Hefe tag is loosely applied here, in fact it would be much better not being associated with this brew. Excellent, creamy head, flatters to deceive. The rest of the drink is pretty watery, fairly non-descript with a distinct lack of aroma or significant yeast or malt flavors. The brew...
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Original notes from 05/22/2004. Picture from 2021. Above average macro/micro that I am happy to fall back on in the absence of an extensive range of options. It's consistent - and that's important. A simple beer but does the job every time I enjoy a couple of bottles. Very light and fluffy, bubbly head with some small amount of lacing. The aroma is a simple malt base with some sweetness. Amber hue typifies the style and reflects the malt bill nicely. Nice malty, balanced bitterness is the key,...
Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Here's my problem. To me, an Englishman, "Ale" always conjours up the image of cask-conditioned ales in pubs with roaring log fires. Associating an "Ale" with summer drinking seems, well frankly, silly! I like my summer drinks to be thirst quenchers, with much less about them. This brew pours a cloudy orange, reminiscent of iced-tea. In the summer months I'd prefer the tea to this stuff. Very poor head, with a distinctly non-lemon aroma, despite the lemon addition being hightlighted on the...