Samuel Adams

[COLObrewer]

Sorry, but the taste is what it is in my book, and has been throughout the entire 12 pack. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I reject your reality and substitute my own, LOL

 

[GNBrews]

Good people, so-so brews. Their noble pils doesn't taste much different than your run-of-the-mill Miller High Life (don't ask how I came to this comparison). After trying almost every seasonal they released last year, I haven't been impressed with their stuff in a while.

You got a bad/old case. I thought the same thing when my local tavern had it on tap a few months ago, but I recently tried it at another place and it was a completely different animal. It's a pilsner, so you've got that crisp flavor, but the hop aroma is very nice. Of all the hops, I really smell the Saaz the most. You're pouring it into a glass, right?

 

[beerjunky828]

Every brewery I've been to has been more than hospitable with me. If you mean in terms of giving out hops and so on, they just don't have the resources. But on my trip to Chicago I sent Metro Brewing a message on Twitter asking if I could stop by and was allowed to come hang out, given a tour, beer, etc. Then they said I should call Half Acre and on nothing but 'Uh, I like beer, and I'm in the neighborhood' I was allowed to come over, taste all their stuff, even watch the damn beer boil while they took phone calls. And they let me keep the glass I had been drinking out of

Brewers, whether home or commercial, are the friendliest ******* people on the planet.

Yep. I stopped reading through the rest of the thread because this solves everything. And brewers are the most helpful and "friendliest ******* people on the planet". I will sure as f$*k drink to that!!

 

[ArcaneXor]

Boston Beer makes some of the worst beer on the planet with the disgusting Cherry Wheat, which makes Budweiser 55 taste like a delight in comparison. Many of their beers are average, but the Noble Pils is awesome!

 

[GNBrews]

Boston Beer makes some of the worst beer on the planet with the disgusting Cherry Wheat, which makes Budweiser 55 taste like a delight in comparison. Many of their beers are average, but the Noble Pils is awesome!

I think you'll find a similar thread with all big breweries that make dozens of different styles. I agree with you on the Cherry Wheat, and also their Cranberry Lambic...yuk. Even my favorite local small brewery, Summit, makes one called Scandia which I loath; the rest are fantastic.

 

[bob1852]

I remember back in the 90s Budweiser ran some anti-home-brewing radio adds.

I'd love to hear these.

I found some references from 1997 where A-B had attacked Boston Beer...

(I guess it's ok for BMC to attack each other, but they can't attack the "little" guys?)

 

[osagedr]

good stuff, very much in every packy and on tap at every local pub in the northeast. i favor the boston lager and the cream stout, their sumer ale is ok but i like the magic hat version better

Isn't that a little politically incorrect?

 

[uechikid]

Seriously?

Exactly what I was thinking!!

 

[BigB]

Wow... My little off-hand comment about the company supporting home brewing has somehow morphed into a dispute about the quality of their beer. If you don't like their beer, fine.... matter of taste. Heck, I don't even like all of their brews. But you can't deny that they are still a decent company. My simple point was that I didn't realize they were supportive of HB and that they now have a new fan- ME.

 

[lackey2000]

Their noble pils doesn't taste much different than your run-of-the-mill Miller High Life (don't ask how I came to this comparison).

Perhaps you were expecting something a little more hop aggressive? I actually appreciate the more subtle approach.

+1 for Sam Adams and all the other homebrew supporting craft brewers. In my search for keggles, local craft brewers Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing and Great Divide were extremely supportive.

 

[McKBrew]

I picked up some Boston Lager yesterday and realized I don't buy it enough.

I know everyone has their tastes, but I think SABL is a damn good beer. I don't know if I could call it best of a style, because I don't know of anything that compares.

It is, IMO a decent, tasty, well balanced beer.

 

[uechikid]

Their Boston Ale is also real good.

 

[TVarmy]

If they really loved homebrewers, they'd take off the Sam Adams signature on the glass of the bottle, so that they'd be competition-ready bottles.

/Not really that petty, just hoping Jim Koch is reading this thread and will take my suggestion to heart.

 

[GNBrews]

I like Boston Lager, but I'd appreciate if they gave it a diacetytl rest. Sometimes, it tastes quite buttery to me.

 

[RedGlass]

Not to mention the Longshot contest, which I don't know the details of, but is an awesome shout out to people producing great beer at home.

From what I understand, the Longshot competition starts out pretty much like any other competition with a bunch of regional sites. The top few from each region are sent to Boston for more tasting, and then the finalists are flown out to a convention where Jim Koch announces the winners (I think 3 winners). They scale up the winning recipes, brew a batch, and sell the 3 winning beers as a mixed six pack.

Say what you want about their beer (I think several of them are decent, not amazing) -- that's a pretty cool competition.

 

[babalu87]

Good people, so-so brews. Their noble pils doesn't taste much different than your run-of-the-mill Miller High Life (don't ask how I came to this comparison). After trying almost every seasonal they released last year, I haven't been impressed with their stuff in a while.

