Does anyone else think Sam Adam's beer sucks

[iambeer]

I avoid SA 98% of the time. But I don't mind getting down and dirty with a Boston lager.

 

[jrgtr42]

That said, I have never had the opportunity to try anything from SA in Boston. I know a lot of their capacity is outsourced (to Miller, I believe?), so I wonder how much different the beer is at the brewery than it is from the bulk runs done on contract.

Not quite. SA does own their breweries, or at least runs them themselves. It is NOT brewed by Miller or anyone else. Their biggest facility is the former Rolling Rock brewery in Latrobe PA. They do also have a few other facilities around the country.
Even in Boston, the majority is not brewed in the Boston brewery. The only ones there are the Brewmaster series (the red, kreik, and so on) and Utopias. There are also test batches made there for the regular brews and new upcoming beers.

I also don't hate them - but I generally won't go out of my way for anything other than Noble Pils of the regular series brews. THeir stuff is decent, but fairly pedestrian. THey really don't push the envelope, but their beers are generally a good representation of the style. There are a few exceptions, like Cherry Wheat and Scotch Ale, but generally if I see something from them, with no other options, I don't have a problem ordering a Boston Lager.

 

[beersk]

Sam Adam's makes great beer. I question the OP's palate if he thinks there's something funky going on with their beers. They're all very clean and well made. The only beers they make that I really dislike are the Cherry Wheat and the Triple Bock (f*cking NASTY).

 

[yeahfairly]

SABL is one of my go to brew's. It's right up there with SNPA and my all time favorite that originated in Dublin!!!

 

[Clonefan94]

Sam Adams definitely doesn't suck. Might not be your thing, but they definitely don't suck. If nothing else, I have to credit SA for giving me a choice that wasn't BMC when I was bowling regularly. You think bars and restaurants were slow to jump on the Craft beer bandwagon? Try the little dive bars you find in a bowling alley.

 

[TheSmithsEra]

i'm another Sam Adams fan. I don't dig their Boston Lager too much, but Noble Pils, Lattitude 48, White Water IPA and many more are very good.

I bet if people drank them sans label they'd have something different to say

Everyone hates on Sam Adams, but they Love Sierra Nevada and New Belgium

 

[Brewing-Yankee]

That off flavor you don't like is called preference not sucks.

Now ZIMA, Zima SUCKS.

lol.

 

[beersk]

That off flavor you don't like is called preference not sucks.

Now ZIMA, Zima SUCKS.

lol.

Which is why it's not made anymore...

 

[Oifvet0708]

I'm appalled. I think you palate is off Sam Adams makes great beer. That's why they win so many awards and they do new their own I'm actually pissed that someone who appreciates good bet would day they suck

 

[Setesh]

I LOVE Boston Lager. I have bought 1/6th barrels of it in the past and probably will again.

 

[Fishin-Jay]

To try and say that Sam Adams sucks indicates a pretty poor grasp of what a good beer is (or at least a view of your own opinions that is way out of line with the actual value of your own opinions). I could completely understand someone saying they don't like SA's beers. There are several beers that I know are very well made, but I don't like them. In fact, there's very little made by New Belgium that I would ever put in mouth on purpose, but I recognize that's my preference, not a statement of the quality of their brewery and line of beers.

But to condemn the whole brewery due to your personal preference, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, is about as enlightened as the guy at the bar who will only drink Bud Light because "every other beer sucks."

 

[BlackGoat]

I'm appalled. I think you palate is off Sam Adams makes great beer. That's why they win so many awards and they do new their own I'm actually pissed that someone who appreciates good bet would day they suck

well said, lol

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

Oh wow...wow...this is pretty good!!

What if i told you it was SA Boston Lager??

Would of fooled me!....Got...great...color...damn good beer!


HATE THAT COMMERCIAL!!!!

It shows how moronic people could be, oh **** i had that beer before, to dark and gross.
Yet without a label people will go bonkers over it....

