Brewery: The Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MA
Style: Stock Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A-
In my glass today is the Sam Adams Boston Ale. While the Boston Lager may be Samuel Adams' flagship beer, the Boston Ale is (unfortunately) often overlooked. In my opinion, the Boston Ale is their best year-round offering. The Boston Ale pours a deep amber with hints of brown and gold. The head is golden-tan and frothy with big clumps. The nose detects citrus and herbal hops notes, along with a faint wheaty malt note.
On the palate the Sam Adams Boston Ale has aromatic citrus and floral hops up front, leading into a rich pizza dough/pretzel malt, which then fades to bitter hops notes of pine and juniper. There are also some wine/barleywine notes here and a hint of residual sweetness. The Boston Ale is moderate-to-heavy bodied with a fairly full mouthfeel. The finish has a distinct barleywine character along with bitter hops notes.
The Samuel Adams Boston Ale is a real winner. It is well-balanced, full-flavored and rich. The malt is the real star for me, but there is just the right balance of hops here to hold up to the rich flavor. Next time you go to reach for Sam Adams Boston Lager as "the old standby", do your tastebuds a favor. Reach right next to it and bring home their Boston Ale instead.
Showing posts with label Samuel Adams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samuel Adams. Show all posts
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Samuel Adams Pale Ale
Brewery: The Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MA
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B-
Up for review today is the Samuel Adams Pale Ale. The Sam Adams Pale Ale is deep gold in color. The head is short, white and bubbly. The head disappears rather quickly after pouring. The nose has aromas of toast and well-done pizza crust, along with some "Eurolager" notes.
On the palate the Sam Adams Pale Ale has bready malt up front, followed by a mild bitter hop kick on the back end. There is a touch of acidity as well as some earthiness, all over a lagery malt backbone. The finish is rather short with a bready malt note. The Samuel Adams Pale Ale has a fairly light, crisp body.
All in all, the Sam Adams Pale Ale has a little too light a flavor for my tastes. This beer tastes more like an upgraded version of the typical "mass-market" pilsner/lagers out there. Not a bad beer for a hot summer afternoon, but not in the same league as some of the better pale ales coming out of the New England area right now, such as the pale ales from Smuttynose and Long Trail.
Location: Boston, MA
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B-
Up for review today is the Samuel Adams Pale Ale. The Sam Adams Pale Ale is deep gold in color. The head is short, white and bubbly. The head disappears rather quickly after pouring. The nose has aromas of toast and well-done pizza crust, along with some "Eurolager" notes.
On the palate the Sam Adams Pale Ale has bready malt up front, followed by a mild bitter hop kick on the back end. There is a touch of acidity as well as some earthiness, all over a lagery malt backbone. The finish is rather short with a bready malt note. The Samuel Adams Pale Ale has a fairly light, crisp body.
All in all, the Sam Adams Pale Ale has a little too light a flavor for my tastes. This beer tastes more like an upgraded version of the typical "mass-market" pilsner/lagers out there. Not a bad beer for a hot summer afternoon, but not in the same league as some of the better pale ales coming out of the New England area right now, such as the pale ales from Smuttynose and Long Trail.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Samuel Adams Imperial White
Brewery: The Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MA
Style: Witbier
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Up for tasting today the Samuel Adams Imperial White. The Imperial Series is Samuel Adams's line of big beers. The Imperial White is a Belgian White style ale brewed at a whopping 10.3% ABV. The Imperial White is amber-red in color with a haze that has chunky clumps of sediment floating in it. The beer has a short, off-white head. The nose has notes of buttered bread and orange.
The Sam Adams Imperial White has a bit of a tart twang to it, along with some sweetness. The malt has a wheaty quality to it. There are notes of orange and yeast on the palate, as well as a bit of butteriness. There is some alcohol to note, but the beer is not as strong as 10.3% alcohol would seem. The finish has a lambic-like tartness along with butter and wheaty malt notes. The Samuel Adams Imperial White is fairly heavy bodied with a rich, clinging, syrupy mouthfeel.
For the sake of fair disclosure, I must admit up front that I am generally not a big fan of the White Ale style. Having said that, this is a unique interpretation of the style that I rather enjoyed. While the more popular witbiers tend to be lighter-bodied, similar to a hefeweizen, the Sam Adams Imperial White is much richer and fuller-bodied. The fruit notes typical to the style are present here but sit nicely in balance. If you're a Blue Moon fan looking to branch out, the Samuel Adams Imperial White is well worth a taste.
Location: Boston, MA
Style: Witbier
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Up for tasting today the Samuel Adams Imperial White. The Imperial Series is Samuel Adams's line of big beers. The Imperial White is a Belgian White style ale brewed at a whopping 10.3% ABV. The Imperial White is amber-red in color with a haze that has chunky clumps of sediment floating in it. The beer has a short, off-white head. The nose has notes of buttered bread and orange.
The Sam Adams Imperial White has a bit of a tart twang to it, along with some sweetness. The malt has a wheaty quality to it. There are notes of orange and yeast on the palate, as well as a bit of butteriness. There is some alcohol to note, but the beer is not as strong as 10.3% alcohol would seem. The finish has a lambic-like tartness along with butter and wheaty malt notes. The Samuel Adams Imperial White is fairly heavy bodied with a rich, clinging, syrupy mouthfeel.
