Samuel Adams Boston Lager: The Savior of the American Drinker
Written: Apr 24 '01 (Updated Jun 23 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Availability, reliable, refreshing
Cons: Overpriced for domestic, many imports available at similar price
The Bottom Line: You can always find this in bars and restaurants, and in many cases will be the best beer available. It's a reliable and refreshing brew, definitely worthwhile.
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| andaryl's Full Review: Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
Samuel Adams is a classic example of the decline and revival of the American microbrewing industry. Initially the brewery ran through five generations of the German-American Koch family before closing in 1956. It wasn’t until 1985 that the next generation, Jim Koch’s Boston Beer Company bounced back with Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Since then they have grown into the States biggest microbrewer, and have been largely influential in the revival of the craft brew market. Sam Adams is now the most widely available premium beer in the USA, and thankfully can be purchased in most bars as a refreshing alternative to the big 3: Bud, Coors and Miller.
As American lagers go, Sam Adams is very tasty and, while not overwhelming, much more interesting than the regular domestics. This is in part thanks to the company’s commitment to pure ingredients. Following his great-great grandfather's recipe for a rich, amber lager, Jim Koch uses only traditional brewing processes to brew his Samuel Adams Boston Lager. In its first five years, Samuel Adams went on to become the first American beer to pass the German Beer Purity Law and to be sold in Germany.
Boston Lager pours to a golden amber color, immediately hinting at a fuller than usual lager. There’s a nice head of foam, which when drunk from a dry, clean glass leaves layers of lace down the sides, along with a good level of carbonation. There’s a good hoppy aroma with a light maltiness. On the palate this brew is slightly sweet, malty, with a brief hint of spice and notes of hops throughout. The hop is a little more noticeable in finish, which holds slightly dry.
Overall I have to recommend this beer as very well balanced and rounded. While this is a lager, a style which is often pretty monotonous in the United States, it does hold many of the fine qualities of an ale. It’s a style which is not over complex and should appeal to virtually any beer drinker.
My only complaint about Sam Adams would have to be the price, and this is the only thing that would stop me from buying it. While you can go to the grocery store and often pick up 12 domestics at $4.99, the cheapest I’ve seen Sam Adam’s on sale for is $8.99, and regularly $11.99. This may seem like an odd complaint for what is certainly a better product, but why should I pay this price when for about the same I can be a little more adventurous. For example I recently picked up 6 Moretti La Rossa’s, a 7.2% Doppel Bock imported from Italy for $4.99. The last time I actually bought a pack of Sam Adams was for the Superbowl when I wanted to pick out a credible domestic that everyone would enjoy. That said, Sam Adams is my usual drink in bars and restaurants, where the choice is more limited, and in my local pool club I will gladly interchange between this, Newcastle, Bass And Pyramid Hefeweizen.
Sam Adams is a brew that should please most lager drinkers, certainly more flavorful than the big domestics, while refreshing and easy drinking. As a late night drinker, I would usually drink this with bar food such as buffalo wings, potato skins or onion rings. It’s also a flexible pairing to many dinner dishes such as a steak, pizza or something a little spicy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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