Why does all Samuel Adams Beer Taste Bad?

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Brewmegoodbeer

Brewmegoodbeer

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Samuel Adams Claims to be a "craft brewery" but nothing I have ever had from them tasted like a craft brew. It tastes highly watered down, even if the bottle says "loaded with hops". I have given them many tries, as they come out with different beers all of the time, but it is all watered down beer. I can get a better beer at a local brewery any day.
 
I actually like several sam adams beers. The original Boston Lager is a very good beer, and is much better on tap than from a bottle. The octoberfest is not bad. There are certainly better octoberfests out there though. Their winter lager is also good, but it varies year to year since it's a seasonal. This year's was good.

I don't like any of their other beers though. I wouldn't call them watered down, as their alcohol content is correct for style, but they are intentionally designed to be approachable beers. So even their IPAs are not terribly hoppy. They sometimes do more extreme small batch beers, but I'm not close enough to Boston to actually get any of those.

Different strokes.. I don't like anything New Belgium has ever made.
 
I am a fan of Boston Lager, but not many of their other brews. Some of the best beers I ever had in my life were from the tasting room on that brewery tour though. Man, I want to go back to Boston just for that.
 
First and foremost, you need to understand that breweries need to make beer that's popular with a wide audience. That means their standard beers aren't going to be wild, on-the-edge, or over-the-top brews.

I personally feel that 'craft beer' is being too defined by extremely hoppy/high ABV beers. There is more to beer than 'hop tea', or the current trend of ditch water looking 'NE IPAs'.
 
I can't say there are any bad Sam Adams beers I've had. There are ones that aren't great and some I just don't like but bad no. I find far more bad beer from your average mom and pop brewery than the big boys.

Ive never opened an infected can/bottle of sam adams but I've opened many infected cans of "craft" beer.
 
The_Bishop said:
First and foremost, you need to understand that breweries need to make beer that's popular with a wide audience. That means their standard beers aren't going to be wild, on-the-edge, or over-the-top brews.

I personally feel that 'craft beer' is being too defined by extremely hoppy/high ABV beers. There is more to beer than 'hop tea', or the current trend of ditch water looking 'NE IPAs'.
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I'm just happy that SA has toned down their Imperial everything movement. Especially their imperial soy sauce.
 
Questions?

If you don't like it, why do you buy SA beer then? Aren't there better choices out there you do like? How about your own homebrew?

I don't care for most SA beer either (anymore). There's so much better to be had nowadays, so I avoid it, it's simple. There are a few other breweries I just can't get into their beer either.
 
jekeane said:
Ive never opened an infected can/bottle of sam adams but I've opened many infected cans of "craft" beer.
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No kidding. I sent a letter to one of the companies and I don't think they took it seriously. It is exactly why I might as well just brew all my beer. At least I know it will be good.
 
TheMadKing said:
Their winter lager is also good, but it varies year to year since it's a seasonal. This year's was good.
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yep! i quite like their winter lager as well.

can't say that i had too many of their beers, i don't go out of my way to try them, unless the grocery store has 'em.


J.
 
I don't like sam adams because I remember their owner stating he wasn't an 'ipa guy' and that isn't what they make, from an interview. which is fine, I don't have a problem with that, (I don't like traditional Belgian beers and I don't ***** about it).

What I do have a problem with is the fact that 6 months later, not only did I see a couple of brand new sam adams ipas on my local shelves, i also saw a flippin mixed ipa pack from sam adams.... they obviously realized the huge market for ipas and decided they wanted to cash in on that money train. that is what bothers me to no end.

i realize this thread is about the taste of the beer, but there is something more important than taste when discussing beer, its character of the person/brewery brewing it. i love ipas, and ill be damned if i am going to support a brewery that 'doesnt like' ipas, yet still brews them.
 
Just because YOU don't like a beer from a certain brewery doesn't mean they produce bad beer. Put your home brew out there for every one to judge.
 
i don't much care for adjunct lagers so Boston lager is my "lawnmower beer". I always keep a 12 pack in the shop fridge because it's relatively inexpensive & (IMHO) a solidly crafted beer.
but most of Boston brewings other offerings I've tried have been pretty underwhelming.
 
Sam Adams makes some really nice beers, and they make some "just OK" beers. With any brewery, large or small, there will only be a fraction of their beers that hit it out of the park. That's the law of averages.
 
are we talking about on tap, or bottled? I've never found one of their bottled beers i'm excited about, although the plain old lager is at least drinkable. On top definitely better. OTOH, there are very few breweries that make anything I would rather drink than what I can make myself.
 
jekeane said:
Ive never opened an infected can/bottle of sam adams but I've opened many infected cans of "craft" beer.
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Who's beer are you drinking? It's safe to say I've drank a **** ton of craft beer and never had an infected one. I know it happens but for one man to have had "many".

