Friday Beer O'clock Selections

Samuel Adams Black Larger - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 5-27-2011

My wife's nephew is a young 23-ish year-old budding beer enthusiast - I like to think I had some influence on that - and has learned early that Bud (mud), Miller, et al, do not leave much to consider in terms of defining "good" beer once you've crossed the line to micro and craft brews. This week, he passed along a Samuel Adams Black Larger to me after learning that I had not tried it yet.

On inspection, some might think this would be a Porter, or Stout, both traditionally British style ales, but this style is based on a Schwarzbier (Black Beer), a traditional beer style from Eastern Germany that uses a bottom fermenting larger yeast.

ABV: 4.90%

Appearance: Poured into a beer mug with a dark brown color forming a one finger tan head that receded to a thing broken layer across the surface with some lacing. Color is very dark, almost black and reveals accents of red and amber when held to the light. There is also a "fizzy" quality similar to soda but much less active.

Aroma: Amazing roasted malts kick the senses into high gear right from the start with notes of molasses, coffee, chocolate and a hint of hops.

Taste: Up front is a mix of delicious roasted malts and caramel, adding some sweetness before mingling with some coffee, chocolate in the middle and some type of fruit, and finally picking up a touch of smooth mild bitter hops in the end. In the end, all very well balanced.

Feel: With the "fizziness" from the pour, I expected a bit of an edge in the feel, but instead I got a nice smooth medium carbonated body that weighed in on the lighter side of medium, crisp and refreshing

Drinkability: I'm putting this on the higher end of the drinkability scale. I could easily pass the time disposing of a few of these with some friends, and with the lower ABV, this makes a good session brew.

Tried this one yourself? What did you think?

Filed under // Sam Adams black beer black larger larger

Posted May 27, 2011 by Ed Stafford

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 5-6-2011

This week's Beer O'Clock Selection is from a local favorite brewer, Samuel Adams Brewery, right here in Boston, MA. Latitude 48 I.P.A. is part of their Brew Master's Collection. I have not had this before and I've seen it on the shelves a few times now and while I almost reached for, I always opted for something a little more "different". Not sure what d"different" means, but probably something along the lines of less familiar - Sam Adams is almost analogous to Boston. Last week a friend, Stephen Dill (@srdill) asked me if I had tried it yet, and having not, I figured it's about time. I'm raising this one to you Stephen!!

From the Bottle: Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere. The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character.

Appearance: The pour rolled into my pint glass with a brilliant golden brown amber color forming a thick cream-colored two finger head. Retention was good and eventually broke down to a consistent thin foam layer across the surface with a thick frothy collar. Lacing is super thick and completely coats of the sides of the glass.

Aroma: Fresh piney bitter hops on top with rich malt thrown on for good measure. Theres also a mild spicy sweetness underneath - caramel and cinnamon?

Taste: Mild refreshing sweetness sneaks in just before the piney hops take control. Getting some bready crust in here as well. The end is a fairly strong hop flavor finaly finishing with a dry bitterness. BUT, the mild sweetness takes some of the edge off the bitter finish, usual for an IPA. Personally I think it a nice touch and adds to the drinkability. Finish lingers with moderate bitterness.

Feel: Medium body fits nicely here. Carbonation is consistent, with a moderate bite, just enough to accommodate the bitterness. Finish is dry and leaves a little bit of a film at the back of the mouth and tongue.

Drinkability: Very High!! I find this to be very easy to drink (I'm on my second as I writ this). It's a clean, crisp well balanced, refreshing IPA. If you've read any of my previous reviews, you'll know IPA is not my favorite, so that has to count for something - right?

So that's it! There's my opinion. But what really matter is yours! What do you think about this brew?

Filed under // IPA Sam Adams

Posted May 6, 2011 by Ed Stafford

Sam Adams, Wee Heavy Ale - Friday Beer O'clock Selection 4-1-2011

This week while browsing the available stock at the local supplier, I noticed a new package from Sam Adams. On closer inspection, I realized that it was a Scotch Wee Heavy Ale, and figured, hey, I like Sam Adams, I really like Scottish Ales (so far) and haven't tried a Wee Heavy Style yet, so why not?

