Okay - I, and the Brews portion of Views on Brews, are officially back from the holiday break.

Over the holidays I sampled a fair number of brews and even remembered to take some tasting notes occasionally. So let's get to it.

First you'll notice the 12 Days of Christmas glasses we had this year. Specifically the 7th Day was the glass I used this time around. Alas, they are all packed away now until next year. As is the Santa figure who, along with his twin, hangs around the kitchen during the season. So not exactly the accoutrements one would normally use for serious beer drinking, but hey it was the holidays.

As you can see one of the beers sampled during the holidays was White Christmas. This was from their variety 12 pack Beers of Winter. Unlike past years there were only four varieties in the box. There were four bottles each of White Christmas and the Winter Lager. Then there were two bottles each of the Boston Lager and Old Fezziwig Ale. In the past there have been at least 5 and often 6 different brews represented.

I took to Twitter to complain and actually got a response from Sam Adams. The brewery, not the Patriot/brewer. Anyway they claimed there were 5 varieties to be had in a 24-pack that was special for the holidays. Unfortunately I never found this alleged 24-pack anywhere.

Now to the beer. White Christmas is an ale brewed with spices. Specifically you can detect nutmeg and cinnamon. I am a fan of both, but in a beer a little of them goes a long way.

The first thing you notice are the spices along with a slight flowery scent in the aroma. Flavors of the spices and a hint of pine are the first things to register as you take a swig. Then you detect a slight orange taste. The spices grow stronger and eventually remind you of a pumpkin pie as you drink more of the beer.

White Christmas is definitely a holiday brew. It is too sweet and the spiciness too pronounced for any other time of year. It fits right in though with the festive season and can be enjoyed then. But before Thanksgiving or after the New Years, well it's just too much. 

In the month of December I might be generous and give this 6 mugs out of 10. But now it's January so I'm afraid over all I give White Christmas from Samuel Adams 5 mugs out of 10.   

Today we continue our trip through the world of various varieties of IPA's. (Various varieties, is that redundant?)

We are looking at Whitewater IPA from Samuel Adams. It is part of the spring mix 12 pack collection. It claims to be a cross between an IPA and a Belgian white beer. 

The color does strike you as being lighter than you might see in other IPA's to be sure. And so is the taste.

Still you do get the citrus-like flavor characteristic of an IPA. However I found the taste to be more bitter than most of the other IPA's I've recently sampled. 

And the citrus, grapefruit like aroma was also not as pronounced. In fact so not pronounced as to be non-existent.

The taste was definitely lighter than most IPA's and had a more bitter aftertaste. Also found the flavor disappeared a little quickly for my liking. There were some fruity and piney/earthy notes in the taste, but nothing that really stood out for me.

For all that, Whitewater IPA is a drinkable beer and if it was the only bottle you had left in your cooler you would not hesitate to grab it and drink. I just think there are better balanced, better flavored, more interesting beers out there in the IPA family at the moment.

I'm giving Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA 6 mugs out of 10. 

Recently I have come across a series of IPA's with similar tastes and characteristics. I'll be profiling them in upcoming posts beginning with this one.

First up we have Rebel IPA from Samuel Adams. It advertises itself as a "West Coast style" IPA. Not sure what that means other than they might be aiming at the Sierra Nevada market. (Is that a clue as to which IPA we'll be looking at next?).

At first glance it appears "West Coast Style" means lighter than normal. The color is definitely a shade or two lighter than most Sam Adams IPA's. And the taste and texture are also lighter. 

The aroma that hits you at first is the hoppiness you expect from an IPA. But there was something else I couldn't place at first.

Then I took the first swallow. Again there was the bitterness of hops, but it was well balanced, again with that different taste. At first I called it "citrus" but that was too generic. Then like a flash it hit me - grapefruit! The aroma and the taste were that of grapefruit. And that taste was present in the aftertaste after you swallowed as well.

This IPA is a tad on the bitter side, but overall it was balanced, clean and refreshing. This could definitely serve as a session beer. I certainly would not tire of it, and it would not be too filling or overwhelming in any negative way.

I may have been tempted to give Rebel IPA 8 mugs out of 10, but having tasted some similar brews in the class I am giving it 7 mugs out of 10. A very good and delicious beer, but it can be done better. How's that for a tease for next time?

Until then, drink well!

One of my favorite offerings in the Sam Adams Winter Classics available during the holidays had always been the Holiday Porter. So I was disappointed when it was not one of the brews in this years version.

It was with a mix of relief and dread then when I opened up the Spring offerings and saw this Maple Pecan Porter. Relief to have a Porter in the mix. Dread because Maple Pecan suggested a too sweet and/or too syrupy beer awaited.

