boston brewery

New Beer Blog Boston Beer Company Samuel Adams White Christmas (2014)

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Samuel Adams Brewery.  It is their White Christmas.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this east coast craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know Boston Beer Company.  Let us get into this White Ale.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white head color. It disappears over time. The aroma has a yeasty, corridor, to a lemon notes. The taste has a wheat to corridor notes. The aftertaste has a dry cinnamon, nutmeg, and hints of orange to lemon notes finish. It is pretty drinkable winter beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

As crisp as the first snowfall of the year, this unfiltered white ale is blended with holiday spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel.  The familiar citrus and wheat characters of the ale are complemented by the warmth of the spices for a festive brew that’s perfect for the season.

Here is a description from their website (www.samueladams.com):

A special time of year calls for a special brew. For us, this brew combines the crispness of a white ale with the warmth of familiar holiday spices.

HOP VARIETIES

Spalt Spalter Noble hops

MALT VARIETIES

Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, wheat, IdaPils malt

YEAST STRAIN

Samuel Adams ale yeast

COLOR

SRM: 6

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS

Cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel

ALC. BY VOL/WT

5.8% ABV – 4.4% ABW

IBUs

8

CAL PER SERVING

190

AVAILABILITY

12oz: 6pk, Winter Classics

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @samueladamsbeer

Closing, I am not a fan of Samuel Adams or the Boston Beer Company. I give them a ton of credit to be one of the pioneers of the craft beer world.  Now days, they are looked as one of the big beer companies.  They are now known as one of the big three.  Jim Koch does not like to hear this but he is in that group.  Most of his beers are starting to be viewed like that too.  The kids today are looking at his beers like their Dad or Grandfather’s beer.  They are still pushing the limits but not as much as they did back in the 1980’s.  This brew is something a little special that they have been putting out in the last few years.  I am not a fan of but I can see people liking it.  There is a ton of spices going on this brew.  There is a nice light body but yet some complex notes.  I am not a fan of this beer style and beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Blog Brooklyn Lager Vs Samuel Adams Boston Lager

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Battle of Evermore, we are going to do something different.  I am taking two well-known craft lagers and putting them up against each other.  They are Samuel Adams Boston Lager, which is the flagship of the Boston Beer Company, and Brooklyn Lager, which is the flagship of the Brooklyn Brewery.  The reason why this challenge has come to head is the fact when both breweries started out they contracted their beers out to one brewery to keep up with demand.  Plus, it is Boston against New York City.  Both cities hate each other from football, hockey, baseball, and I believe basketball.  Both breweries were there from the beginning of the craft beer world.  I do not need to go over the history of these two breweries because I have done blogs on both breweries.  Let the fight begin!

Brooklyn Lager

Brooklyn Lager has a slightly hazel copper color without a head on the beer.  It has a sweet malty to a little caramel smell to the beer. It has a slight hoppy to malty taste with a nice crisp finish for the aftertaste.  It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Amber gold, with a malty body and a floral hop character. Brooklyn Lager is a revival of Brooklyn’s pre-Prohibition all malt lagers. This is the brewery’s first and best-selling brand. Brooklyn Lager is brewed only with malted barley, hops, water and yeast.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Samuel Adams Boston Lager has a clear copper color without a head on the beer.  There is really no smell to this beer.  This lager is sweet malty carbonation to it with crisp malty aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Our original beer, brewed with Bavarian Noble hops. The balance of malty sweetness and hop spiciness in this brew sets the standard for all Samuel Adams beers.

What is the same between these beers?

Both beers are craft beers and are the flagship beers to each respected brewery. They are both pretty malty tasting lagers.

What is the differences between these beers?

Brooklyn lager is a little bit more hopper than Boston Lager and has a clean crisp aftertaste.  Boston Lager is a little bit more maltier and has a malty crisp aftertaste that last longer than the Brooklyn Lager.

The end, respect to both breweries, they both make some good beers.  Some of their beers are average to below average while some are above average.  You will get that from many breweries.  There are a very few that make all their beers really good.  Brooklyn Lager has a little bit more of a hoppy feel but yet enough of malty taste to give the best of both worlds.  Boston Lager is a little bit more maliter.  I have to say Brooklyn Lager is better.  Brooklyn is going with the old school taste that was going on in American before Prohibition.  Boston Lager is more American Craft Lager with a classic twisted.  I just feel Boston Lager is dying a fast death and needs to put down.  To me, Brooklyn Lager wins this battle and I wish more people knew about this great beer.  This is my thought pattern and I would like to hear your thought. Go get some Brooklyn Lager!  Raise your glass to a beer that should be classic American lager before and after Prohibition era.  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Samuel Adams Octoberfest Lager

In this fall beer blog, we are going to sample another beer from Samuel Adams and the beer is their Fall Seasonal Samuel Adams Octoberfest Lager.  If you read my earlier blog, you know something about this brewery.  If you did not, please, go back and read the first part of that blog.  Samuel Adams is pretty well known and you might have known them before this beer blog.  Let us get into the beer.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest is their Fall Seasonal and is available in six pack, twelve pack, fall sampler pack. It has amber color without a head on the beer.  It has a sweet malty smell to the beer.  The taste of this Octoberfest Lager is a malt beer drinkers heaven. It has a sweet malty aftertaste. It is kind of a drinkable beer.

