The only reason I bought this was because of the Long Shot competition. I bet it started as a great beer. but will be greatly reduced after Sam Adams gets hold of it.
Pours a deep coppery amber with a nice small-celled tan head. Nice bready smell to it, with no alcohol, a surprise for a 9% beer.
There's the alcohol. It's the biggest part of the taste, followed by a sickly sweet fruit taste. Not citrus, more dank.
I bet this was alright at the home brew competition, but here it's odd. Too much going on to be an old ale, I think.
Showing posts with label Boston Brewing Company. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Brewing Company. Show all posts
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Boston Brewing Company's Cream Stout
Well, it's early enough in the day to wash my mouth out thoroughly, so I figured I'd try this one from Sam Adams. This is where my compulsion to try every stout I see bites me in the ass.
Although it's fairly opaque in the glass, it pours kind of watery for a stout. Looks like a bock, almost, especially if any light shines on the glass. Thin tan head just kind of sits there.
Smells as much like a pale as it does a stout. Not roasted enough, and too hoppy. Also too lightly grainy.
Taste is much the same. The usual stout flavors are only in the aftertaste, and the feel is watery. Weak, all around.
If Budweiser made a stout, this is what it would taste like. No, Budweiser actually does a good job at what they do--they unabashedly make wimpy, light beers. Sam Adams pretends to be a craft brewer while making wimpy, light beers. The difference is huge.
Sure, I have a built-in bias against Sam Adams, so I'll be objective here: this beer sucks.
Although it's fairly opaque in the glass, it pours kind of watery for a stout. Looks like a bock, almost, especially if any light shines on the glass. Thin tan head just kind of sits there.
Smells as much like a pale as it does a stout. Not roasted enough, and too hoppy. Also too lightly grainy.
Taste is much the same. The usual stout flavors are only in the aftertaste, and the feel is watery. Weak, all around.
If Budweiser made a stout, this is what it would taste like. No, Budweiser actually does a good job at what they do--they unabashedly make wimpy, light beers. Sam Adams pretends to be a craft brewer while making wimpy, light beers. The difference is huge.
Sure, I have a built-in bias against Sam Adams, so I'll be objective here: this beer sucks.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Boston Brewing Company's Long Shot Cranberry Wit
Oh, man. Sweetheart, whoever you are, I am so sorry for what the artist did to your picture.
Other than that, this is the third in this year's Long Shot mixed pack. Hope it picks up.
Pours a hazy orangish yellow like a wit should, with a light tan head that is too big, telling me that it's probably throwing off a lot of the taste that should have stayed in the beer.
Smells like a maltier than normal wit. Slight yeasty but more bready that usual. No real cranberry smell to it, which may be a good thing because it is an indicator that they didn't go overboard in the fruit flavor, a mistake that most fruit beers make.
Well, it tastes more like a coors than anything. It has that hevaily adulturated malt flavor. The tartness of what may be the cranberry flavor seems to be what gives this beer the bitterness that it has. If it's from any degree of hops, it's way out of style for a wit. As it is, I guess it's not too bad because the tartness drowns out the plastic taste that most wits have.
Eh. Like most Sam Adams beers, it's just off. But that's OK with me in a wit, because it's just not my favorite style from the start. I felt compelled to try the Long Shot series, but I'm glad it's over until next year.
Other than that, this is the third in this year's Long Shot mixed pack. Hope it picks up.
Pours a hazy orangish yellow like a wit should, with a light tan head that is too big, telling me that it's probably throwing off a lot of the taste that should have stayed in the beer.
Smells like a maltier than normal wit. Slight yeasty but more bready that usual. No real cranberry smell to it, which may be a good thing because it is an indicator that they didn't go overboard in the fruit flavor, a mistake that most fruit beers make.
Well, it tastes more like a coors than anything. It has that hevaily adulturated malt flavor. The tartness of what may be the cranberry flavor seems to be what gives this beer the bitterness that it has. If it's from any degree of hops, it's way out of style for a wit. As it is, I guess it's not too bad because the tartness drowns out the plastic taste that most wits have.
Eh. Like most Sam Adams beers, it's just off. But that's OK with me in a wit, because it's just not my favorite style from the start. I felt compelled to try the Long Shot series, but I'm glad it's over until next year.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Boston Brewing Company's Long Shot Traditional Bock
Again, congratulations to the home brewer who won this year's Long Shot. It has to be an honor for the folks who won. And like the Long Shot DIPA, I'm sure your version that you sent in was better than what Sam Adams did to it.
I guess I could congratulate Sam Adams for not getting ground glass in the beer though. That's a step up.
Like I mentioned in the other Long Shot review, it had to be because as a general rule Sam Adams beers are complete bullshit. Barely better than Coors, except with the claim that they're craft beers they actually fall far short of what we all know Coors to be. If Coors claimed to be craft, they'd be a bigger liar than Sam Adams, but they don't. So Sam Adams is the biggest liar in the beer world.
I'm sure you disagree. So go write your own blog about what an idiot I am.
This one pours a good, clear, deep copper with the best head I've seen in a BBC beer, which is more surprising for a bock. It's not as big or pillowy as the Anchor Bock, and it does fade, but it's good. Good carbonation as well.
