Sam Adams Cold Snap

I rarely have more than one beer in a night, but we were at the restaurant for a while, and I wasn't driving, so I ordered a Sam Adams Cold Snap after my meal:

Vittles:
Witbier
5.3% abv
7 IBU
6 SRM
187 cal.

Score:
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 22/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 85/100

Impression:
Just like with the Wells Banana Bread beer, this one had virtually no head and very weak carbonation, so I'm blaming the bar on that one -- they must not have their kegs set to the right psi.  I'll have to try this one again either at a bar that has its shit together or out of a bottle for comparison.  The aroma had a  prominent but savory yeast quality backed by fruity, floral, spicy, bready, herbal, and earthy notes -- nicely complex and intriguing.  I can taste many of the same characteristics, but the citrus (orange & lemon) comes through much more clearly, as does some plum and a golden raisin flavor that I find pleasant.  Coriander rounds it out nicely with an earthy-spiciness, and it's well-balanced, refreshing, and crisp overall.  I'd definitely try this again, but probably not from this bar.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Octoberfest

The last time I had Sam Adams Octoberfest was probably two or three years ago.  We got a case of it  to enjoy with some friends while watching college football.  This time around, however, I had it on tap at a local bar:

Vittles:
Octoberfest/Marzen
5.3% abv
16 IBU
20 SRM
187 cal.

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 86/100

Impression:
The head wasn't exactly impressive this time around.  The aroma was a little more satisfying, with caramel, toffee, and lots of toasted malt notes.  The flavors are on par with the aroma, except I taste something nutty in the background, too.  I like the herbal, earthy hops characteristics -- Hallertau hops are some of my favorites all around, and they're nicely complemented by the malt bill in this beer.  This isn't a strong-flavored beer, but it is fairly well balanced and a decent representation of the style.

Cheers!

Sam Adam's Third Voyage

I finally got to the last of the IPAs I had sitting untried in my keezer, Sam Adam's Third Voyage:

Vittles:

Imperial IPA

8% abv

85 IBUs

24 SRM

278 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall: 86/100

Impression:

It's bold, and it's a all kindsa grapefruit deliciousness, with a bit of earthy/herbal hiding in the background and a moderate level of spiciness pervading.  There's more of a malt footprint in this beer than I was expecting -- that kind of malt backbone could support more assertive hopping.  Then again, hops characters do drop off as the bottle ages, but I thought this was still a pretty damn good DIPA, despite having several weeks on it.  My only real complaint is that it had a syrupy thickness to it that took away from my enjoyment a bit (but not by much).  I'd like to try this one again sometime, fresh and on-tap, but I don't think I'd go too far out of my way to buy it aside from that.  It's a good, solid IPA, but there are just SOOOO many others out there to try!

Cheers!

Sam Adams Grumpy Monk

Down to the last few untried IPAs in my stock:

Vittles:

Specialty Beer (Belgian IPA)

6.5% abv

55 IBUs

13 SRM

188 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 22/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall: 87/100

Impression:

It's zesty!  The aroma and the flavor both have a refreshing combination of sweet roasty maltiness, citrus/grapefruit, piney, herbal, earthy, peppery, and clove notes that nicely complement the palpable yeast characteristics, while the effervescence helps give this beer a more satisfying mouthfeel.  I felt the first sip on my tongue almost like licking the terminals on a 9-volt, but each sip after that was a little less... lively... on the tongue.  It's well-balanced, too, unlike some of the other Belgian IPA attempts I've tried in the past.  I want to be able to taste the yeast, the hops, and the malt, and I can taste all three in this beer.  The only real negative I have here is that I taste something a little funny on the back end, like a detergent kind of flavor in the lingering bitter aftertaste.  I know there's no detergent or soap in my glass, since I wash my beer-only glassware with only scalding hot water, since I don't want soap residue left in the glass to destroy the head on my next beer.  But I can get past the detergent-like taste, since it isn't all that strong, and it doesn't linger very long.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Longshot Magnificent Seven (Zack Adams)

Sam Adams Longshot Magnificent Seven (by Zack Adams) was the second I tried from the Longshot 6er.  I just can't seem to get away from IPAs, can I?

Vittles:

Imperial IPA

7.8% abv

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 35/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall: 85/100

Impression:

It's unmistakably an Imperial IPA, from the bronze color to the piney, resiny, earthy, and grapefruit aromas and flavors.  However, it does have that homebrew quality, that bland flatness of taste where the flavors just don't jump on your tongue like they should (not flat as in lacking carbonation, as this beer was sufficiently bubbly).  I taste that homebrew quality in only a few professionally brewed beers, but it's noticeable (to me, at least) in most of the homebrews I try.  It's not a negative, just an observation.  Just seems a little less polished than it could be.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Longshot Strawberry Lager (Dave Anderson)

I have often wondered by breweries don't release their own mixed 6ers.  I wasn't even sure why most variety packs seemed to come with only 3 different beers, though recently I'm starting to see them with up to six different beers.  That's an amazing improvement, in my eyes, though I'd still like to see that trickle down to the 6ers.  So, when I saw a 6er that had 3 varieties in it, it caught my eye.  And the varieties all came from a homebrew competition -- I'm all about supporting homebrewers, so long as they brew good shit.