You changed, their beer didnt, and as to the Noble Pils comment

Just weird

If they really loved homebrewers, they'd take off the Sam Adams signature on the glass of the bottle, so that they'd be competition-ready bottles.

/Not really that petty, just hoping Jim Koch is reading this thread and will take my suggestion to heart.

Note
Bottles ARE competition ready once the labels are removed.
Maybe a judge with a stick up his ass will comment on the bottle but as long as there are no lables the bottle is fine.

 

[remilard]

You changed, their beer didnt, and as to the Noble Pils comment

Just weird



Note
Bottles ARE competition ready once the labels are removed.
Maybe a judge with a stick up his ass will comment on the bottle but as long as there are no lables the bottle is fine.

Many competitions forbid bottles with raised lettering. In almost every competition, a judge cannot disqualify a beer so it would be a competition director with a stick up her ass.

 

[rmolledo]

noble pils is awesome! you can taste every nobil hop thats in there. BUT! you must pour into a glass and not drink from the bottle like a barbarian!

I'm on a Summer Ale kick, I love the biscuity taste and aroma and the orange peel. Inspiring.

 

[rmolledo]

Has anyone had anything from their Imperial series yet?

I had their Imperial Stout and it was very very good. I am anxious to try their others.

 

[babalu87]

Many competitions forbid bottles with raised lettering. In almost every competition, a judge cannot disqualify a beer so it would be a competition director with a stick up her ass.

What guidlines are they using?

Certainly not BJCP guidlines
Page two here:
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCPCompHdbk.pdf

 

[bovineblitz]

I picked up some Boston Lager yesterday and realized I don't buy it enough.

I know everyone has their tastes, but I think SABL is a damn good beer. I don't know if I could call it best of a style, because I don't know of anything that compares.

It is, IMO a decent, tasty, well balanced beer.

Every so often I pick up a 12 pack and wonder why I don't buy it more often.

It is a damn good beer.

 

[remilard]

What guidlines are they using?

Certainly not BJCP guidlines
Page two here:
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCPCompHdbk.pdf

I think you are misunderstanding the purpose of that document. It is meant to provide guidance and minimum standards for competitions that will receive joint sanctioning from the AHA and the BJCP. Note that the bar for BJCP sanctioning is quite a bit lower.

That document does not represent the rules of any competition that I am aware of, including the NHC. In general, each competition promulgates its own rules and most that I have seen forbid bottles with raised lettering.

Here are a few examples:

Upper Mississippi Mashout
Bottles must be free of labels or other identifying marks.
http://www.mashout.org/content/rules.html

Mayfaire
The bottles must be made of clear, green or brown glass, and be free from labels, excessive dirt and identifying marks.
http://www.maltosefalcons.com/comps/2010Mayfaire/rules

Now I bet you can find a few competitions, including the NHC that don't prohibit bottles with identifying marks such as raised lettering. I hope you are satisfied that my claim that many competitions do forbid such bottles is accurate.

 

[babalu87]

I've never been docked for a beer with raised lettering in a competition, either on the national or regional scale.

Sam Adams bottles are ubiquitous enough where I doubt it would ever be an issue and for what its worth none of those above state anything about raised lettering just identifying marks.

 

[cmpunk50]

You got a bad/old case. I thought the same thing when my local tavern had it on tap a few months ago, but I recently tried it at another place and it was a completely different animal. It's a pilsner, so you've got that crisp flavor, but the hop aroma is very nice. Of all the hops, I really smell the Saaz the most. You're pouring it into a glass, right?

I was in the same boat. I had it at 3 different places, and it tasted horrible. Then I had it at my favorite local bar, and it was a lot better. I don't think it's as great as everyone else though. To tell you the truth, I preferred the white ale that was their seasonal spring beer.

 

[cmpunk50]

Boston Beer makes some of the worst beer on the planet with the disgusting Cherry Wheat, which makes Budweiser 55 taste like a delight in comparison. Many of their beers are average, but the Noble Pils is awesome!

I love the cherry wheat, especially on tap! The trick is, you can't drink more than one.

 

[Sedge]

I agree that Boston Beer Company is great to homebrewers, as are the large majority of brewers and breweries out there. Its fun to go to a brewery tour or sit at the bar at a brewpub and after a few questions when they see you're speaking the same lingo they are you see their mannerism change a little and they open right up.

Peter Zein from AleSmith said that craft brewers have got to treat homebrewers right, because the friends of homebrewers trust their opinions and look to them for recommendations. Every homebrewer fan is worth 5 consumers.

That's a great way to run a business imo.

 

[remilard]

I've never been docked for a beer with raised lettering in a competition, either on the national or regional scale.

Sam Adams bottles are ubiquitous enough where I doubt it would ever be an issue and for what its worth none of those above state anything about raised lettering just identifying marks.

I've judged beers in bottles with raised lettering in competitions that prohibited it. I doubt they are frequently disqualified. It is a common rule but probably not a commonly enforced one.

For the record, I do think it is a silly rule.