Samuel Adams Black and Brew

Samuel Adams White Ale

Sam Adams White Ale poured a hazy, golden yellow color with a thumb width, white head. The nose has pale malt, with a lot of spices and some citrus. The body is more of the same, pale malt orange, and spices. The mouthfeel starts out smooth with the carbonation rising on the backend, leading to a crisp finish the leaves a yeasty dryness.

Overall, this was a nice, sessionable white ale. If generously spiced white ales are not your thing, I would avoid this but I thought all of the zest worked well with the malt base.

Samuel Adams Rustic Saison

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Chocolate Bock poured a dark brown color with a finger width, tan head. The aroma is nice, mostly roasted malt with hints of chocolate. The body is the inverse of the nose. Tons of chocolate with a little roasted malt, and a touch of sweetness. Mouthfeel is smooth, with low carbonation. The finish is short and dry, with moderate bitterness.

Overall, a really nice beer, one of my new favorites from Sam Adams. The chocolate really shines, and works extrememly well with the velvety mouthfeel, and bitter finish. A complete beer that is balanced. blands well, and offers plenty, it is a shame it is not easier to find.

Samuel Adams Longshot Mile High Barley Wine Ale

Samuel Adams Imperial White

Imperial White poured a hazy, copper color with a finger width, off white head. The nose is huge, tons of malt with the alcohol showing through. The body is extremely thick, smooth, with a huge malt backbone, sweet notes, citrus, spices, and an alcohol warmth. The beer finishes with huge spices and the alcohol warmth really comes alive, taking over.

Overall, this is a very different beer. It drinks much more like a barleywine than any "white" would. It has a monster body, and the alcohol is still a little to hot. It has some potential but could use a little aging and a little bit more restraint despite the "Imperial" label.

2010 Samuel Adams Sample A vs. Sample B

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

Samuel Adams Pale Ale

Samuel Adams Latitude 48

Samuel Adams Noble Pils

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Sam Adams' Octoberfest poured a reddish copper color with a thumb width, off white head. The aroma is malty. The body is smooth, and neither thick nor thin. There is a lot of malt with a decent amount of sweetness. The finish is lacking anything that significantly distinguishes itself from the body. The malts dry out a bit and leave a barely noticeable dryness while faint traces of hops fade in and out.

Overall, this is a decent tasting beer wit nothing standing out. It starts out nice up front but falls off quite a bit. There needs to be something to balance out the big sweetness and malt if Octoberfest wants to be anything more then a mindless sessional to be drank while focusing on a football game.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Boston Lager poured a clear, amber color with a thumb width, off white head. The nose is yeasty with some malt and bright, clean hops underneath. The body is thick for a lager, bready with a faint sweetness and plenty of crisp hops in the middle. The finish has a yeasty dryness that is perfect for the body. There was some spooted lace left on the glass.

Boston Lager is an absolute classic for a very good reason. This big bodied lager has plenty of flavor and is extremely well balanced. One of my favorite standy beers.

Sam Adams Irish Red

Irish Red poured a dark red color with a thumb width, off white head. The aroma is deep, with lots of malt and and lots of earthy notes. The body is clean, with a burst of sweetness up front followed by lots of rich malt and dry hops in the middle. The finish is fairly short with a lingering dryness.

Overall, this is one of the best beers in the Samuel Adams line of beers. I was surprised by the depth and complexity, as this is a really rich, full bodied beer. Irish Red doesn't have a big finish but is pretty well balanced for being such a bold beer.

Samuel Adams Hefeweizen

Samuel Adams Hefeweizen poured a clear, golden color with a finger width white head. The aroma is pretty much all wheat with some light pale malt underneath.

The body is thin and smooth and while there is some light malt, it is dominated by tons of wheat. The finish has some light hops and a yeasty dryness that lingers on the palate.

Overall, I am very impressed with this beer. The hops lead to a really crisp, refreshing finish but that's all that this beer really offers. I really love the citrus and spicy notes that German and Belgian wheats offer and sadly the American brewers of Hefes seem to neglect those aspects when making their wheats and the Sam Adams version is an example. There is nothing to balance the overload of wheat in this beer leading to a bland, overly bready taste.

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier

I recently did a video beer review with Chad from Chad'z Beer reviews on the Long Trail Blackberry Wheat beer. I was not very impressed with Long Trail's version but I figured I would give the style another chance when I saw the Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier.

The beer poured a hazy, golden orangish color with a finger width white head. Berries dominate the aroma. The body starts out with some thin wheat. The berries start to show through in the middle palate and stay through the finish, lingering on the palate for a while. There are some very light hops on the finish. The beer left a faint lacing on the glass.

Overall, this beer is fairly well made but this style is just not for me. I think spices and citrus are much better suited for wheat beers then berries. This seems like a beer replacement for fruity, sparkling wines, but it is just not impressive for me.

Samuel Adams Brown Ale

Sam Adams Brown Ale poured a dark brown, blackish color with a big, two fingered, off-white head. The aroma is very malty. The body is deep and complex, with a light sweetness and a deep malt flavor. It has a strong nut characteristic and the mouthfeel is very thick. The finish is short, yet nice with noticeable hops. This is a nice, solid offering from Sam Adams. There is ample depth and complexity to this beer and has a low enough ABV where it can be reasonably enjoyed as a sessional.

The Top Selling Craft Beers By Volume

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The Brewers Association recently released the top three selling craft beers by volume shipped. The world-famous Boston Beer Company, makers of Samuel Adams came in first with 1.8 million barrels. Sierra Brewing Company, makers of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, came in second with 662,000 barrels. New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale came in thired with 476,100 barrels.



All three of these companies make some really good beer. I recently toured the Sam Adams brewery in Boston, MA. The company has five breweries across the country and the Boston location is the original, which is now used to modify current recipies as well as create new ones. The Samuel Adams line has won Boston Beer Company countless awards and they brewery tour did not dissapoint. New Belgium's popularity has been increased as Fat Tire has become a popular everyday beer. In addition to making good beer, New Belgium does not sell anything east of the Mississippi River, which has created a large demand for craft beer lovers on the East Coast. Sierra Nevada's flagship beer is one of the better Pale Ale's I have tasted. This beer can be enjoyed by itself or with a nice Mexican dish.