Beer-a-Day #174
Sam Adams week continues, with the second of the LongShot contest 2008 winners.
Congratulations to Alex Drobshoff of California for being crowned the 2008 Samuel Adams® American Homebrew Contest™ National Champion! Alex’s Traditional Bock will appear in the LongShot® mix 6-pack beginning in April
Golden brown with a thin layer of foam. Cherry and prune, with a bit of alcohol. Smooth, though, without a lot of alcohol in the taste. I like it.
Beer-a-Day #173
For the last several years, Samuel Adams has sponsored a homebrew contest where three lucky homebrewers get their winning recipes brewed, bottled, and marketed. I picked up a pack of the 2008 winners.
Since I grabbed a bunch of other Sam Adams at the same time, I guess it’s the start of another Samuel Adams week.
The third brew in the Longshot package will be a Cranberry Wit created by Carissa Sweigart, winner of the Samuel Adams employee homebrew competition. Carissa’s beer was chosen by over 1,111 beer lovers at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival™ from among the 3 employee homebrew finalist. Congratulations Carissa!
Hazy yellow with a nice big white head. I can smell the cranberry but it’s subtle. They’re similarly subtle in the flavor, with a clean and refreshing taste. That’s very good. So good, in fact, that my wife has laid claim to the other bottle.
Beer-a-Day #172
Today is Father’s Day here in the States. As such, I am designating today’s beer as a toast to my own Dad.
It was my Dad who instilled in me an appreciation of all things beery. For him, a beer was a reward for a hard day’s work and a job well done. The guy schlepped to work in the wee hours of the morning every day for decades, worked 50+ hours a week, then still found time to be our electrician, auto mechanic, plumber, carpenter, lumberjack, and mason. All in addition to being Dad.
Now that I am a homeowner and have kids of my own, I have a much deeper appreciation of the man and all he did. As Mark Twain supposedly said, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
My Father is retired now, and by all indications enjoying the heck out of puttering around his new house and doting on his grandchildren. Unfortunately, health considerations keep him from enjoying a beer except for rare occasions.
I wanted to find a Schaefer for today, since that was his go-to beer back in the day. But they’re nigh-impossible to get now, if they’re even still being brewed. The F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was subsumed by Stroh’s Brewing, which in turn was subsumed by Pabst Brewing. Last I heard, Schaefer was only available in thirty-pack cans. It’s too bad, really. They had one of the best jingles ever, too.
So, instead, I’ve picked up a light lager from the largest American brewer with its own brewing facilities. A Sam Adams Light. Because that’s what my Dad would pick out.
Call your Dad today and tell him how much you appreciate him. While if you don’t he’ll never mention it, and if you do, he’ll poo-poo it and say your Mother did all the child-raising, it’ll still tickle him no end.
Here’s to you, Dad!
Beer-a-Day #82
I didn’t realize I had this in the fridge. I think I’m out of Samuel Adams beers for now.
Nice mahogany with red highlights with an off-white head. Aroma is warm with a lot of maltiness to it. It tastes warm and bready. This is the kind of beer to enjoy in your club chair by the fire.
Beer-a-Day #81
This is a seasonal beer for Spring. It’s also another that I had no idea Jim Koch and company were doing.
Pale straw, as you’d expect, with a white head. The orange peel and coriander are obvious, but there’s a bunch more there just on the edge of my sense of smell. The taste is light and refreshing. My wife quite likes it. This is a worthwhile change-of-pace.
Beer-a-Day #80
Another fruit beer from Samuel Adams, also from the Brewmaster’s Collection.
Pale clear straw with an ivory head. I get a lot of cherries in the aroma, and no much else. Honestly, it smells like cough medicine. My first impression of the flavor is of black cherry soda, except it’s not as sweet. I’m unsure about this one. Perhaps with the right food pairing…
Beer-a-Day #79
This is another from the Brewmaster’s Collection. I didn’t even know Boston Beer Company made such a thing.
Yellow, with a creamy looking off-white head. The aroma is primarily berries, with just a hint of the beer underneath. It’s not overly sweet. There’s a bit of harshness to it. It’s okay, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again.
Beer-a-Day #40
This concludes Samuel Adams week.
This is subtitled “An Intense Hop Experience”. Since when did Boston Beer Company do hop bombs? When I spotted this at my favorite retailer I decided to do a six of Sam Adams beers.
Light yellow with haze and a prodigious white head. Lots of hop spiciness in the aroma. Light-medium body with lots of hop bite. For a hophead like me this is quite the find.
Beer-a-Day #39
The second half of Samuel Adams week continues.
This is another from the Brewmaster’s Collection.
“Black Lager”. Ooooh! Sounds spooky!
Not actually black, but a deep brown with a minimal light brown head. Very bready, with an odd kind of spiciness. Kind of like cheese, but not. Roastiness in the flavor. With the caramel and chocolate malts I’m not surprised. Pleasantly bitter. That’s worth having again.
Beer-a-Day #38
This is the second half of Samuel Adams week.
This is another from the Brewmaster’s Collection.
Dark orange with plenty of haze. Since it’s unfiltered that’s to be expected. I smell bubblegum and melon on top of toast. Light on the tongue and a clean finish, but actually more bitter than I expected. Not bad.
