Sam Adams Irish Red

Here we have the 2nd of 3 beers offered in the Sam Adams Brewmaster's pack, and Sam Adam's version of a red Irish Lager. I think at some point most Americans that begin their beer drinking days with mass produced macro-brews, and then begin to refine their tastes, drink George Killian's Red. I know I did. (Incidently, after some research, Killian's Red is a Coors product...) Sam Adams Irish Red is so much better than Killian's Red.

This beer pours easily with a beautiful chestnut brown hue. Hold this beer to the light and the deep red fairly glows. Medium head and moderately intricate lacing round out a really nice presentation.

On the nose the carmel malted hops jump to the forefront with warm roasted nuttiness. Many people tell of a fruity or citrus scent, but I found it to be more like the smell of freshly brewed sun tea--you know, the big glass jar mom set on the back porch in the heat of July days.

First sip brings mellow nut tones, with the sweetness of the caramel hops nicely balancing the moderate carbonation. Sun tea warmness is especially evident at swallow, and the beer finishes with a proper lager crispness.

I paired this beer with roasted corn calzones--the corn complemented the caramel tastes, and the crisp lager carbonation cut the acidic pasta sauce nicely.

I think I will try a bottle of this beer at cool room temperature in true Irish fashion to see if it will develop more of the nutty tones.

Overall I give this beer an A-.

Sam Adams Black Lager

The Black Lager is one of 3 distinctly different beers that make up Sam Adam's Brewmaster's Variety Pack. Also packaged are the Honey Porter and Irish Red which I will be writing about in upcoming reviews. I love that Sam Adams is a local US brewery. Located in Boston, Sam Adams seems to take pride in being unapologetically American--something I can identify with.

Starting with the name, Black Lager, one has a pretty good idea of what to expect opening this beer. And it does not disappoint--what a beautiful pour. Smooth and effortless as it runs into the glass, this beer is jet black with the faintest of red when held to the light. Expect a moderate amount of head, and lovely lacing.

The nose is immediately engulfed with warm, soft roasted goodness. Toasted malt leaps to the forefront, with a lager tang rounding out the bouquet. The first mouthful only continues the suppleness with roasted nuts and coffee essences dancing on the tongue. This beer is an after dinner cigar smoked in the favorite leather arm chair in front of a fire made from snow-wet wood on a cold winter's evening. Yes, it is that comfortable. My only regret is that this is a one glass beer for me.

I give this beer an A-.

Kona Longboard Lager

I've taken to researching the breweries of all the beers I post about after my Blue Moon experience. Kona Brewing Co. is a microbrewery in Hawaii, and continues to produce all Kona beers. They have however, joined the Anheuser Busch distribution network, which is quite likely why I'm able to select this beer from my local Kroger beer aisle.

This lager pours thinly (as a lager should in my understanding,) with very little head and moderate lacing. The color is definitely amber tending toward orange--rather unique from what I've seen.

The nose of this beer is on the disappointing side, there just isn't much to it. I pick up the malt almost immediately with a mild yeast aroma. On the back end there is a small but noticable citrus, mostly orange, bouquet.

In the mouth the malty lager-ness presents itself up front as any respectable lager should. There is a zesty spice that I'm not familiar yet that comes through after the malt. The finish is actually quite delicate, tasting again of citrus. The finish alone defines this as a lager for those that aren't big fans of lagers. Many lagers don't let you forget you are drinking a lager--which is pretty much lager personality. But this finishes so quietly that I could envision myself drinking several bottles of this--which is not my norm for lagers.

I paired this beer with Bacon/Lettuce/Tomato sandwiches on toasted Italian country bread and thick sliced kettle roasted potato chips.

I enjoyed this beer and I will certainly be checking out the offerings that Kona has on the market. Had the nose been a little more assertive I would have scored the beer a little higher.

Overall I give this beer a B-.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

So yeah, I got suckered in by the clever advertising. It's almost Halloween, and this morning was almost chilly, 48*. So when I was cruising through my favorite Kroger beer aisle, I found the end cap display of pumpkin ales.