The inky dark color didn't assuage my trepidation immediately. This beer just looks like it is going to be too heavy.  And as you bring the glass toward your face you are hit with the scent of a maple aroma.

The first impression when you finally taste the brew is of some bitterness offset by a slightly sweet malty flavor. This is followed by the taste of the roasted malt accompanied by the hint of pecan. The after taste really brings out some chocolate overtones. 

My overall impression of the beer though is one of balance. The Maple Pecan Porter is both bitter and sweet, but not too much of either. Really enjoyed drinking this one slowly and letting the complex interplay of the bitterness of the hops, the sweetness from the malt and the maple and pecan flavors and the hint of chocolate at the end play in my mouth. 

The color does not lie however. This is a heavy brew. I have found that one of these a night is sufficient. 

I give Samuel Adams Maple Pecan Porter 7 mugs out of 10. 

Until next time, drink well!

It is a bitter cold day here in New England, so perhaps not the best time to be delving into the Spring variety pack from Samuel Adams. But the name of the beer being highlighted today is certainly appropriate. It is the latest seasonal offering from Samuel Adams and is called "Cold Snap". 
It is advertised as a "white ale" but you can tell it's anything but. It is somewhat golden, and as you can tell is an unfiltered beer.
The first sensation when you drink it is that of a prickly spicy feeling on the tip of your tongue. This is followed by a light, citrus flavor. I detected either orange or lemon accents. 
As I continued drinking the prickly sensation translated to what I would call a peppery flavor. 
The beer is crisp and more suited to warmer spring weather I'd say. The flavor is on the light side and doesn't linger or have much of an aftertaste. 
I'd say it's the kind of brew you would enjoy drinking one of, but you wouldn't want to be drinking it all night long. The combination of pepper and citrus would begin to wear on you.
An interesting brew. I'm giving it 6 mugs out of 10.

Yes nothing too exotic or ground breaking today. 

I decided to use the Samuel Adams Boston Lager as an excuse to show off the drinking glass that was a gift from my elder son. He acquired it when he took the Samuel Adams brewery tour in Boston recently. And of course it ended up being a gift to dear old papa.

I couldn't resist showing it off with Boston Lager inside it. The lager of course is Samuel Adams original brew. It most likely was instrumental in the public's mind with igniting much of the renewed interest in microbrews and the beers that actually have character and taste.

It is easy to dismiss Boston Lager today as being somewhat staid and pedestrian, as being too basic. Some people opine it is in danger of becoming an example of the mass-produced swill for which it was the original antidote.

I know I have been guilty as charged. When I buy a variety 12 pack of Sam Adams there are always a couple of bottles of Boston Lager included. Often I either delay drinking them as long as possible, hoping someone else beats me to it, or I get them out of the way as soon as possible. It's more fun to explore the new offerings, or the other varieties you've sampled before but are not available as often as the Lager.

So sometimes it's good to remind yourself that this is just a very good beer. Nothing more nothing less. It is clean and crisp. It has that nice color and good head. It has good body and flavor. It is smooth and it is balanced. We should all be able to make that claim.

So it's not the sexiest beer around any more. It is not a hot trender. For someone who prefers IPA's it can seem a little on the light side or not hopped enough.

But it helped start a revolution, much as its namesake did. And if nothing else it is the standard against which other microbrews and good beers should be measured. If the brew is not at least as good as Boston Lager, then it isn't worth drinking. End of story.

I'll give Sam Adams Boston Lager a score of 7 mugs out of 10. 