Sam Adams Longshot Strawberry Lager (by Dave Anderson) is the first beer I tried from the Longshot 6er I picked up earlier in the week.  I've been having a whole bunch of IPAs lately, so a fruit lager seemed a good way to mix it up:

Vittles:

Fruit Beer

5.5% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 18/25

Taste: 24/40

Mouthfeel: 7/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 6/10

Overall: 68/100

Impression:

The aroma was very appealing, dominated by a strong smell of strawberries.  I could smell something citrusy, as well, and there's a faint toffee hint in the background.  However, the taste was disappointing.  It certainly has strawberry flavor, and I could taste the toffee as well, but the two flavors just did not jibe.  Part of the problem for me is that the strawberry flavor is very prominent, but it lacks any sweetness to cut the acerbically bitter edge.  The strawberry flavor just isn't as palatable without at least a degree of sweetness to offset it, and it kind of jars on the tongue.  When I smelled this beer, I really wanted to like it, but the taste just doesn't pan out.  I'm not saying this needs to be an overly sweet beer, but as it is, it's not well balanced.  I would not buy this beer again.

If I had bought a 6er of this brew, I would've been very upset, so I'm glad there's only one more of these beers in the 6er.  My husband can have it.  Or I'll cook with it.  I have yet to drain-pour a beer, and I'm not about to start throwing money down the drain now.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Red Tasman

Of the myriad beers in my keezer, there are only about half a dozen I haven't tried yet, and somehow they're all IPAs.  So when I came home from work last night, I thought I'd pare my selection back a bit.  Sam Adams Red Tasman, a Red IPA, seemed interesting enough:

Vittles:

American IPA

6.5% abv

50 IBUs

45 SRM

223 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 23/25

Taste: 37/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 89/100

Impression:

The grapefruit, pine, and earthy scent of the hops are obvious on the nose, but there's also a caramel and toffee-like malt quality in the background that nicely rounds out the aroma.  The pine is a bit more prominent than the grapefruit on the tongue, but not by much, while the earthiness drops off a bit.  As the beer warmed, the grapefruit gained strength, and the bitterness rose as well.  This IPA has a bunch of linger -- the bitter grapefruit and pine aftertaste stays with you for a long time.  That kind of lingering aftertaste is one of the aspects of IPAs that my husband loves, but I'm not too fond of it.  In fact, it's one of the reasons I really didn't enjoy IPAs at first.  I think I would enjoy IPAs much more if the aftertaste lingered half as long.  Different strokes.

Five more IPAs to try.  This should be interesting!

Cheers!

Sam Adams Dark Depths

Yesterday was kind of chilly and grey, so a dark and robust beer seemed appropriate.  I grabbed a Sam Adams Dark Depths, which is a Baltic IPA according to the label:

Vittles:
Baltic Porter
7.6% abv
55 IBUs
60 SRM
254 cal.

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 33/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 83/100

Impression:
It's surprisingly malty and tasty.  It seemed much more like a Baltic Porter than an IPA, if a wee bit on the hoppy side.  The beer itself, though it looks fairly opaque in the picture, is actually a crystal clear mahogany with ruby highlights.  This beer also had a substantial head, which settled slowly into a thin disk.  The aroma is dominated by roasty, toasty malt notes, and the hops take a back seat.  I could smell citrus, floral, and pine notes in the nose, but more hops flavors were apparent on the tongue.  The citrus became more like grapefruit, and in addition to the floral and pine notes, I could also taste a sweet, earthy, peppery flavor that was delicate and mild.  High levels of carbonation gave this beer a rich, creamy, medium-bodied mouthfeel, and the aftertaste was in interesting combination of roast malt and grapefruit, but it wasn't overpowering.

I'm not sure that calling this beer a "Baltic IPA" doesn't do it a bit of a disservice.  First, I was expecting something hoppier, with a grain bill that doesn't take center stage -- enough maltiness to support a wicked hop punch, but not so malty as to tip the scale away from the hops.  I didn't find much in this beer that would encourage me to see it as an IPA, and I think folks who see "IPA" on the label might be a little disappointed.  This is a very good beer, but it doesn't scream hops.  The malt profile of a Baltic Porter is certainly up to the task of supporting a richer, more assertive hop presence than this beer has.  As a porter, it's delicious.  As an IPA, it lacks.  Sam Adams should just call it a Baltic Porter and not try to force the melding of BP and IPA.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Whitewater IPA

IPAs were never my favorite style, but I think I might be changing my tune a bit.  I've had quite a few IPAs over the last several months, and I find myself liking a wider range of hop characteristics.  My least favorite hop flavors used to be grapefruit and pine, because they were so much bolder and more assertive than I was used to, and my favorite flavors, the malt profiles, usually take a backseat to the hops in most IPAs.  Now that my palate is becoming a bit more educated and I can distinguish different flavors more easily, I'm finding IPAs a good challenge for practicing picking out specific tastes.