I thought I had an infected fresh hop but it turned out my dad grabbed one of my buddies Brett beers that got put in a fresh hop bottle (painted label). Took a couple seconds to figure out what I had just drank.

Regarding SA, I can't remember the last time I bought one. Never found em to be bad, just not as good as other options. As others have said, they make a nice consistent approachable beer with significantly more flavor than any brewery larger than them produce. If it's not your style that doesn't mean it's bad, just that it's not your style.
 
I enjoy the Sam Boston Lager and Rebel IPA. Recently had their Hopscape and enjoyed that as well.

Can't bring myself to try their cherry wheat.
 
GPP33 said:
Who's beer are you drinking? It's safe to say I've drank a **** ton of craft beer and never had an infected one. I know it happens but for one man to have had "many".
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Beers from all over the country I have had cans with floaters and band aid phenols most commonly. Many barrel aged beers that I have let sit for awhile have come up quite questionable after a year. Just look to the Bourbon county debacle of last year for that. I am in a club that has a large amount of traders and collectors and unfortunately beers gone bad are not uncommon.
 
I guess everyone's tastes are just different. People like what they like. I happen to like some of Sam Adams offerings. I think their Rye is very balanced and just enough spice. I also like their Saison and some of their specialty beers when they offer them. Do I like others even more from other breweries, absolutely. But when I am in the mood for one of theirs they are pretty good. Just my 2 cents.

John
 
I can get behind SA too. I really like their Old Fezziwig. It's too bad you have to buy a whole Xmas time variety 12 pack just to get two of them. Other than that I like the standard Boston lager and Boston ale.
 
It's not my go-to brewery but I quite enjoy the majority of their line-up. Rebel Rouser, Grapefruit IPA, Cream Stout, Winter Lager, Hopflake IPA, Octoberfest, Pumpkin, Black Lager and probably more.
 
I don't think it gets treated well by a lot of distributors and liquor stores. At the brewery I was really surprised by fresh Boston lager, and they had an oyster stout that I actually enjoyed.

It also goes to show that it's good there is variety, as people enjoy different tastes.
 
One of the best beers I had in 2016 was fresh Boston Lager at the brewery in Boston. Insane how good it was.

Noble Pils is amazing as well. Oktoberfest... Many fantastic beers.

Maybe not "extreme" enough for the crafty, "snobby" beer lovers. Let's be honest. For people who appreciate all beer, they do fantastic stuff.
 
madscientist451 said:
They used to sell an "deconstructed" Latitude 48 IPA variety 12 pack. It had 2 beers with all the hops combined and 10 beers (two) each with the base beer and single variety hops. The EKG IPA was pretty good as well as the Mosaic and Hallertau Mittelfrueh. If they sold that again I'd buy it. And the Cream Stout.

http://brewpublic.com/uncategorized/samuel-adams-latitude-48-ipa-deconstructed-12-pack/
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That's an awesome idea. I might need to try that with my rye IPA.
 
I am not really saying anything new here, but...

I find Sam Adams to be pleasant and approachable, if not always mind-blowing. My parents didn't drink much when I was growing up, but when they would get beer, it was always Sam Adams, and so when I got older that's what I went to as a "known" brand. Drinking their Boston lager, summer ale, winter lager, and white ale (which I think either got replaced by or became Cold Snap) was how I first got interested in craft beer. I have nice memories of it and I still order it sometimes if the options are limited.

That said, they do make some stinkers...Chocolate cherry bock in the holiday sampler case, anyone?
 
jekeane said:
Beers from all over the country I have had cans with floaters and band aid phenols most commonly. Many barrel aged beers that I have let sit for awhile have come up quite questionable after a year. Just look to the Bourbon county debacle of last year for that. I am in a club that has a large amount of traders and collectors and unfortunately beers gone bad are not uncommon.
Click to expand...


Floaters and phenols are not infection, and barrel aged beers are oxidized intentionally. Everything you are describing sounds like beer that had been aged for way longer than it should have. Most beers do not benefit from cellering, the exceptions being barleywine and sours. I too have consumed hundreds of craft beers from all over the country and have never once seen an infected can/bottle. I HAVE had an Oscar Blues pilsner that was a couple years old because I didn't check the production date. It was nasty, and stale and cloudy, but that was the stores fault, and mine, not the brewery.
 

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