Samuel Adams Black Lager: Schwarzbier, American Style
Written: Jan 08 '05 (Updated Oct 17 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Some good sweet malt tastes
Cons: Too little hops; Hard to find
The Bottom Line: This is a nice effort on the part of Boston Beer Company, but it isn't quite the powerhouse product I was hoping for.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Sam Adams Black Lager 2404b |
Samuel Adams is the best- known craft brewer in the USA. With more than thirty different beer products- many which have won awards in blind taste tests- this company has one of the largest product lineups of any brewery.
Sam Adams can be counted on to produce brand new beer products periodically and this helps to keep the company fresh and in the spotlight. The newest product from this brewery is the subject of this review. It is Sam Adams Black Lager, a beer that was just released a couple weeks ago.
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
This beer pours to a dark color that looks black initially, but further investigation reveals that the color is very dark maroon when held up to a light. Foaminess is pretty good at first; creamy and frothy, leaving a pattern of lace on your glass as you consume. The nose of this beer is one of espresso and roasted malt.
The primary tastes present in this beer include coffee, chocolate, toffee, caramel, and roasted malt. Mostly sweet overall, there is very little hop character in this beer and, because of this, the finish is on the weak side.
Sam Adams makes this beer using caramel and chocolate malts and noble hops among the ingredients. I cannot find any data on the alcohol content, because the product is so new, but I would estimate it at 5.0 to 5.5 percent by volume.
Food Compatibility:
This type of taste offers a good amount of versatility making it compatible with a wide range of foods and occasions. The first food that comes to mind is sweet desserts like coffee cake and German black forest cake. But this beer would match up nicely with many other foods as well, from stew to a meal of steak and potatoes.
Final Thoughts:
Sam Adams Black Lager is a new beer product from the famous Boston Beer Company. I came across this beer when I purchased a 12- pack holiday sampler. The sampler contains two bottles each of six different styles. I have been told there is also a six pack sampler with two bottles each of three different styles. This is the only way, at this time, to purchase this particular beer product.
Sam Adams produces this beer in the schwarzbier style- a German term that means “black” or “very dark” beer. This style is one you don’t see or hear much about and it is characterized by a roasted malt edge and the use of Noble hops and lager yeast. Sam Adams Black Lager fits the basic description of schwarzbier with its emphasis on the malty body and the overall sweet flavor profile.
One thing about this beer that disappointed me a little is the finish. I wanted to taste a good balance in the finish with a nice, tasty rush of hops at the end. This beer isn’t that way and the finish is actually on the thin side, making your bitter taste receptors in the back of the tongue feel neglected. I like the initial start to this beer and I can accept that the emphasis is on the malt. But there needs to be more hops added to the mixture to make the beer balanced and complete.
At first, there seemed to be a sourness to the taste of this beer, but thankfully, this taste quickly faded as I consumed more beer. Once I was halfway through my first glass, the beer was slightly warmer, the sourness was gone, and the overall taste was more enjoyable.
This malt beverage is a good effort from the folks at Boston Beer Company to revive the schwarzbier style. This attempt succeeds in some ways and fails in others, but it is still a pretty solid offering. I can appreciate that Samuel Adams wants to continue educating Americans on the different varieties of beer and beer ingredients that exist in the world. It is one of the few craft brewers out there that has produced, at one time or another, a large majority of the world’s beer styles.
Overall, Sam Adams Black Lager is good, but not spectacular, with the weak finish ranking as its greatest drawback. Still, I think it is a beer worth trying and I think the majority of people who sample it- casual drinkers and critics alike- will rate this beer either three for four stars. I’m going to give this beer a recommendation and a three star rating, even though 3.5 stars is really more accurate. It has some nice flavor characteristics, but not as much complexity as some of the world’s great dark beers.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read Reviews on Other Samuel Adams Products:
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Samuel Adams Boston Ale
Samuel Adams Golden Pilsner
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Samuel Adams Spring Ale
Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Samuel Adams Scotch Ale
Samuel Adams Vienna Style Lager
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Samuel Adams Light
Samuel Adams Hefeweizen
Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
Samuel Adams White Ale
Samuel Adams Brown Ale
Samuel Adams Cream Stout
Recommended:
Yes
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