Samuel Smith. What CAN'T they do?

I am quick becoming a Samuel Smith fanboy here. First was the Oatmeal Stout, which I am still convinced is one of the best beers I've ever had. Then came the Imperial Stout, which knocked me on my a** with its deliciousness and had me begging for more. Most recently, tonight, I had the Old Brewery Pale Ale for the first time. Quite possibly one of the most refreshing English ales I've ever had.

These guys are just fantastic. Do they make any beers that aren't Grade A wonderful?

[Overly enthusiastic soap box declaration over now.]

:| IMO, everything I had from Sam Smith tastes watered down and lacking in many areas. All of them were C+/B-. Definitely nothing special over here.

Their brown is currently my favorite beer. I go get one for every brew session, it's become a little tradition.

Airborneguy said:

Their brown is currently my favorite beer. I go get one for every brew session, it's become a little tradition.

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Forgot to mention that one in my OP. Damn tasty as well.

DavidSteel said:

:| IMO, everything I had from Sam Smith tastes watered down and lacking in many areas. All of them were C+/B-. Definitely nothing special over here.

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I'm with you, I did not finish the imperial stout. Love most english beers but the Sam Smiths I've had have been awful or soso

I had Sam Smith's IPA and it was mediocre. Everything else I've had from them has been top quality though.

DavidSteel said:

:| IMO, everything I had from Sam Smith tastes watered down and lacking in many areas. All of them were C+/B-. Definitely nothing special over here.

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What did you have exactly? Also, what are beers you consider to be A's? (Just curious to understand how our tastes can diverge so much.)

I'm with DavidSteel on this one. I think Sam Smith's is a lackluster brand. I drink mostly local and small brewery type beer, and I've found a multitude of beer that I would gladly take over anything they're doing. The list is pretty exhaustive, though.

Huge fan of their Oatmeal Stout. That was one of the beers that I was way into around the time I got into home brewing...I will never forget the awful batch of oatmeal stout I made early on trying to replicate it!!!

I've loved every sam smith's beer i've had except the winter warmer. and the yorkshire stingo wasn't a bad beer, but i was severely underwhelmed.

It's been a loooooooooong time since I had a Sam Smith beer. I wasn't very impressed with the ones I had so I just don't buy it any more.

I believe Samuel Smith's is more highly regarded in the States than in England (BTW, it was an American importer who commissioned the Oatmeal Stout).

I'm personally a fan, in particular of the two stouts. I'm not a big fan of syrupy Impy stouts, so I think SS gets theirs right.

heywolfie1015 said:

What did you have exactly? Also, what are beers you consider to be A's? (Just curious to understand how our tastes can diverge so much.)

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Imperial stout, oatmeal stout, taddy porter, and some other one. All were assy or watery. A's are the usual good stuff:
Southern Tier Imperial Pumpking (96.5/100)
Founders Breakfast Stout (95/100)
Three Floyds Dreadnaught (93/100)
Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout (93/100)
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (91/100)
Bell's Third Coast Old Ale (91/100)
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde (90/100)
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald (89/100)

What is "assy"?

Never had anything but the oatmeal stout, but I think it is great.

Just recently had the oatmeal stout, best stout I've had to date.

Their oatmeal stout pretty much defined the style when it was introduced, it is fantastic.

I haven't had anything else from them, and I have tried most, that I felt were outstanding. The oatmeal stout is amazing though.

Wow, I believe I tried one and decided it wasn't worth the price, I think it was the Imp Stout, maybe I should try some more.

Taddy Porter was one of the first beers I drank that wasn't BMC. I thought it was good. It will always hold a special place in my little, tiny heart. But there are plenty of other beers that I would drink over Sammy Smith's.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Samuel Smith's Oatmeal stout.

For those who haven't had one in a while, I think you should try it again. They used to be served in clear bottles, which skunked the beer, but have recently switch (1 year ago or so) to brown bottles. World of difference.

Now if I could only find a place where a bottle that wasn't $2.50 for 12 oz.

Well, they can't make a beer I find worth spending money on twice.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Well, they can't make a beer I find worth spending money on twice.

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Pretty much the best way to sum it up right there

the Taddy Porter has a weird metallic taste

Their winter warmer was ok. i think they are an average brewery. It boils down to what other beers you have had.

Like most imported beers, it's hard to get a Samuel Smith's that is in good condition here.

If anyone hasn't tried this, do so at your nearest convenience. Pick an imported beer that comes in bottles and cans. Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Hobgoblin and Old Speckled Hen are easy to get. Go buy one of each and drink them side by side, the difference is generally shocking.

