samuel adams 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 Beer Blog Samuel Adams Boston Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going into sample Boston Ale from Samuel Adams.  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 English style Pale Ale.

It has a nice bronze color with a white constant head.  The aroma has a malty to caramel notes. The taste has a nice sweet malty with a hint of caramel.  The aftertaste has a dry to slight caramel finish. It is a drinkable brew.

Here is a description from the beer bottle and website (www.samueladams.com):

When we opened our Boston Brewery in 1988, we created a special brew, Boston Ale, to mark the occasion.  A “stock” ale with a distinctly American character, it’s spiced with English hops, sweetened with caramel malts, fermented as an ale and aged at cool temperatures.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @samueladamsbeer

In the end, I am be the first to say I am not fan of Samuel Adams.  I love how this brewery hides all their other projects like Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard, and Shandy Traveler.  This brewery does make some good beers but the rest is below average to average.  Their high-end beers are awesome in most cases.  This brew I was pretty impressed.  It is a nice English pale ale.  There is a nice malty backbone with a nice hop selection.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Samuel Adams Cream Stout

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from the Boston Beer Company.  They are known around the world as Samuel Adams Brewery.  It is their Cream Stout.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this east coast craft brewery.  Let us get into this cream stout.

It has a jet black color with a tan head on this milk stout.  The aroma has a chocolate to coffee notes with a slight caramel notes.  The taste has a creamy to roasted chocolate to coffee notes with a nice slight caramel to wrap up the tasting notes.  The aftertaste has a nice burned coffee notes. It is a sipping stout.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Harkening back to the tradition of English sweet stouts, our cream stout has a rich smooth silkiness that differs from its Irish dry stout cousin.  Dark roasted malts give this brew its ebony color and deep notes of chocolate, caramel and coffee for a rich roastiness and subtly sweet finish.

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

Inspired by the traditional English sweet stouts, this rich and creamy brew is full of deep roasted character, with a subtle sweetness & indulgently smooth finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @samueladamsbeer

Closing, it is a nice milk stout.  I saw this one on the shelf and I thought why not.  I never had this brew and I thought it cannot bad.  This is not like all the rest of the craft stouts on the market.  I was not a big fan of it but it was not that bad of a beer.  It is an average to slightly below average brew.  At least, the price was right on for the liquid.  Some of the stouts in the market are over price and are average or below average.  This is an average beer at the right price.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed (2014)

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into my second Samuel Adams IPA sampler pack.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this East Coast Craft Brewery, you know the history of this craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery.  Let us get into these six different single hop IPA.

Latitude 48 IPA

This beer is one of their everyday six-pack bottles.  It has your normal IPA amber to copper look to it with a white constant head.  The taste of this IPA gives a nice hop taste with nice bitter ending.  You can taste beer from the front of the pallet which gives off sweet to bitter tastes notes.  The aftertaste is something I really do not like about this beer.  It has a dry hoppy bitter finish.   For what Samuel Adams is today, this is a well made beer.  I hate to say it because I know it is a slap in the face to any brewmaster but this is a nice beginner IPA for people wanting to get into this great beer style.  Overall a nice drinkable and easy drinking beer for the beer style.  This IPA is better than their Rebel IPA.

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East Kent Goldings IPA #1

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head on this English IPA. The smell has a heavy floral notes. The taste has a floral to earthy notes. The aftertaste is an earthy dry hop finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only East Kent Goldings.  These classic English hops create a mellow bitterness with earthy, floral, and apricot notes that are balanced by a subtle malt sweetness.

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Mosaic IPA #2

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a pineapple to citrus notes. The taste has a pineapple to a slight smooth caramel notes. It is has nice bitter hop aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only Mosaic hops . These distinctive American hops contribute subtle fruit notes of pineapple and Mandarin orange along with hints of eucalyptus. These delicate notes are complemented by the sweetness of the malt.

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Hallertau Mittelfrueh IPA #3

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The smell has hints of citrus to piney notes. The taste has a light carbonation to some notes of piney and citrus. The aftertaste is a dry hop finish. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops from the Halletau region of Bavaria.  These hops create a soft bitterness, along with delicate citrus and resinous pine notes that are balanced by a subtle malt sweetness and body.

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Simcoe IPA #4

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a heavy grapefruit notes. The taste profile is a heavy grapefruit notes with a dry crisp grapefruit dry hop finish. It does not hang around like #1 to #3. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only Simcoe hops that bring a distinct punch of grapefruit character and piney notes.  The subtle malt sweetness helps balance and round out the concentrated hop character.

