Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Generally Sam Adams brews are very hit or miss for me.   Some people love every single thing Sam Adams produces, but not me.   I'm very opinionated when it comes to them.   I wrote off Winter Lager before I even tried it simply because I generally don't enjoy dark warming "winter" beers.    I saw the commercial and saw that it was described with citrus and cinnamon which intrigued me.   I thought cinnamon in a beer would be pretty interesting and I love citrus, so I figured why not take a shot on this beer.   My roommate and I were out and about at Downtown Disney and we were talking beer.  He too was interested in trying this brew.   We were finally able to find it after searching for about 30 minutes.   Here's a picture of it, sorry for a poor shot.



A -  Dark amber, almost brown color.  Off-White creamy head that dissipates rather quickly leaving watery lacing on the glass.

S - A faint sweet caramel malt with a little bit of cinnamon.  Not much of a true scent really present with this one.

T - Caramel and spicy up front which gives way to a dominate earthy hop taste.  There's also cinnamon and ginger present towards the finish of the beer, but the true finish has a citrus flavor which becomes more noticeable as the beer begins to warm up.

M -   Light to medium bodied with slight carbonation.

D -  Pretty drinkable beer with only a 5.6% ABV.   Although it does have a nice flavor, and the ABV isn't high.   Due to the complexity of the flavor, I couldn't see myself drinking more than 2-3 of these in a sitting before I became sick of it.

Grade - Two thumbs up.   This is a good beer.    I have a hard time saying that consistently when it comes to Sam Adams, but this is definitely a good beer.  The downside is it's seasonal from November to January.   If you want it, don't hesitate.  Hurry.

Samuel Adams Cream Stout

I normally stay away from stouts.  Heck, I stay away from dark beers in general.  I have no idea what persuaded me to try this beer.  Maybe it was the cream title that was attached to it, who knows?  Sam Adams says, "The cappuccino of beers. Roasty, smooth and sweet.  Samuel Adams® Cream Stout is a true cream stout, balancing body and sweetness, with the natural spiciness of grain and hand selected English hops. Our brewers use generous portions of roasted chocolate and caramel malts as well as roasted unmalted barley to impart a fullness of body, a roasty malt character and rich, creamy head. Its dark, mahogany color makes it almost as easy on the eyes as it is on the palate."   It's totally something under normal circumstances that is complete turn off to me.  Even when the girl poured it, I laughed.  I had no clue what I was getting myself into.



A -  It was like looking into the night sky.  Black like water in the Gulf of Mexico.  Frothy and fluffy tan head with tons of lacing.  Based on first look, it seems like a BIG beer that is going to be very filling.   I was shocked it find out this was only 4.9% ABV based on the look. 

S - Roasted coffee is the dominant scent in this brew.  There's also hints of chocolate and caramel stuffed in here as well.

T - A chocolatey coffee taste hits the tongue on first taste.  It's a pretty bold taste, but what surprised me is the sweet vanilla finish which I was a huge fan of.   The sweet vanilla in the finish also gives way to a sweet milky taste.

M - Full bodied and creamy.   Very little carbonation if any at all.

D -   If you like the taste, it's a very easy beer to drink.  Goes down without a fight.  Due to the full taste and feel of the beer, I'm not sure you could drink a whole bunch of these.  It's more of a dessert.  One or two of these and you'll be full and satisfied.

Grade -  I'll give it a thumb up.   I don't know if this is a ridiculously good stout or if my palate is finally accepting dark beers.     I'm just glad I went away from the ordinary and actually tried this beer.  I was rewarded nicely.

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier

A - Cloudy amber/orange. No lacing and the head dissipated quickly.

S - Of course it smells like blackberries (Even though I was somewhat surprised that it did.) Seems like a little bit of citrus, more specifically lemon.

T - A lot of blackberry up front which fades into the background but takes a backseat to the lemon. The blackberry taste does stay throughout the entire experience.

M - Medium to heavy carbonation with a light body. Really thin feeling, but bubbly due to the carbonation.

D - It's a drinkable beer. Not something I'd like to drink all the time or even occasionally. It was just... okay.

One Thumb Down!

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

A - Hazy orange color. Nice foamy white head.

S - Citrus smell is the first smell I detected which is normal for a wheat beer. Seems like there was a small aroma of spice.

T - Taste was very blah and honey like. It was sweet. I didn't taste any lemon or any other citrus which is how the brew is supposed to taste. I'm not sure if it was a problem with where I got it from. But I was definitely disappointed in the taste.

M - Pretty light bodied with medium carbonation

D - I'm not too sure about the drinkability based on the first impression. I'm going to have to go out and buy a six pack of this to rate it correctly. Based on the body and how the beer is supposed to taste I'd imagine it would be pretty drinkable.

One Thumb Down!

Samuel Adams Imperial White

A: Foggy orange, small head that quickly dissipates. Medium lacing.
I liked the color though but I was surprised that it was so dark. That should have been the first warning to me.

S: Spicy, Citrusy and wheat... lets not forget alcohol. This thing reeks of alcohol.

T: Very alcohol taste to it. I can barely taste anything else. A little bit of citrus but the alcohol is slapping me in the face. Witbiers normally have a nice complex taste but all I can seem to taste is hot hot alcohol and coriander. A big big disappointment for me being a Wit fan.

M: Full and thick. Medium to high carbonation.

D: Not very drinkable due to the high ABV.

I think Sam Adams tried to outdue themselves with the 10.3 ABV. Take it down to the normal Wit % of 5ish and this is probably a good beer.

I drank probably 1/2 to 3/4s of it and then it got a drain pour.
It's just a rough taste that I don't like. The last sip made me gag and then I figured it was time to get rid of it.


Two Thumbs Down!

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

A - Clear copper. Small head. Nice lacing left on the pint glass.

S - Strong smell of sweet roasted malts. A hint of citrus tossed in.

T - Very hoppy, with a slight spice. You can taste some caramel with some nutty taste.

M - Medium - heavier than most lagers.

D - This beer is very easy to drink and highly sessionable. Very smooth and probably one of the better lagers you can find.

One Thumb Up!

Samuel Adams White Ale

A(ppearance) - Hazy golden yellow color. Darker in comparison to other Witbiers.
Not much head nor lacing involved in this brew.
S(mell) - Spicy Hops. Not a real strong aroma.
T(aste) - Crisp Orange taste. Spicy tangy taste, stays true to the smell thats for sure. In all honesty, I think it's a bit too spicy and it floods out the other tastes.
M(outhfeel) - Very well carbonated. Could feel the bubbles all the way down. Almost has a borderline watery taste to it.
D(rinkability) - It's a pretty drinkable beer.. I'm just not crazy about it. It doesn't leave me hurrying for another sip.

One Thumb Down