Here is a descration from the beer bottle:

In 1810, munich celebrated the wedding of their Crown Prince with a special beer.  After 16 days the party ended, but the tradition continues.  Our version of the calssic Oktoberfest lager blends 5 roasted malts for a rich, hearty flavor that’s perfect of the season, or whatever you’re celebrating.  Jim Koch

Here is a descriation from their website (www.samueladams.com):

Brewed with five varieties of malted barley for a big, rich flavor.

The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest has a rich, deep reddish amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The malt is complimented by the elegant bitterness imparted by the Bavarian Noble hops. Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the heartier brews of winter.

The märzen style gets its name from the month in which it was traditionally brewed.  Before refrigeration March was the last month that beers could be put down for the lagering, or cold storage process.  The beers would age during the summer months and be enjoyed around the time of the fall harvest.

This beer style became a staple beer of the annual Oktoberfest celebration in Munich.  The first celebration was originally held in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince of Bavaria.  The village green on which it was first held is now a huge fairground known as the Theresienwiese, after the royal bride. The Oktoberfest tradition has become a world renowned celebration of beer, running for sixteen heady days every autumn in Munich, Germany.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest pays homage to the Bavarian tradition by using generous portions of five varieties of malted barley to create a rich, toffee sweetness that is the signature flavor of this popular style.

Flavor: Smooth with a deep malt complexity. Lightly hopped for a smooth sweet finish.

Color: Deep red amber, 20 SRM Original Gravity: 13.6° Plato

Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 5.3%ABV – 4.1%ABW

Calories/12 oz.: 187

IBUs: 15

Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Munich-10, and Caramel 60

Hop Varieties:  Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops

Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams lager yeast

Availability: Seasonal (August – October)

First Brewed: 1989

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @sameuladamsbeer

Closing, at one time, this was one of the best Octoberfest.  Over time other breweries started to brew their verision and I just feel this beer did not change.  It just not as good as I once thought it was.  It is a malty beer drinker heaven but there are better ones.  However, I try to have one Samuel Adams Octoberfest when it is season, it is still a pretty drinkable beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Samuel Adams Hazel Brown

In this fall beer blog, we are going to sample out Samuel Adams Fall Sampler pack.  The first beer up to sample is their Samuel Adams Hazel Brown.  If you read my earlier blog on Samuel Adams brews, you know about this brewery.  If not, please, go back and read the first part of it.  Samuel Adams is pretty well-known so you might know about them before these blogs.  Let us get into the beer.

Hazel Brown is part of their Fall Sampler Pack. It has a brown color without a head on the beer.  The smell is between a hazelnut and brown sugar.  It has a medium body with a caramel to sweet hazelnut taste.  The aftertaste is of slight bitter to dry to this american brown ale. It is not really a drinkable beer but I could see some beer drinkers trying to do that with this beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This flavorful dark brown ale has a distinct hazelnut aroma and taste.  Slightly sweet caramel and toffee malt notes accentuate the pleasant roasted hazelnut character.  This medium-bodied brew finishes smooth with an underlying spiciness from the hops.  Cheers!  Jim Koch

Here is a description from their website (www.samueladams.com):

In honor of the fall hazelnut harvest, we brewed this flavorful nut brown ale.  Its distinct hazelnut aroma and taste are accentuated by slightly sweet caramel and toffee malt notes.  Medium in body, it finishes smooth with an underlying spiciness from the hops making it a great choice for fall.

While nut brown ales do not have a particularly long history, brown ales have been around in England since the late 17th century.  This style became rare at the start of the 19th century as brewers began using pale malts as the base for their beers in place of more expensive brown malts.  The resurgence of this style began at the end of that century and by the 1920s, brown ales were fairly common again.
For the base of Samuel Adams® Hazel Brown, we decided to brew in the Northern English Brown Ale style, which is slightly more robust than Mild and Southern English Brown Ales (higher ABV and bitterness level).
For this beer, we wanted to brew something that would be appealing and satisfying during the fall when the days become crisp and cooler.  Brown ale, while a good beer any time of year, seemed like a great fit for this.  We used malts that would contribute a rich, dark brown color, roasted notes, and a slightly sweet flavor profile, including caramel and toffee notes.
While the brown ale was tasty by itself, but we wanted to do more with it so decided to add a nut character.  Hazelnut was the nut of choice due to its distinct, pleasant flavor and aroma.  After adjusting the base beer slightly, we were able to create the best balance of malt and hazelnut characters.

Flavor: Caramel and toffee notes with a slightly sweet maltiness & roasted hazelnut flavor

Color: Rich brown, 28 SRM

Original Gravity: 13° Plato

Alcohol: 5.2%ABV – 4.0%ABW

Calories 12/ oz.: 174

IBUs: 20

Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Caramel 60, Dingeman’s biscuit, Paul’s roasted barley

Hop Varieties: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops, East Kent Goldings

Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams ale yeast

First Brewed: 2012

Availability: Limited Release in the Harvest Collection Variety Pack

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @samueladamsbeer

In the end, I love a good brown ale but this one comes up a little short.  Let me expalain why this brown ale might be a pass but I say to try this beer to make your judgement.  It has a nice smell or aroma from the beer and it comes off with a ton of promise.  The taste of the beer has its malty to hazelnut but then it comes off a little water down It has hard to expalining it.  I believe they either rush this beer or did not put a ton of thought behind the making of this beer.  It is really a huge let down for me but I know a few people that like this beer and you could be one of them.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser