Review: Samuel Adams Fat Jack

Samuel Adams Fat Jack

8.5% ABV

The Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA

22 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
No date on bottle

Reviewed on 9/21/13

This pumpkin ale pours a dark brownish amber color with a bubbly light beige head that has decent retention.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of pumpkin, malt, hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, mild caramel and sugar, some hops.

Taste has malt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, sugar, touch of hops, caramel.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with some good earthy/sugary texture.

Overall, this is a good tasting pumpkin ale that has solid flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin with some good sugar and caramel accents.  It's a touch thin in the the middle, but the flavoring is good and it's fairly drinkable.  As pumpkin ales go, it's a touch or two above average, though not quite up there with DFH Punkin Ale, Southern Tier Pumking, or Schlafly.

My score: 89

Review: Samuel Adams Wee Heavy

Samuel Adams Wee Heavy
10.0% ABV
The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
12 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 8/27/13

This scotch ale pours a medium soda-like brown color with a thin beige head that dissipates quickly. Moderate lacing.

Smell consists of malt, alcohol, brown sugar, dark fruit, mild hops, cough syrup, cherry.

Taste consists of malt, syrupy cherry, alcohol, dark fruit, brown sugar, touch of hops, tobacco, burnt toast.

Mouthfeel is fairly dry and bitter on the palate.  Syrupy kind of feel making it feel like it's sticking to the mouth.

Overall, interesting Scotch ale that's full of interesting flavors even if they don't all quite mesh together.  Malt, alcohol, and a syrupy cherry flavor are the dominant tastes here, and it comes through as fairly dry and bitter.  Flavors of tobacco and burnt toast provide accents, making the whole package a bit uneven.  Uneven, though, doesn't necessarily mean bad.

My score: 90

Summer Beers: Do We Have To?

The approaching summer season should be viewed as a great opportunity to enjoy the warm weather and abundant sun, perhaps having a beer or two on a patio with friends and family as sunlight remains past the 8:00 hour.  But summer also means lighter tasting seasonal beers—pilsners, lagers, wheat beers, and fruit beers.  With a few exceptions, I’m mostly disappointed by such offerings.  For most pilsners, lagers, and wheat beers—even those produced by craft breweries—I have trouble finding what makes them more distinct than similar products produced by the macro breweries, which I don’t care for anyway.  Fruitier beers often sound interesting, and who doesn’t like some good fruit flavor, but what passes for fruit flavor in beer—and not accents to hops and malts—often to me tastes artificial and weak. I think, simply put, I just don’t care for the styles of summer beer.

So, even though it’s summer and my palate should be looking for crisp, light, refreshing beers, I still find myself wanting my usual favorites.  IPAs, stouts, Belgian ales.  Other than some seasonals, IPAs and the Belgians are pretty much made year round.  Generally speaking, there are probably more fall/winter seasonal stouts out there, and a dark beer such as a stout can be firmly associated with the cold winter months, but many fine stouts are made year round as well.  Basically, while I’m open to trying something new, I want the dry bitter hops that I find in IPAs and the chocolate and coffee malt flavors that I find in stouts.  I don’t care about what the calendar says.  For me, these are rich, exquisite flavors that should be enjoyed year round.  Don’t look at me funny when it’s 95 degrees, the sun is frying eggs on the asphalt, and I’m pouring a can of oil black Ten FIDY that I’ve been saving since the previous fall.

If you made me drink a beer that had to meet summer beer criteria, I’d probably go with Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, though it’s not a summer seasonal but a world class, year-round offering.  Sam Adams Double Agent IPL wouldn’t be a bad choice either, as it’s a good mix of a maltier lager and hoppier IPA.  The classics--Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sam Adams Boston Lager, and Anchor Steam Beer--hold up well also, as they are relatively light on the palate yet still tasty and reasonably sessionable.

Review: Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL

Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL
5.0% ABV
The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
12 oz bottle
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date notched on bottle: Best by July 2013
Reviewed on 2/22/13

This lager (an India pale lager) pours an almost clear golden amber color with a decent bubbly off-white head.  Decent lacing.  Moderate carbonation.

Smell consists of hops, malt, wheat, sugar, floral, citrus, spice, grapefruit.

Taste consists of dry hoppiness with good malt lager notes mixed in.  Wheat, spice, citrus, floral, slight pepperiness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, dry with a decent touch of bitterness.  Good floral earthiness on the palate.

Overall, this is a good mix of a hoppy IPA and a malty lager.  Nice dryness and spiciness come together with some sugar, wheat, and citrus flavors.  Not sure who this style of beer is meant to appeal to, though it does appeals to this hophead and it makes for a neat and somewhat unexpected brew.

My score: 89

Craft Beer Conversion?

I think sometimes with craft beer, it's tempting to want to win new converts to those great beers you love.  The people that you're trying to convert aren't people who don't have an interest in beer but rather those who drink the macro products (Coors, Budweiser, Miller, etc.).  You want to show them that, hey, you say you like beer, but try this one, which will blow away what you think about beer and make you see even the blue sky above you in a different way!  Maybe this might work in some cases, but in general, I think this is a faulty approach.  In fact, I'm not even sure any approach is necessary.

The fact is, many people just like what they're currently drinking and aren't looking to make a change.  They find it tasty and refreshing.   It's the perfect thing for them at the end of a long day or week.  Maybe it's economical for them.  Complexities and nuances in flavor might not be anything they're concerned with.  There are likely many different reasons.  Why not just let them enjoy what they enjoy and you enjoy what you enjoy?

For me, I think the best thing for the craft beer lover is to continually try different beers and gain knowledge about beer.  Develop your palate and learn about the various styles,  the history of beer, what's going on with contemporary beer, and the process behind making beer even if you don't intend to ever make any yourself.  That way, if a conversation turns to beer, you'll be well prepared and represent what you like quite well, and maybe this will help people see craft beer in a different light.  In my opinion, being a craft beer ambassador is more important than trying to convert people.

If you're still really bent on converting, I think you have to view getting people to craft beer as a gradual process.  If someone has not gone beyond, say, Coors Light, do you think they're going to like a Green Flash Palate Wrecker the first time they have one?  If someone's experience with stout begins and ends with Guinness, do you think they'll appreciate a Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout?  Consider how you got into craft beer and work from that.

I think the Samuel Adams regular line of beers provides a good gateway into craft (particularly Boston Lager, one of The Classics, all of which are a good starting point), and they're available pretty much everywhere (which may have already laid the groundwork for you--how many non-craft beer drinkers have at least had a Sam Adams?). New Belgium Fat Tire is another good gateway beer too.  During the fall season, the various pumpkin beers that are available could serve as nice entries as well, as they combine some familiar flavors with some solid if muted beer tastes.  

The Classics

If you're a craft beer connoisseur, there are certain beers that were likely your gateway into the world of craft beer.  You may not have known it at the time, but once you tasted them, your palate realized that, yes, beer can be something different than what's being sold as beer on clever tv commercials.  If you came of drinking age in the 1990s, I think the following three beers, which I consider the "classics," were likely part of your craft beer introduction:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale:  The classic pale ale that was likely my introduction to craft beer back in the '90s.  It still doesn't disappoint.  In terms of flavor, it may have been surpassed by others over the years, but this one is the grandfather of them all.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager: Possibly the most pervasive craft beer in America (Blue Moon doesn't count).  If you're into craft beer, it's easy to overlook, but it's still worth coming back to now and again.  At many dining establishments, this might be your only craft choice.  My review here. 

Anchor Steam Beer:  It took me a long time to realize that the brewery is "Anchor" and the beer style is "Steam," rather than "Anchor Steam" being the brewery name (which would be a cool name for a brewery).  "Steam" beer is an old American style that's not widely brewed anymore, and everyone but Anchor has to call it "California Common," as Anchor holds the rights to the designation "steam beer" (more info here).  Anchor Steam has a distinct, even unique taste.  Malty, with hops, bread, and touches of caramel and citrus, and even what I call a slight cotton candy touch at the front. 

The best thing about each of these beers is not only are they tasty, but they're affordable and widely available.

Review: Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Samuel Adams Boston Lager
4.9% ABV
The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
12 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Date notched on bottle: Best by November 2013
Reviewed on 1/18/13

This lager pours an almost clear (for beer) golden amber color with a decent white head.  Nice lacing.  Moderate carbonation.

Smell consists of hops, wheat, slight yeast, malt, sugar, slight citrus, biscuity.

Taste consists of hops wheat, malt, yeast, sugar, citrus, bread, biscuit, touch of spice.

Smooth on the palate, dry, well balanced.  Easy on the palate overall but still with great taste.

Overall, Sam Adams Boston Lager is still one of the classic craft beers, even if it's pretty much everywhere by this point and has been passed by many others in terms of taste.  Don't be fooled though by the omnipresence of this beer and the fact that that label has been burned into your brain--this is still a tasty beer.  Classic, balanced lager taste that has quite solid flavor and really just looks nice in a glass.  Hops, wheat, and malt flavors are in abundance and done quite well.  Always one to go back to now and again.

My score: 90

Review: Samuel Adams White Christmas Ale

Samuel Adams White Christmas Ale
5.8% ABV
The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
12 oz bottle
Served in Boulevard Tulip Glass
Date notched on bottle: Best by March 2013
Reviewed on 12/11/12

This ale pours a hazy golden color with a nice bubbly white head.  Decent lacing.  Moderate evident carbonation.  Appears reasonably fresh.

On the nose, aromas of wheat, orange, lemon, slight hops, yeast, mild cinnamon, mild nutmeg.

Taste consists of wheat, slight hops, yeast, fading orange and lemon, mild cinnamon and nutmeg flavors, slight clove.  Tastes are decent if mild overall.

Fairly smooth on the palate, with a nice mellow feel and some good earthy fruitiness.  Decent balance of flavors.

Overall, decent tasting ale that comes across as fairly mellow.  It's not reminiscent of a seasonal beer or the "festive brew" proclaimed on the bottle--it could almost be from any season of the year--but it still has some nice fruity flavors.  Sessionable.

My score: 86