Boston lager, oktoberfest, alpine spring, latitude, summer and cherry wheat are all great beers for their price point
Hazel Brown has been one of the only "experimentals" latley i enjoyed though.

 

[Skep18]

I didn't realize people didn't like Sam Adams, lol. Maybe not someones favorite, but doesn't like? Maybe beer just isn't your thing, lol.

Love their Latitude 48 IPA (though this "hopology" thing isn't my cup of tea, a bit too much citrus.) Noble Pils, even their Wheat IPA, and of course, Boston Lager. I will say I haven't tried the fruity beers though.

Boston lager, oktoberfest, alpine spring, latitude, summer and cherry wheat are all great beers for their price point

Nailed it.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Sam Adams is a middle of the road craft brewery.

I give them credit for their contribution to the craft beer movement, but I only drink their beers when there is no better craft on tap. And more often than not, there's better craft on tap.

That being said, Uncle Sam has saved me more than once when I've found myself out in the middle of nowhere, deep in BMC territory. Thank Bob for Sam then.

 

[Pilgarlic]

This discussion is going nowhere. Let's define some terms and see whether we can nail this down. Define "anyone". Define "think". Define "sucks". If we can just agree on some definitions we might make some headway on this important question.

For the record, I think the answer is "yes".

 

[Brewing-Yankee]

Which is why it's not made anymore...

exaaaactly. I don't think he thinks it sucks. at best, he doesn't like it so much he'd rather drink another beer.

I actually like the boston lager and some stouts and hefs and home roasted coffee and whiskey, bourbon, tequila, and a nice med-rare steak, cars with sharp throttle response, things that fly with engines, diving, rock climbin.. and ah crap off topic.

i'm really assuming he really dislikes the flavors.

 

[Fishin-Jay]

This discussion is going nowhere. Let's define some terms and see whether we can nail this down. Define "anyone". Define "think". Define "sucks". If we can just agree on some definitions we might make some headway on this important question.

For the record, I think the answer is "yes".

I can agree that most of the replies don't respond to the title of the OP, which you're referencing. But, I believe most folks who are disagreeing are looking at the content of the OP, especially this part: "...most all of their beers are awful and leave the nastiest aftertastes. It's just bad."

 

[bleak]

Now that the Boston Brewery Company is the largest U.S. owned brewery, I thank them for the fact that the No. 1 American beer doesn't suck.

 

[Arrheinous]

The four-pack Imperial Series they did came out pretty great. Drank two of their Wee Heavys on New Year's Eve and they were wicked smoky/sharp but after six months in the fridge the last one was excellent.

I'd like to see more of that baltic porter they had in a mixer pack (I think it was the around the world pack?).

However, I didn't like much of their Xmas seasonal pack. But I don't really like any seasonal beers all that much - trying to get a year's worth of flavor in once a year doesn't work for me.

 

[BeerLoverHere]

Still sucks

 

[hunter_le five]

Some threads just shouldn't be revived.

 

[Oceantendency]

Their Oktoberfest and Cherry Wheat beers don't suck.

 

[jbears1970]

I am a Sam Adams fanboy. Readily admitted. SABL was my intro to decent beer. Seasonals are solid. Fezziweg is a staple in my house for Xmas and something I always chase in my holiday beers. Miss the double bock very much. But the recent obsession with white beers I don't understand. They haven't made a white beer I've liked yet. Just stop with the white beers.

 

[BEE-52]

I was a young studly Private in the Army working my way through Advanced Individual Training at Fort Meade, and it was winter exodus (Christmas break). I had already returned to the barracks from my festivities, but there was no training to be had for nearly another week. As long as we checked in regularly, the Drill Sergeants were being generous with off-post privileges.

A few of us, Theemling, Baumgartner and myself, decided to take a day trip to the inner harbor area in Baltimore. They had been a couple times before. I hadn't. It was this young Soldier's first time in a big city. It had snowed lightly on and off for the past week. The serene beauty of the snowfall had at this point given way to the unsightly slush that plagued pedestrians of all walks. Steam rose from the sewer grates where the homeless would congregate. The sun did shine that day, I remember I could not look over the water for long without feeling blinded.