According to the label, Samuel Adams Wee Heavy was inspired by traditional Scotch ales with deep roasted flavors but adds an extra level of complexity by adding peat smoked malt usually used in Scotch whiskies giving it a unique Sam Adams touch.

Sounds good, right? So lets see how it stacks up.

ABV: 10%

Appearance: I was surprised to see how dark this poured filling the mug with with a deep and very dark brown color with barely visible red/copper accents when held up to the light. The pour formed an active cream colored head that exploded over the rim and had some decent retention before leaving a nice consistent thin layer across the top and a thick collar with frothy lacing that completely coated the side of the glass.

Aroma: A nice bready scent fills the surrounding area. Up close, the nose picks up sweet roasted malts and caramel notes with undertones of smokey bread and yeast. Very appealing. Wait, is that a chocolate cherry I'm getting in here too?

Taste: I don't know where to start. Definitely a lot of smoked flavor all the way through and actually very good I might add. Caught off guard by the first mouth, but pleasantly surprised once I got past the surprise complexity - this is complex for sure. Up front and into the middle, there is the sweet malts and hints of bread crust. Some alcohol is picked up somewhere in the middle and with the sweetness it *almost* crosses the line to a syrup like taste but doesn't quite get there (that's a good thing). The back and finish round things up with slight bitter but still sweet with roasted malts, some coffee and warm alcohol.

Feel: Even with a moderate carbonated feel, the brew comes off overall as being smooth with a bit of weight behind it. Some warmth from the high alcohol.

Drinkability: In the end, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not what I was expecting, but then again, this is the first "Wee Heavy" styled Scotch Ale I've had. The evident alcohol is the point breaker in my opinion, but with that said, it's not over the top - but in terms of overall characters, the alcohol brings it down a bit for me. Other than that, I enjoyed this brew very much and would recommend you give it a try. The smoked aroma and flavors are nice and I think this would make a great cool evening warmer.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. What do you think?

Filed under // Sam Adams Wee Heavy scottish ale

Posted April 1, 2011 by Ed Stafford

Sam Adams Octoberfest – Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 11-5-2010

Another quick addition this week. My apologies. This week's selection is Sam Adams Octoberfest.

Appearance:

Rolled into the mug forming a two finger head that dissipated pretty quick. Color is a nice clear amber with orange/red hues.

Aroma:

Came across with an earthy spiced, semi-sweet citrus and caramel malts.

Taste:

To be honest, I'm having trouble picking out the flavors. Definately picking up malts and spices (clove) with a subtle hop finish. Overall very suitable for an autumn seasonal.

Feel:

Not big on body coming in on the upper low end. Pretty wet with moderate carbonated bite but over all crisp, clean and pleasant.

Drinkability:

One of the best characteristics of this brew is it's drinkability. It's a clean well rounded autumn seasonal and goes down easy.

Filed under // Ale Sam Adams Seasonal

Posted November 5, 2010 by Ed Stafford

Sam Adams American Kriek - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection for 3-12-2010

For this week's Beer O'Clock Selection I revisited the Sam Adams Barrel Room Collection and selected the American Kriek.

This is a unique brew for me.

Appearance

The beer poured with a very nice deep clear ruby red color forming a pink head about 2-3 fingers, that dissipated pretty quick. I was most impressed with the color and have never seen anything like it in a brew.

Aromas:

It has a sweet flowery smell with strong cherry aromas and I picked up a touch of spice.

Feel:

It has a nice medium, smooth, wet feel with carbonation coming in on the lower end. Unexpected tartness tickled the tongue at first.

Taste:

Taste is sweet and, and full of cherry flavors with notes of oak and vanilla..

I did not expect this at all but can't say it was disappointing.

Drinkability:

Over all, it's not bad, but hard to put it in a category I'd expect for beer. This would be good as a desert but not something I'd grab after a workout. The fruity tartness seems more appropriate for a cocktail party.

Filed under // Sam Adams fruit kriek

Posted March 12, 2010 by Ed Stafford