I passed over one that was clearly labeled as an Anheuser Busch product in favor of a microbrew. However now it turns out that may not have been fair, because when I picked up the Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, I was actually picking up a macrobrew Coors product. Finding that out has kind of soured my palate a bit, if only psychologically. I found this quote during my research:

Coors does not actively advertise the fact that the brew is owned by Coors on the belief that being associated with a major national brewery would diminish its credibility among aficionados. Blue Moon is instead branded as being brewed by the "Blue Moon Brewing Company."

Indeed.

Well, on to the review.

This beer pours smoothly with a thin fizzy head that dissipates almost immediately. As a result there is only a small amount of lacing on the sides of the glass as it is consumed. It is a beautiful dark amber tending towards red and orange--the coloring definitely speaks of autumn so points given there. On the nose the sweetness of the pumpkin flesh is almost immediately evident, followed quickly by spice, (not sure which, Allspice maybe?) and then the woodiness of something roasting.

First sip and the flavors of fire-roasted vegetables muscles it's way to the front, not letting you forget for a second that it's a seasonal pumpkin ale. It lacks subtlety I think is what I'm trying to say. Let's put it this way--my 9 y/o daughter found the pumpkin scent quickly, and with no prompting. Once your tongue gets past being smacked over the head with a large orange gourd, the spices become evident and the ale finishes quickly and dryly.

After trying a bottle, I decided to pair this beer with a warm vegetable beef stew heavy with onion slices. The beer actually complemented the meal well, but I was done after one. For me that usually means I'm not crazy about the overall presentation. If I've enjoyed them, even the most filling beers leave me wanting another glass, if only to spend some time working with my nose.

Overall I was mildly disappointed in the beer, especially after it was such a beautiful pour. Now that I found out Coors tried to dupe me, it's only deepened my disappointment. (It's probably important to note that I discovered the Coors link after I tasted the beer, so I'm fairly confident it hasn't completely colored my review.) I think I'll be moving on to try other pumpkin ales, maybe even the AB offerings.

I give this beer a C.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

I thought I'd start recording my thoughts about different beers as I drink them. I never drank beer growing up--my first drink of any type of alcohol was well after my 21st birthday. Even then, girlie drinks like wine coolers and rum and vodka diluted with sodas were the flavors of the day--what can I say, I was uncultured.

I didn't like beer at all, but that had a lot more to do with the fact that I was just drinking bad beer--think ice brews... A summer working for the US Forest Service with evenings spent in hole in the wall bars in nostalgic little towns like Mancos, Rico, Telluride, and Dolores at 9 and 10 thousand feet above sea level in the mighty Colorado Rockies cultured my palate. I am by no means an expert, and would never claim to be one, but I've tasted enough to know what I like, and why.

Which brings me to the beer for today, Sam Adams Summer Ale. For a long time I have tried to like Sam Adams--I mean what's not to like? The company gives of that micro-brew homey feeling with many different seasonal ales. I tried the original Sam Adams Boston Lager several times early in my drinking career. And I just didn't like it. For me it has a thick raspy aftertaste. It just didn't go down smoothly.

Fast forward 5 or 6 years, and you'll find me standing in front of the beer cooler at Kroger looking for something not as light as a hefeweisen, but definitely lighter than a lager. I saw the Summer Ale, and I thought, why not?

Pop the top on a bottle and the bouquet smells of the tang of citrus and the warmth of pepper and summer wheat intermingle. My guess is the peppery scent comes from the grains of paradise used during spicing. The ale pours smoothly into a glass, and the color is warmly golden--darker than I expected from a 'summer' ale.

At first sip I'm struck by the crispness of this ale. The citrus zest bites quickly announcing the arrival to the tongue, followed quickly by the warmth of pepper. Only then does the smoothness of the wheat follow, and it makes for a great finish. And most importantly, none of the thick raspy aftertaste I have previously found with Sam Adams.

The beer pairs well with lighter fare. Over the course of the six pack I paired it with salads and grilled fish. I particularly enjoyed this ale with fresh rosemary bread straight out of the oven. The face of this particular beer is easily overwhelmed by strong tomato-y Italian dishes however.

Over all I'd have to say I was greatly impressed. This is a lively ale that I enjoyed very much. I'll definitely be back, and may even venture into other Sam Adams selections.

I give it a solid B.