Smells good too. Slight raisin smell, but mostly a solid bread smell from the malt. So far, so good.
At first taste I was tempted to bag on it. It seems a bit too twangy but the style is broad enough for this one. Good malt flavor with a hint of alcohol that gets bigger as it warms. As it warms the twang subsides as well.
Good beer. I don't search out bocks, but this one would be one that I certainly wouldn't avoid.
I guess I could congratulate Sam Adams for not getting ground glass in the beer though. That's a step up.
Like I mentioned in the other Long Shot review, it had to be because as a general rule Sam Adams beers are complete bullshit. Barely better than Coors, except with the claim that they're craft beers they actually fall far short of what we all know Coors to be. If Coors claimed to be craft, they'd be a bigger liar than Sam Adams, but they don't. So Sam Adams is the biggest liar in the beer world.
I'm sure you disagree. So go write your own blog about what an idiot I am.
This one pours a good, clear, deep copper with the best head I've seen in a BBC beer, which is more surprising for a bock. It's not as big or pillowy as the Anchor Bock, and it does fade, but it's good. Good carbonation as well.
Smells good too. Slight raisin smell, but mostly a solid bread smell from the malt. So far, so good.
At first taste I was tempted to bag on it. It seems a bit too twangy but the style is broad enough for this one. Good malt flavor with a hint of alcohol that gets bigger as it warms. As it warms the twang subsides as well.
Good beer. I don't search out bocks, but this one would be one that I certainly wouldn't avoid.
Boston Brewing Company's Long Shot Double IPA
First off, congratulations to the home brewer who won this year's Long Shot. I can only imagine that having your beer adopted like this is something to brag about. And I'm sure your version that you sent in was better than what Sam Adams did to it.
It had to be, because as a general rule Sam Adams beers are complete bullshit. Barely better than Coors, except with the claim that they're craft beers they actually fall far short of what we all know Coors to be. If Coors claimed to be craft, they'd be a bigger liar than Sam Adams, but they don't. So Sam Adams is the biggest liar in the beer world.
I'm sure you disagree. So go write your own blog about what an idiot I am.
The reason I know this beer was probably better before Sam Adams got hold of it is that in some ways it's pretty darn good even after they did their thing to it. It pours a loosely filtered deep amber that is mostly opaque with a decent tan head. It's not as big as a beer this malty should be and it fades faster than it should, but it's at least there, which is unusual for a Sam Adams beer that's not in a TV commercial.
The heavier than average malt gives it a smell of a darker type of bread and it has a good grassy hops smell as well. If it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be a beer to look for again. But, of course, anything run through BBC (or more likely, one of their macro contract brewers), puts up a false pretense. It has an odd twang that shouldn't be here, and the grassy bitterness that starts out fairly strong disappears in a flash. You're then left with a cardboard type of bitterness that's indistinct and honestly just not where it should be for a DIPA.
There's a reason I avoid Sam Adams, except for the Long Shot beers, and this beer almost puts itself into a better category than BBC beers are in. It smells and initially tastes good, but in general suffers from the lack of follow through and substance that Sam Adams beers all have. Decent appearance... until the head disappears. Decent smell... until it warms. Decent taste... but just for a second.
Again, I would love to try this one out of the brewer's kegerator and it's a step up for Sam Adams. Maybe they'll hire this home brewer to give some substance to their regular offerings. Or at least stop lying about being a craft brewer.
It had to be, because as a general rule Sam Adams beers are complete bullshit. Barely better than Coors, except with the claim that they're craft beers they actually fall far short of what we all know Coors to be. If Coors claimed to be craft, they'd be a bigger liar than Sam Adams, but they don't. So Sam Adams is the biggest liar in the beer world.
I'm sure you disagree. So go write your own blog about what an idiot I am.
The reason I know this beer was probably better before Sam Adams got hold of it is that in some ways it's pretty darn good even after they did their thing to it. It pours a loosely filtered deep amber that is mostly opaque with a decent tan head. It's not as big as a beer this malty should be and it fades faster than it should, but it's at least there, which is unusual for a Sam Adams beer that's not in a TV commercial.
The heavier than average malt gives it a smell of a darker type of bread and it has a good grassy hops smell as well. If it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be a beer to look for again. But, of course, anything run through BBC (or more likely, one of their macro contract brewers), puts up a false pretense. It has an odd twang that shouldn't be here, and the grassy bitterness that starts out fairly strong disappears in a flash. You're then left with a cardboard type of bitterness that's indistinct and honestly just not where it should be for a DIPA.
There's a reason I avoid Sam Adams, except for the Long Shot beers, and this beer almost puts itself into a better category than BBC beers are in. It smells and initially tastes good, but in general suffers from the lack of follow through and substance that Sam Adams beers all have. Decent appearance... until the head disappears. Decent smell... until it warms. Decent taste... but just for a second.
Again, I would love to try this one out of the brewer's kegerator and it's a step up for Sam Adams. Maybe they'll hire this home brewer to give some substance to their regular offerings. Or at least stop lying about being a craft brewer.
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