For the sake of fair disclosure, I must admit up front that I am generally not a big fan of the White Ale style. Having said that, this is a unique interpretation of the style that I rather enjoyed. While the more popular witbiers tend to be lighter-bodied, similar to a hefeweizen, the Sam Adams Imperial White is much richer and fuller-bodied. The fruit notes typical to the style are present here but sit nicely in balance. If you're a Blue Moon fan looking to branch out, the Samuel Adams Imperial White is well worth a taste.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Samuel Adams Noble Pils
Brewery: The Boston Beer Company
Style: Pilsner
Location: Boston, MA
Brewery Website
Rating: B
I was out for dinner recently and as our waiter was reading the specials I was surprised to hear when he announced that the Sam Adams seasonal on tap was the Noble Pils. I'm glad to see that Sam Adams has decided to mix things up a bit and offer a pilsner as their spring seasonal instead of their White Ale. The Sam Adams Noble Pils pours a golden yellow with a faint hint of amber and a creamy white head. I was able to pick up fruity notes and a hint of sweetness on the nose, but the beer was served a bit too cold to pick up all the aroma fully.
The Noble Pils has lots of fruity hops up front, with bitter hops that develop over time. There is also a sweet malt character. Caramel, almonds and salt are detectable as supporting flavors. There is a crisp fizziness that gives way to a creamy mouthfeel. The Noble Pils finishes with bitter hops as well as bready notes. There is a lot of family resemblance compared to the Sam Adams Boston Lager, no doubt attributable in part to the Hallertau and Tettnang hops they share in common. In fact, I would describe the Noble Pils as a slightly lighter-bodied Boston Lager with an extra kick of both fruity and bitter hops. I'm very glad to see this addition to the Samuel Adams seasonal lineup as this is a nice tasty beer. This beer would be a good introduction to hops for someone who enjoys the Sam Boston Lager.
Style: Pilsner
Location: Boston, MA
Brewery Website
Rating: B
I was out for dinner recently and as our waiter was reading the specials I was surprised to hear when he announced that the Sam Adams seasonal on tap was the Noble Pils. I'm glad to see that Sam Adams has decided to mix things up a bit and offer a pilsner as their spring seasonal instead of their White Ale. The Sam Adams Noble Pils pours a golden yellow with a faint hint of amber and a creamy white head. I was able to pick up fruity notes and a hint of sweetness on the nose, but the beer was served a bit too cold to pick up all the aroma fully.
The Noble Pils has lots of fruity hops up front, with bitter hops that develop over time. There is also a sweet malt character. Caramel, almonds and salt are detectable as supporting flavors. There is a crisp fizziness that gives way to a creamy mouthfeel. The Noble Pils finishes with bitter hops as well as bready notes. There is a lot of family resemblance compared to the Sam Adams Boston Lager, no doubt attributable in part to the Hallertau and Tettnang hops they share in common. In fact, I would describe the Noble Pils as a slightly lighter-bodied Boston Lager with an extra kick of both fruity and bitter hops. I'm very glad to see this addition to the Samuel Adams seasonal lineup as this is a nice tasty beer. This beer would be a good introduction to hops for someone who enjoys the Sam Boston Lager.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Samuel Adams Imperial Series Double Bock
Brewer: The Boston Beer Company
Style: Double Bock
Location: Boston, MA
Brewer Homepage
Rating: B+
The Samuel Adams Double Bock is deep tobacco brown with a tan head. The lead aroma is sweet maltiness. This is complimented by a slightly tart, winy character.
The Double Bock has a powerful bready malt flavor.There are also bitter hops notes, and some residual sweetness. In the background I detect some sweet spice and a squirt of citrus. The mouthfeel shows a hint of syrupiness without being too heavy. There is a crisp finish that has lingering sweetness as well as some hoppiness.
There is some definite potential for aging with this beer. Beers with high alcohol and residual sugar tend to stand the test of time fairly well. The Sam Adams Double Bock has quite a bit of complexity that seems a bit muted by the powerful, sweet malt. I plan to check back in a year or two to see how this beer ages. My one complaint here is that there is no vintage, or even a "bottled on" date on this bottle. Samuel Adams suggests right on the bottle that the Double Bock can be aged, so it's disappointing that we don't know how old the beer is.
Style: Double Bock
Location: Boston, MA
Brewer Homepage
Rating: B+
The Samuel Adams Double Bock is deep tobacco brown with a tan head. The lead aroma is sweet maltiness. This is complimented by a slightly tart, winy character.
The Double Bock has a powerful bready malt flavor.There are also bitter hops notes, and some residual sweetness. In the background I detect some sweet spice and a squirt of citrus. The mouthfeel shows a hint of syrupiness without being too heavy. There is a crisp finish that has lingering sweetness as well as some hoppiness.
There is some definite potential for aging with this beer. Beers with high alcohol and residual sugar tend to stand the test of time fairly well. The Sam Adams Double Bock has quite a bit of complexity that seems a bit muted by the powerful, sweet malt. I plan to check back in a year or two to see how this beer ages. My one complaint here is that there is no vintage, or even a "bottled on" date on this bottle. Samuel Adams suggests right on the bottle that the Double Bock can be aged, so it's disappointing that we don't know how old the beer is.
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