I'll admit one of the highlights of the holiday season, at least at my age where I'm not breathlessly awaiting for St. Nick's arrival (well not quite as breathlessly anyway), is the arrival in stores of the various holiday brews and holiday beer variety packs.
One such pack I look forward to every year is the one from Sam Adams. Not because it's necessarily the best or the most intriguing, but it is among the most consistent of the microbrews available in New England. And it also has one of my favorite holiday offerings, Old Fezziwig Ale. I mean how can you not like that brew with that name? You don't even necessarily need to be a fan of Dickens or the immortal "A Christmas Carol", a character in that book being the namesake for the ale. I also find it quite tasty in a holiday spirit sort of way with the spices, etc. Being somewhat a slave to ritual I try to make sure the first and last special holiday beer I consume each season is an Old Fezziwig. When the last Old Fezziwig is consumed the holiday season is truly over.
But I digress. While Old Fezziwig was part of this year's Sam Adams Winter Favorites variety 12 pack this year, a couple of old standbys I'd always enjoyed were not. Specifically the Scotch Ale and the Holiday Porter. I always liked those two. 
There were some new varieties I had not experienced before, including the one pictured above, Juniper IPA. First of all may I point out the Guinness mug the beer is in. I have used it before in pictures but believe this time the harp logo on the glass is more visible than in previous shots. So wanted to point that out.
As for the beer. It will not be my favorite holiday brew, but it's not the worse either. And you have to give the people at Sam Adams kudos on coming up with something unique. It has the inherent bitterness and body of an IPA. But there the similarity ends. 
Your first sensation is tart, spicy, almost stinging as the brew hits your tongue. The juniper makes this a most interesting concoction. It helps if you're a fan of gin and luckily I am. And the flavor and body fill your mouth rather than disappear, but does not linger with any sense of unbalanced bitterness.
So it is a very enjoyable and special glass to hoist for the holidays. But a single glass is about all you'll be hoisting at one sitting. The unique stinging spiciness and flavor makes this a difficult beer if you're looking to down more than one of the same kind for a night. Definitely a good beer if you're drinking one, or to enjoy if you're going to be sampling more than one variety during the evening. A session beer, however, it is not.
Still for the uniqueness, flavor and balance and the taste of the holidays, I'm giving it 7 mugs out of 10. I will be happy if Juniper IPA is part of the Winter Favorites pack next year from Sam Adams.

Here is yet another of the brews given as a gift. Technically I was given a twelve pack of the Sam Adams Winter Classics. Included in the collection was this offering that was new this holiday season. At least I had never come across it before.
This is Samuel Adams' Cherry Chocolate Bock. 
As you can see it is quite opaque. Dark and hard to see through as well.
It certainly is full of both cherry and chocolate flavors.
The first impression that hits you as you begin to drink is the cherry flavor. It is both sweet and a bit tart. Then after a few seconds in the mouth you get a flash of the flavor of chocolate. I swear when you swallow the beer there is a taste akin to a Cherry Coke. In a beer you ask? Yes and as annoying and cloying as that sounds, somehow it works. It is as stated above both sweet and tart and yet you know you're drinking a beer and not soda.
And the brew does go down very smoothly. Still it is too heavy and too sweet to be one of those "all night" or "session" beers. But one or two to celebrate the holidays, or to take the chill out of the winter air? It will do that just fine.
I give it 7 mugs out of 10. 
I'll admit that I was chagrined that some of the old standbys that have been in the Sam Adams Winter Classics variety pack in past years were not there. Favorites like the Holiday Porter, or the Scotch Ale. But some of the new offerings were interesting and tasty. The Cherry Chocolate Bock certainly is that. I look forward to it being included in next year's grouping. They just better never replace Old Fezziwigg's Ale!

Certain images, tastes, sounds and smells are associated with this time of year. Crisp air and crisp apples. Apple cider. Cider doughnuts. Detect a theme here?
And of course pumpkins. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin pie. And now that you're lucky enough to be of legal drinking age - Pumpkin Ale.
Personally I think Pumpkin Ale is an over-anticipated sign of the season in that it sounds better in theory than it turns out to be in reality.
And yet every fall season I go right back in. Have to drink those pumpkin brews while they're available! It must be the association with my favorite season, autumn, and its sights, smells, tastes, etc as referenced above.
My experience has been that the best Pumpkin Ales have been those tasted at their point of origin. I recall having one at the Boston Beer Works, a brewpub across the street from Fenway Park, while awaiting a Red Sox-Yankees matchup. Maybe it was the anticipation of the game but I remembered it as being delicious. I also recall having one at a small brewpub in South Orange, New Jersey when visiting our son for parents weekend at Seton Hall University. I remember that brew as very satisfying.
This year though all my exposure to Pumpkin brews has been of the bottled variety, brewed elsewhere, and then delivered either to my door or the local liquor store. Pumpkin Ale definitely loses something in the travel. Or maybe the styles required for bottling as opposed to serving on tap at the brewery are the difference. All I know for sure is that Pumpkin Ale is not one of my favorite fall pleasures.
Recently I have tasted two samples, Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale and McAuslan Brewing's St. Ambroise Citrouille. St. Ambroise is the street in Montreal where McAuslan is located and Citrouille is French for Pumpkin Ale.
Obviously Sam Adams brews are found far and wide and this came from their Fall Harvest collection 12 pack picked up at a local supermarket. McAuslan I had not seen before but it was one of the offerings in this month's Microbrew of the Month club selections that arrived the other day.
I definitely prefer the McAuslan. It has the usual spices that hit your nose as soon as you pour it. It smells like a pumpkin pie. But it is not as sweet as one and so is quite drinkable. But still the combination of pumpkin and spice is just not to my taste. It's good and balanced and not cloying. I can just think of autumnal brews I'd rather be drinking. And I love pumpkin pie!
McAuslan gets 7 mugs out of 10.
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is up to its usual standards. It is solid, well crafted, and again not too sweet. It is also very drinkable. However I did not like it as much as the McAuslan version. The spices were more noticeable in both the aroma and the taste. It tasted a little more like a pumpkin pie, which for me means it was a tad too sweet. And while the McAuslan was a pleasing brownish color with a hint of red, the Sam Adams was much darker in the glass. So it wasn't visually as appealing either. 
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale gets 6 mugs out of 10.
Can't wait to drink and report on more of this latest monthly Microbrew of the Month Club selections!

