When does Samuel Adams Longshot come out?

Did I miss it? Looks like last year was an April release... is that a common timeframe? Thanks!

April sounds about right. I could be wrong though. Have you seen it in your area before? I have a lot of great liquor stores in my area that have, or can get, just about anything. I've asked about the Longshot, and not a single store could get it for me. I find it odd that the closest of these stores got 2 bottles of Utopias, but nothing for Longshot.

what were the winners this release?

after more googling, i dont know if i'll be buying the 6pack this year, if i can even find it. A belgian IPA, a black ipa, and a lavender wheat.

The 2011 Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest - Category 23 Variety 6-Pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores beginning March 2011 for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Richard Roper’s Friar Hop Ale, Rodney Kibzey’s Blackened Hops, and Caitlin DeClercq’s Honey Bee’s Lavender Wheat.

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Our local distributors don't even carry it. I have tried requesting it all the way up the food chain with no avail.

I guess the only way I will get a 6 pack is to win the contest. I believe I got an email that it is starting soon.

molsonG said:

after more googling, i dont know if i'll be buying the 6pack this year, if i can even find it. A belgian IPA, a black ipa, and a lavender wheat.

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Why? North Peak Brewing in Michigan makes a very very good belgian IPA. Good enough to make me want to brew one. Also, Black IPA's are currently one of my favorite beers. Haven't had lavender in anything yet though.

A local place did a lavendar abbey ale that was quite good. That was the only beer in the pack that actually makes me want to go pick it up. I like black ipas, but not a fan of Belgian ipas

Just picked up a Six Pack of the 2010 Winners.....

Interesting Belgian Black IPA ? First time for the "style"..... sipping on it right now... not bad; might like it better then the Cascadian IPA "style".....

bschoenb said:

Just picked up a Six Pack of the 2010 Winners.....

Interesting Belgian Black IPA ? First time for the "style"..... sipping on it right now... not bad; might like it better then the Cascadian IPA "style".....

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i'm sipping on the same right now. i don't think the black one is belgian though, i think the other hoppy beer in the 6 pack is the belgian one. i like the black IPA. the grapefruity hops are interesting with the black IPA. i think that centenntial by itself would work better, but it's still good. i'm looking forward to the other two in there. i sometimes worry that the homebrewyness of the beers will get lost with a large scale batch, but so far, so good.

i didn't know it had a suggested retail price, i paid normal SA price 7.49/sixer for it locally. i was pretty surprised that our liquor store got it in, we usually miss out on stuff like that.

Picked a sixer of 2011 Long Shot a few days ago, and it has been a mixed bag in my opinion. The Belgian is quite a nice beer, definitely a little hot (9%), but very fragrant, excellent flavor, and is overall a fine brew. The Black IPA is also a tasty, thick beer, which seemed to me much like a hopped up porter. The Lavender honey wheat however is about bloody disgusting. For the life of me I can not see how this beer was chosen, it is simply not a good beer. It is cloyingly malty sweet, with almost no hop presence, and very little phenol characteristics of a good wheat. The lavender is a nice idea in theory, but fails in reality; lavender doesn't belong in beer. I actually broke a cardinal sin and dumped half my mug.

Can't say I would buy this pack again seeing as though I would be dumping 2 out of the 6 beers in the package.

the lavender was a great beer i thought, not the biggest fan of the friar.

i liked the black IPA the best. the hop friar was just OK, very banana-y once it warmed up, which i didn't care for and i didn't really get much 'citrus' hop from it. my wife liked the lavender one, i didn't.

I'm drinking the Friar right now. Wouldn't buy this one by itself. It's pretty overpowering. There's an aftertaste I am trying to place. Not sure if I can even finish the one that I poured. I hope the other two in the "set" are better than this one. Just my opinion.

Just tried the Honey BS Lavender Ale. The wife says it's like drinking potpouri. I have to agree. Eck.