TL;DR: I'm starting to like IPAs more.  

So when I got home from work last night, I was looking forward to grabbing a Sam Adams Whitewater IPA out of my keezer:

Vittles:

American IPA

5.8% abv

61 IBUs

7.5 SRM

197 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 34/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 85/100

Impression:

Very bold and assertive with plenty of lemony-citrus goodness.  Whitewater IPA is highly effervescent and medium-bodied.  It smells grassy, fruity, floral, herbal, piney, citrusy, and spicy.  The grapefruit and the pine come out more in the flavor than in the nose.  The lemon and grassy flavors are also more prominent, and I think I taste coriander, too, which is always a welcome note.  I also enjoyed the wheat qualities in the background quite a bit.

I would definitely get the Whitewater IPA again.  Very tasty brew, nice and refreshing, good level of hop complexity.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Ok, I lied.  The anti-histamines did the trick, and the poison ivy is quickly disappearing, so I can go back to my beer-hounding ways sooner than I thought.

A buddy of mine, oh heck, my best friend aside from my husband, came to visit us last weekend, and he came bearing gifts.  For my birthday, he and his wife got me my very own sampler flight (awesome!!!) and a Sam Adams IPA variety box (also awesome!!!).  Unfortunately, I was suffering from that insidious poison ivy and was on some meds for it, so I couldn't partake of his very thoughtful gift.  Until last night.  When I came home from work last night, I cracked open a Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA, and the evening got all kinds of mellow:

Vittles:

American IPA

6% abv

60 IBUs

20 SRM

206 calories

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 22/25

Taste: 37/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 89/100

Impression:

This is the 2013 Latitude 48 with Mosaic hops -- not a distinction I would normally write out, but I think this is the first time I've tried a beer with Mosaic (at least as far as I know).

Solidly hoppy but not overly bitter, this beer has a mild, earthy, spicy, herbal, and floral aroma.  I can smell a bit of a malt backbone, but the main aromas are decidedly hoppy, and they smell delicious.  They also smell pretty balanced, and that balance carries over into the flavor nicely.  There are a few flavors I didn't detect in the aroma, but none of them are overpowering.  The citrus/grapefruit hits you a bit on the back end, and there's a hint of pine and a slight peppery flavor, too.  The longer I let it sit in my mouth, the more prominent the grapefruit notes become, and the more everything else fades into the background.  The flavors are interesting, and they keep me guessing, especially as the beer warms to room temp. and more of the complexities come out to play.  It started out highly effervescent with a large head (I had to sip it down quite a bit so it wouldn't spill over the sides of the glass while I took my picture).  The head settled into a thin disk, which remained throughout.  It also left significant lacing, which I just love.  The medium body and creamy mouthfeel really add to my enjoyment, as well.  Maybe it's because I haven't had a beer for a few days now, or maybe it's because this is a more balanced and well-rounded IPA, but it's really hitting the spot.

Can't wait to try another SA IPA tomorrow night!  Cheers!

Sam Adams Summer Ale

I went out to eat with my husband and a friend last night.  The draft choices were sadly limited, so I got a Sam Adams Summer Ale.  Also sadly, my phone didn't want to charge, so I was unable to take a picture.  You're not missing much.

Vittles:
5.3% abv
7 IBUs
6 SRM
166 Cal.

Appearance: 7/10
It's a golden straw color, mildly hazy, with no head whatsoever.  I don't know if they didn't have their kegs under enough pressure there or what, but I was served a pretty unappetizing beer.

Aroma: 17/25
Barely detectable, but what I could smell was a very faint light maltiness.  I couldn't smell any hop characteristics, nor could I pick up on the citrus aroma that I know I've found in this beer before.

Taste: 25/40
I'm seriously not trying to pan this beer, but it tasted like faintly flavored water with just a vague hint of spiciness.  I've had this beer before, both on tap and from a bottle, and I remember it being more flavorful in the past, but this particular beer was very uninspiring.  The same light maltiness from the nose carried onto the tongue, and there was a slight lemon flavor in the aftertaste, but it really tasted very thin.  I was quite disappointed.

Mouthfeel: 8/10
It had a light-medium body, with low levels of carbonation.  It may have tasted like water, but at least it kind of sort of didn't quite feel like water.  Again, very disappointed, and I'm almost certain they didn't have the keg set to the proper psi.

Style: 4/5
American wheat ales are supposed to have a decent head with good retention, and the flavor should be more present than what I tasted in this Summer Ale.

Drinkability: 7/10
Not worth it for the price.  I'm hoping it was just a one-off, and not a change in the beer altogether.  I have had this beer before, and I did enjoy it in the past, but I feel like I paid twice as much for something that had less flavor and character than a macro lager.  It'd be fine for a sweaty day of yard work in the summertime, but I was less than thrilled having it with dinner.

Overall: 68/100
Maybe my tastes are changing.  Or maybe it was just an atypical pour.  That does happen from time to time. Either way, I feel like I should try another one, maybe from a different bar or out of a bottle, because it just didn't seem like I was drinking a Summer Ale.

Hoping the next one's better...  Cheers!