I've had Samuel Smith's in London (along with obviously a lot of Fuller's and Young's) and I found it to be generally the best beer I could get there, their pubs had more and more adventurous styles than anybody else's, and it tasted better there than here.

The fact that they have several pubs in London suggests that they aren't poorly regarded there as I can't recall seeing many other ales from outside of London there (excepting the occasional guest beer at a Fuller's or Young's pub).

I'm very surprised so many people in this thread haven't really liked the sam smith's beers they've tried. I'm not sure whether it comes down to personal preference or perhaps poorly-stored bottles. But I personally feel their nut brown, oatmeal stout, taddy porter, pale ale and ipa are all world-class. If you try the pale ale or the ipa expecting it to be like a west coast beer, you might be disappointed. But if you understand they're not intended to taste like that, but instead more balanced and subtle, you'll be able to really enjoy them. If you haven't had a sam smith's in a while, I recommend going to a shop with good turnover and grabbing a bottle or two. You might be pleasantly surprised.

KingBrianI said:

I'm very surprised so many people in this thread haven't really liked the sam smith's beers they've tried. I'm not sure whether it comes down to personal preference or perhaps poorly-stored bottles. But I personally feel their nut brown, oatmeal stout, taddy porter, pale ale and ipa are all world-class. If you try the pale ale or the ipa expecting it to be like a west coast beer, you might be disappointed. But if you understand they're not intended to taste like that, but instead more balanced and subtle, you'll be able to really enjoy them. If you haven't had a sam smith's in a while, I recommend going to a shop with good turnover and grabbing a bottle or two. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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I obviously agree. That they switched bottle types over the past year might explain part of it. Their bottles are now my favorite for home brewing; dark, dark brown and really solid glass.

But, yeah, everything I've had was (imo) true to style and really tasty. When the BJCP Guidelines list Sam Smith beers as the hallmarks (see 8C, 12A, 13C, 13F, 14A, 19A), you have to wonder how people can say they are not that good. Sure, it's about personal taste, but maybe the import process affects the quality. All I know is that I have enjoyed each one immensely and can't wait to try them in London.

I've not really been disappointed by any of their beers. They make the only fruit beer that I really like, the strawberry one. Not overly tart, smooth and creamy.

I have to agree with the thought that you can't really compare British beers to American if that's all you're really used to. I've been noticing many American craft beers becoming more hop focused. I've gotten that word from a local brewer, that they've been noticing a growing favor for hoppier beers.

If you're too used to the developing American beer style and tastes, you're likely going to be disappointed by various imports.

I nitpick lots of things, but Sam Smith hasn't let me down yet.

Sam Smith's Taddy Porter and Nut browns are about two of my favorite examples of their respective styles. I've been using their yeast strain WLP037 for some time, with great results.

I had a SS pale ale the other day and it's nothing like what I remember
from back in the day (90's). Then it was a dry, sulfatey bitterness that
was unique here in the States. This one was some unpleasantly malty
concoction. I've tasted that flavor before in some US microbrews, what
it it, too much Belgian aromatic, or what?

Ray

Never liked their beers and I haven't tried their nut-brown, but this thread inspired me to buy my friend (yes, a friend) a nut brown to try. He sent me to pick up 20 dollars worth of micro's for him, so I figured why not. I'll ask him what he thinks of it later.

I picked up their Oatmeal Stout the other day for the first time and thought it was really good, but I've not tried any of their others.

i didnt like the RIS that much but thought the oatmeal stout was awesome

I used to LOVE their Taddy Porter, but I haven't had it in a couple years.......may have to pick up a bottle sometime and see if I like it as much now that my tastes have expanded more.

The nut brown is definitely the best I've ever had, and brown is my favorite style. The poster who mentioned American beers being overly hoppy is dead on. As far as most style go, most American versions over hop at least a little, some a lot. Look at brown in particular, they branched off the Texas style to account for American hopping rates. If you try to compare an English beer to the same style American, there's no real similarity.

Just had the nut brown. Gave it a B+. Probably their best, but wouldn't buy again and all the other ones I've had were the definition of "lacking".

Ooompa Loompa said:

I used to LOVE their Taddy Porter, but I haven't had it in a couple years.......may have to pick up a bottle sometime and see if I like it as much now that my tastes have expanded more.

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I need to do that too. I don't think I have had one in over a year.

If I had 250 years to brew I would come up with some great beers too. That said, you know what they say about opinions. Everybody's got one.

Like most imported beers, it's hard to get a Samuel Smith's that is in good condition here.

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+1

They compound this problem by shipping their beer in clear bottles.

chrispykid said:

+1

They compound this problem by shipping their beer in clear bottles.

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They USED to ship beer in clear bottles. This has changed in the past year or so.