We walked more blocks than I can count and joked of the Army and our Drill Sergeants in particular, letting loose observations and imitations we dared not repeat in their presence. A hobo crossed the street with us and warned us that Jesus was everywhere. A prostitute invited us in to warm up. Another homeless man eloquently described a terrible situation involving his daughter and a hospital and a bus ticket and how he needed ten dollars to make things right. I lent an ear to each new fellow we encountered while my comrades wisely tugged my arms and kept us walking toward our destination. (I met one of them later on by sheer coincidence. He had apparently not sorted out his bus ticket situation by that time)

As I continued taking in the sights and sound and unfortunately the smells of Baltimore, we had finally arrived at the inner harbor. The aquarium was to our right, the Power Plant left, and there in front of us stood an ESPNzone. Cold and a bit winded from our perilous trek, we entered the establishment and made our way toward the bar.

Mind you, I was a young Soldier. I had unfairly turned twenty one in the middle of our Basic Combat Training cycle and, for the first few months of our advanced training we were strictly forbidden from the consumption of alcohol, and those months had now passed. Although such temptations had never entered my mind previously, as I took my seat on the stool and took notice of the arrangement of taps lining the bar, I was overcome by the sudden realization that I could order a beer if I wanted to. Legitimately, legally, willfully, and there wasn't a goshdarned thing anyone could do about it.

Freedom! After months of the initial sacrifice that I gave to my country, finally freedom! No Drill Sergeants to tell me no! No snooty bouncers telling me I'm not old enough! I waved down the barmaid and in my most confident tone announced to the entire bar "I WOULD LIKE ONE BEER, PLEASE".

"Fantastic. Which one?" She replied, nonplussed by my display. It had not occurred to me that, unlike in the movies or television programs, one does not typically order "beer" in such an establishment. I turned to my friends.

"What are you guys getting?"
"Idunno, Sam Adams. Seasonal."
"That's cool. Me too."

In short order the ever-apathetic bartender presented our trio with three Sam Adam's Winter Lagers. We raised our pints and toasted the city, we toasted the Army, we toasted ourselves, then at last that first drop of sweet ambrosia met my lips and hung there as if time had slowed. Though I was certain of my freedom, I was momentarily not so certain that I would even enjoy this swill.

Fortunately, I did.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager. My first beer, my first taste of freedom.

 

[podz]

How the hell are they so popular and successful?

Because they were the first beer to challenge BMC on a nationwide basis in the USA. They identified a market opening and they took it. They marketed the **** out of their product and then marketed it even more.

I remember back in the 80s when the best american beer you could consistently find was Michelob Dark. By the mid 90s, Shiner Bock was starting to become distributed nationwide after Alvarez bought it. The Shiner acquisition was a game changer - the first real beer available nationwide in the USA since prohibition. All sorts of other craft breweries started popping up after the american public finally got a taste for real beer again.

 

[Jaybird]

I'm a fan of their beers actually. I'm a big fan of their story and their history. What's not to like?

Maybe I'm just crazy.....

Cheers
Jay

 

[Setesh]

But the recent obsession with white beers I don't understand. They haven't made a white beer I've liked yet. Just stop with the white beers.

I really liked the imperial white because it was so different. I like it when breweries come out with oddballs like that.

 

[Calichusetts]

Its becoming quite "hip" over the past few years to hate on SA. I see it more and more in this forum as well. Most people said it well...middle of the road with some great exceptions, but always a good fallback in bars with less than average selections. Of course they have some ones that bomb, every company expanding and doing numerous offerings will stumble.

 

[dpatrickv]

I have never had too much of an issue with SA. Most of the stuff are solid examples of the style but doesn't walk the border very much. There are some exceptions on both sides(Some great, some terrible)