Sam Adams/Boston Beer

[Anthony_Lopez]

I'm a Bostonian and I've been drinking Sam Adams since before I was legal. I'm honestly sick of it. Am I a snob for thinking Sam Adams isn't that good anymore, or is it that there is just SOOOOO much good beer out there that they aren't at the forefront of the craft beer world.

One of my buddies says, "Sam Adams was good beer when there wasn't any to be found." I think I agree with him.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I think the problem (or maybe the blessing) is that we have so many "out there" styles available now. 10 years ago, you'd have a hard time finding an IPA or a Bourbon Stout. Now, they're everywhere. I think it's really dulled our senses to what beer is meant to be. There's a great article in a past issue of The New Brewer from the American Brewers Association. They argue about whether american craft beer is getting too full of itself and why we can't concider every tier in the brewing industry a quality product.

Another good article was in DRAFT this month that talked about American craft beer being overkill. I'm starting to agree. When people are paying $500 for two tickets to Dark Lord Days, there's something seriously wrong.

I think Sam Adams makes great beer. While they may not make anything crazy or out of the ordinary, they make good beer to the definition of each style they're representing. Plus, if it weren't for Sam Adams getting people "drinking before they were legal" as you put it, then where would the craft beer industry be today? I think they deserve a lot of credit for helping out (along with sierra nevada) but they're slowly being paired in with BMC.

Here's those articles incase anyone's interested.

http://www.brewersassociation.org/p...extremism-in-the-defense-of-beer-a-good-thing

http://draftmag.com/features/american-beer-overkill/

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

I'm in no way saying that Sam Adams got me drinking before I was legal. I did drink it though. Interesting points.
I'm not really into all these oaked out stouts and IPA's made with 456 metric tons of hops per gallon. I love a good IPA and I do enjoy an IIPA now and then, but some companies are definitely getting a little carried away with how many hops they can put into a beer. Isn't Mikkeler doing a 1k IBU IPA? I really enjoy a bourbon stout here and there, but that is only because they are special. Now every brewery has one. I still think Sam Adams just isn't as good as it used to be