Latest Sam Adams Longshot Old Ben Ale

TxBigHops · Jun 8, 2010

Just picked up the latest Longshot this weekend. There's a barley wine, lemon pepper saison, and old ben ale. Haven't tried the barleywine yet. The saison was pretty decent. Better than I expected given the thought of lemon pepper in a beer. Tonight I had the Old Ben ale with my dinner. One word - WOW! Amazingly complex flavor with a strong alcohol finish. This baby is 9% abv. Actually tastes stronger than that. I don't consider myself a great reviewer, so I'm just going to leave it at this - it's a really awesome beer. So try it and tell me what you think.

SourHopHead · Jun 8, 2010

Old Ben was the one out of the pack I didn't like. I thought it was ok, but didn't stand out like the other 2. I may be biased since I know the BW brewer and had it when it was his homebrew and after Samuel Adams made it. I think they did a good job on it from what I remember him saying what the HB recipe was.

TxBigHops · Jun 8, 2010

Thanks. So is the old Ben brewer a member here? I'd love to get his recipe. I'll be trying the barleywine tonight.

I really like the idea of Longshot. Its a great way to promote home brewing and from my perspective of more just a beer drinker (I've only done one HB batch with a friend) gives me a good chance to try beers that I might never buy a full 6er of. Props to SA.

snowveil · Jun 8, 2010

I really dug the Old Ben too. I cracked it open, poured it, took a sip and THEN bothered to check the label to see that it was 9%. When I heard "Old english ale" I didn't expect much out of it but after a sip I knew it was good stuff.

The lemon pepper saison was really great too, and the barleywine had enough hop bite to keep me interested (reminded me of stone old guardian)

good stuff!

I'd love a recipe for any of them if someone's got them :mug:

Superkabuto · Jun 8, 2010

I just picked up the longshot pack, and the Old Ben Ale was the only beer that impressed me. The sweetness, hops, and spices make for a complex flavor worthy of a top-notch beer (I'm drinking it right now). The saison seemed like the average Belgian brew. And the barley wine, too, was quite average. Sure, one expects a high ABV and a malty flavor, but beyond these things I'm not sure what to say about it.