Comments on: Long Shots

By: Ron

Ron — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:09:01 +0000

Thanks, Loren; that makes a lot of sense and explains the sharpness I tasted, but couldn’t define. I consider myself edumacated.

By: Loren

Loren — Wed, 23 May 2007 11:56:37 +0000

A Dort or Export should pretty much, lamens terms here, taste like a Pilsner but be less hoppy (bitterness wise) and have a notable mineral sharpness to it. Some info here:

“The beer from Dortmunder is a pale lager influenced by the golden beer from Pilsen known as Pilsner, though is mainly labelled as Dortmunder Export. Like all other pale lagers the beer is a pale gold colour, with a moderate bitterness from the noble hops, a lean, well attenuated body, and a crisp carbonation. The local water contains a fairly high amount of sulfate, which gives the beer’s taste a slight element of sulfur. It also contains more calcium carbonate (chalk) than average which tends to give a sharpness to the flavour of the hops. Brewers use less hops to avoid the harsh hop notes, giving the beers a subtle emphasis on the malt flavours.”

By: Ron

Ron — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:30:52 +0000

“24″ has been the same old story again this year, but popcorn and a beer to watch it has become a tradition. (no spoilers please, I’m a couple episodes behind)

By: Fred Stevens

Fred Stevens — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:11:12 +0000

The Dortmunder Export must have been the saving grace of your night, ‘cuz this year’s “24″ was a huge letdown, imo.

By: Ron

Ron — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:43:44 +0000

I didn’t intend to use the word “extreme”; in haste, I did. Try “uncommon” instead.

‘Tis true I am less familiar with both the export and the old ale. I have a decent understanding of what the old ale should be like, and I just tend to not enjoy the style. (too much of a punch in the face, as opposed to drinkability) As for the export, I admit that I am unfamiliar with the style - anyone care to enlighten me?

(none were drain pours for me either… I had the second export one evening with a bowl of popcorn while watching “24″ and I was content. The second old ale I had with a NY strip steak and I still found it quite strong.)

By: Fred Stevens

Fred Stevens — Tue, 22 May 2007 17:20:44 +0000

Old Ale, Dortmunder Lager and fruited Wheat beers are far from “extreme” beer styles. While part of the criteria for selecting these styles may have been to not overlap current Samuel Adams beers, I found nothing wrong with the Dortmunder or Old Ale. Both were quite enjoyable for the style. I passed on the Boysenberry as I detest most fruited wheat beers I’ve tried. And these were certainly not “homebrewed” beers. They were commercially brewed beers based on homebrewer’s recipes.

By: Loren

Loren — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:42:59 +0000

I hated the Boysenberry but how familiar are you with the other 2 styles? Personally thought they were both solid, if underwhelming, renditions for their categories. The Export could’ve used some minerally qualities and the Old Ale could’ve used a touch of vinous fruit. Otherwise? Good stuff from Sam Adams and the homebrewers who crafted the recipes. The Boysenberry just reminded me too much of BooBerry cereal to take it seriously. Albeit not a drain pour.

Cheers!

By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:53:48 +0000

I’m not sure how well they represent home brewers in general, but I only had issues with one of them. Here are my thoughts from March:

http://www.thebarleyblog.com/2007/sam-adams-longshot-homebrew-contest-pack/