Brent and Jamie came up to Boston for Labor Day weekend. On Saturday we took the Orange Line out to Jamaica Plain to go on the Sam Adams Brewery Tour, something I'd somehow managed not to do in my four years in Boston.
We got to the brewery and had to wait about an hour for an open tour, but in the meantime there were some exhibits to peruse and a couple beers to sample for the Beer Lover's Choice Vote. They've brewed two beers, an Irish Style Red Ale and a Dunkelweizen. I ended up voting for the Dunkelweizen.
702. Samuel Adams Sample A (Irish Style Red Ale)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: Irish Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy reddish with a foamy head. There are nice malty, caramel aromas. The taste is sweet, caramel malts upfront, that moves into a mild tartness. There's a light alcoholic bite and a mild bitterness. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
703. Samuel Adams Sample B (Dunkelweizen)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dunkelweizen, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown, with a sudsy, beige head. The aroma is of bananas, clove and some light roastiness. The flavors are the same: bananas, clove and roasted malts. The fruits linger long into the finish. Light-bodied, low carbonation.
The brewery tour was pretty standard. A brief spiel about the ingredients and process. Good information, but nothing you won't hear on almost every other brewery tour.
The tasting was what really surprised me. You get three samples in a glass that you get to keep. They started with Samuel Adams Boston Lager, not surprising, but they went through a brief description of the steps of tasting a beer. I haven't seen that on the other brewery tours that I've been on. The second beer was Samuel Adams Summer Ale, which I've had my fair share of. The third beer in the tasting was a limited release beer called Alchemist Ale.
703. Samuel Adams Alchemist Ale
This was described as a Czech Pils fermented with the house ale yeast. It's available on tap only at two Jamaica Plain bars and at the brewery.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Hybrid
Pours a crystal clear golden, with a dense white head. There's a resiny hop aroma, followed by grassy and grainy notes, and a light fruitiness. The taste is clean upfront, there's some light malt flavors before it moves into tart apple flavors. There's a light and lingering resiny hop bitterness as well as some residual sweetness in the finish. Light-bodied, high carbonation, crisp. Very drinkable and pretty refreshing.
We got to the brewery and had to wait about an hour for an open tour, but in the meantime there were some exhibits to peruse and a couple beers to sample for the Beer Lover's Choice Vote. They've brewed two beers, an Irish Style Red Ale and a Dunkelweizen. I ended up voting for the Dunkelweizen.
702. Samuel Adams Sample A (Irish Style Red Ale)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: Irish Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy reddish with a foamy head. There are nice malty, caramel aromas. The taste is sweet, caramel malts upfront, that moves into a mild tartness. There's a light alcoholic bite and a mild bitterness. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
703. Samuel Adams Sample B (Dunkelweizen)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dunkelweizen, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown, with a sudsy, beige head. The aroma is of bananas, clove and some light roastiness. The flavors are the same: bananas, clove and roasted malts. The fruits linger long into the finish. Light-bodied, low carbonation.
The brewery tour was pretty standard. A brief spiel about the ingredients and process. Good information, but nothing you won't hear on almost every other brewery tour.
The tasting was what really surprised me. You get three samples in a glass that you get to keep. They started with Samuel Adams Boston Lager, not surprising, but they went through a brief description of the steps of tasting a beer. I haven't seen that on the other brewery tours that I've been on. The second beer was Samuel Adams Summer Ale, which I've had my fair share of. The third beer in the tasting was a limited release beer called Alchemist Ale.
703. Samuel Adams Alchemist Ale
This was described as a Czech Pils fermented with the house ale yeast. It's available on tap only at two Jamaica Plain bars and at the brewery.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Hybrid
Pours a crystal clear golden, with a dense white head. There's a resiny hop aroma, followed by grassy and grainy notes, and a light fruitiness. The taste is clean upfront, there's some light malt flavors before it moves into tart apple flavors. There's a light and lingering resiny hop bitterness as well as some residual sweetness in the finish. Light-bodied, high carbonation, crisp. Very drinkable and pretty refreshing.
Labels: Boston Beer Company, Dunkelweizen, Irish Red Ale