Last Friday evening a few of us went to some local outlets in the Berkshires to do some shopping. The most exciting part of the evening was when we decided to go home an alternate route that would take us through Great Barrington, Massachusetts. This gave us the opportunity to stop and have dinner at one of our favorite brew pubs, the Barrington Brewery. I believe this was my reward for chaufferring the others on a shopping trip where I myself hadn't found what I was looking for.
We first found this brew pub a few years ago when we were invited to take a bus tour of western Massachusetts brew pubs. That was a fun day. The Barrington Brewery was our first stop. We got a tour of the brewing facilities and an explanation of the brewing process from grain through finished product. And of course we were able to sample some of their offerings. I bought a growler of their IPA and still have the empty bottle as a memento.
On the way another member of our party expressed the hope the brewery would have a Pumpkin Ale. I concurred and admit that put me in the mood for one. I was looking forward to sampling a crisp brew with the hint of pumpkin and spice. It helped that the evening felt more like an October evening even though it is still technically summer.
Alas when we arrived and were seated we learned that their seasonal options did not include a pumpkin brew. They had a Scotch Ale and an Octoberfest available along with their usual lineup. Naturally I had to sample both of their seasonal brews. The others in our party had the Raspberry Ale, which is a lighter but refreshing brew. Have you gotten the impression yet that I was the only male in our party? If so then you are perceptive.
I'll save a discussion of the Scotch Ale for another day. I was especially interested in the Octoberfest as I have been sampling the Octoberfest offerings from two of New England's microbrew heavyweights, Sam Adams and Harpoon. The Octoberfests were included in their Harvest and Football Tailgater variety 12 packs respectively. As you may recall those were the variety packs I supplied to our Football Fantasy draft night. So these versions were fresh in my mind if not on my palate.
The Octoberfest from Barrington Brewery was superior to the brews from Sam Adams and Harpoon. This is not surprising. I mean you are drinking beer dispensed in the same building in which it is brewed. It cannot be any fresher. But it went beyond that. I would simply say that the Octoberfest from the brew pub was smoother and tastier than the Sam Adams and Harpoon Octoberfests. It has a nice body and flavor with no hint of bitterness. And it is not so heavy that you couldn't drink it as your one beer of the night if you were so inclined.
The Octoberfests from Sam Adams and Harpoon are certainly good. I've never had complaints about either. While not as smooth as Barrington Brewery's verson, they certainly go down easily enough and have the same basic flavor characteristics. If either was the only brew available to you for an evening you would be more than satisfied. Whether it's the freshness and not having to travel or just a superior recipe is difficult to get at, but the brew pub's beer is just better. 
So I'm giving Barrington Brewery Octoberfest 8 mugs out of 10. I would have rated it a 7, but based on the discussion above that would mean rating the Octoberfests from Sam Adams and Harpoon at 6 mugs out of 10. And they are certainly better than that. They are not far behind the brew pub offering. But my system does not allow for scores involving a fraction of a mug.
I mean come on a partial mug? That would be messy and you would lose some beer, a cardinal sin if ever there was one. If I had never tasted Barrington Brewery Octoberfest I would score both Sam Adams and Harpoon 7 mugs out of 10. But I can't score all three 7 mugs if I've said is clearly superior to the others. Hence the 8 mug score for Barrington Brewery. 
Phew! That's a long winded way of saying get out to Barrington Brewery and check them out. And if you can't and want a good Octoberfest beer, you won't go wrong with either Sam Adams or Harpoon.
By the way Barrington Brewery has been in operation since 1995. They have gone solar and advertise themselves as producing Solar Powered Beer. And in case you're wondering the food is good and they try to use local ingredients when possible. As you can imagine beer and beer related ingredients figure into many of their recipes, including dessert!
You can check them out at this link.