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#5 Zeus IPA

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head on this IPA. The smell has an earthy notes. The taste is an earthy to piney notes with a dry bitter hop aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This single hop IPA is brewed using only American Zeus hops, which create an intense piney and resinous character.  This brew leans strongly towards the hop character, but is balanced by the malts sweetness.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @SamuelAAdams

In the end, we are going to break this IPA sampler pack down.  Being a huge Hophead, I am always looking to try new IPA’s in the market or retry old ones.  I love when craft breweries take one IPA and mess around with it.  I like to try different hops or malt with one recipe.  Samuel Adams did that with Latitude 48 IPA, which is one of their everyday IPA six-pack and their best everyday IPA.  I have had their newer IPA, which is Rebel IPA, and I am not a fan of it.  It is not an American IPA.  It is English IPA. I feel Rebel IPA is something that one of the mass-produced beer companies.  Latitude 48 IPA is a nice gateway drug into craft beer and IPA world.  They did a great job on some of these beers but there are a few in this pack that I could do without.  I will give them credit for the effort on these brews.  #1 is a pretty good English IPA but nothing close to Goose Island IPA and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale.  The more that I start thinking about #1 is pretty good version of IPA than Brooklyn East India Pale Ale.  I like this one. #2 has some nice tropical notes that the hops kick off in this brew.  I love that in this beer.  This is one of the best one in this pack.  #3, I can do without this IPA.  This was a bad mix with this hop.  I just found Hallertau Mittelfrueh is a good hop with other hops.  By itself, it is just not good.  Maybe, it is this brewery.  I just do not know.  #4 is average but it is growing on me. I love this hop, which is Simcoe Hop.  I am starting to think that the malty backbone in Latitude 48 is not mixing well with these other hops.  This brew did grow on me.  The last one #5 is really good along with the aftertaste.  It keeps me coming back for some more.  I normally get on any brewery about their aftertaste on IPA.  I do not know why but this aftertaste makes me keep drinking more of this beer.  The best beer #2 in this pack.  The worse is #3.  Overall, this is average IPA pack.  They did an awesome job like three years ago.  The last two years they did different IPA styles that I passed right by in the store.  I give them credit for trying and make sure we still call Samuel Adams a craft brewery still.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Samuel Adams Juniper IPA

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample out Juniper IPA from Samuel Adams.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this craft brewery, you know the history of this craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know the Boston Beer Company.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color with a constant white head on this winter IPA.  The smell is a heavy Juniper Berries.  The taste is a piney with hints of Juniper Berries with a quick bitter aftertaste that disappears fast.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

For this special release, we wanted to brew a flavorful winter IPA that captured the aroma of the season.  This brought us to juniper berries, which add a slightly sweet, piney character.  Complemented by citrus notes from American hops, this balanced IPA will brighten the holidays.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @SamuelAdamsBeer

In the end, I was pretty interested in this brew.  I did not know how the Juniper Berries would mix with the IPA.  I know they made an English style IPA because I believe that West Coast IPA would not go well with the berries.  I believe the hops would have overpowered the berries.  There is a nice balance from the hops, malty backbone, and Juniper Berries. I love the aroma and beer drinking experience.  This beer is good but it is not that good.  It is average beer, however, I will give Boston Beer Company some credit for being unique and original.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL

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In this 300th beer blog, we are going to sample another beer from Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL.  If you read my earlier beer blogs on their beers, you know the history of this brewery.  Since Samuel Adams is pretty well-known, you might already know the history of this brewery.  If you have not or do not know Boston Beer Company, you might want to go back and read that beer blog post.  Let us get into the beer.

This unique lager has a clear copper color with a constant white head on it. The smell is a citrus to grapefruit to the beer. The taste is a dry citrus with crisp finish for the aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Brewing innovation is about asking “What if?”  What if we gave an IPA a new identity and used some of our favorite West Coast hops, with their grapefruit, piney, and tropical fruit character, in a lager?  The result is this boldly hoppy and flavorful brew with the crisp smoothness of a lager.

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

Full of the bold grapefruit & piney character of an American IPA, this brew also reveals its smooth lager side creating a balanced, flavorful brew.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.samueladams.com

Twitter:  @samueladamsbeer

In closing,  I have to be extremely honest.  I do not know what craft breweries or just flat-out breweries are thinking about doing a Lager as a IPA.  This is the dumbness beer style known to man out there.  I am not a Lager fan and I love my Ales.  I know for fact that most Ales and Lagers hyper beer styles are not just that good.  Please, give me one because I really do not like them.  This one is just bad beer and I would like to hear your thoughts.  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