Sam Adams just came out with a new line of beers which come in large 22oz bottles and creative patches for the art. The bottle catches your eye with its size and looks. The beer doesn’t disappoint either. While it was high in alcohol at 8.5% it had a smooth after taste with some heat. While I was drinking it, whipped cream with chili in the mix came to mind. It has a nice malty taste that wasn’t over the top with a good mix of nuts and a touch of cinnamon.  The pour was also darker than I imagined with a thick creamy head and good aroma upon inspection.  I give it 4.5 out of 5 burps.

Sam Adams The Vixen

I recently bought a 12 pack of this beer on my way to Taos, NM. I was looking for something different and enjoy Blue Moon so I thought I would try another companies version of a Belgian White. Problem is the beer is bland. If someone were watering down Blue Moon, this is what it would taste like. Its not a terrible beer, but what appeals to me about Blue Moon, the Orange Peel simply is not strong enough. The beer comes off like a soft drink, a sierra mist if you will. Plenty of carbonation but short on flavor. 2 out of 5 burps.

Not sure if anyone else has had this happen but it bothered me enough to blog about it. I opened a new bottle of Sam Adams yesterday with a bottle opener and the cap came off with no problem. The problem was so did the lip of the bottle. Ive probably opened thousands of beers this way over the years and never had this happen before. See the image I included. Not sure what the cause of it was but I ended up with a shard of glass in my finger and a wasted beer. Fluke? or some manufacturing flaw? Sam Adams should bang on their glass suppliers door and see what is going on.

This beer comes in a short stock brown bottle with a sky blue label which seems so inviting I had to try one. They are brewed in Chico, CA and is moderately carbonated.  It has a pleasant subtle smell to it of malt and barley.  The flavor is where I get slightly short changed. I suppose not every brewer out there wants to make a nice rich tasting stout porter but this porter is a little more mild than my taste buds care for.  It leaves you wanting more flavor and the aftertaste is just too dry for me.  The bottle says it uses the highest quality ingredients and uses old world traditions. I am not clear exactly what that entails but I don’t think they used much brown malt.

Over all I would give it 3 out of 5 burps.

So I am reviewing this beer after having had 3 other beers tonight. Surprisingly they were all good and I am just now getting around to typing up a review. I like to do the review while it is fresh. Unfortunately my typing and eloquence start suffering after 3 beers. Shiner Black Lager is a very good beer. It is not overly carbonated and the taste is not too heavy. It is a moderate lager and doesn’t try to hit you hard with too much flavor. The malts are well balanced and proportional. It has a nice head on it and comes in a dark bottle with a black Jack Daniel’s looking label. Definitely a beer I would recommend if you want a smoother beer to drink with a milder malt flavor than some lagers.

3.5 out of 5 burps.

Saint Arnold Microbrewery is out of Houston, Tx, which, since I am a Texan, makes me proud. Unfortunately this particular beer doesn’t have a Texas sized taste to it. It has a lot of carbonization and a decent malty flavor to it but it lacks a real punch in the flavor area. The brew master seems to have held back on this beer in the flavor department. I am not saying it is a bad beer, it has a pleasant smell, but it is just too bland and unidimensional. Overall I would rate it 2.5 burps out of 5.

Hornby’s Hard Cider is not quite beer but I does go through a similar process.   It is a pale amber color and light on carbonization with not much of a head.  It is a really easy cider to drink , if you’re into that sort of thing.   Its has a mildy sweet flavor of apples to it and an easy aftertaste.  I would recommend this to anyone who is not much of a bitter beer fan and likes sweeter fair such as white wines.

Over all 3 out of 5 burps.

Fat Tire Amber Ale is brewed by New Belgium Brewing out of Colorado. It is a light clear amber in color and has a mildly sweet smell to it. It has a decent head but not too much.  The real suprise is the flavor. It is a well balanced blend of malt and hops. You aren’t left with a bitter aftertaste or a feeling that the beer is too heavy.  This is my first foray with this beer and I am quite pleasantly impressed with the overall richness and flavor. I definitely would recommend this to anyone looking for a new flavor to try.

4 out of 5 burps.

While I like to go into stores that allow me to purchase different varieties of beers by the single, I stumbled across a Samuel Adams 6 pack which has 3 different beers in it. So I am reviewing the first one out of the box.  Sam Adam’s Brown Ale is a pleasant surprise.  It is a richer ale with a nice malt flavor, and a sweet aftertaste, but that turns tart after a few swigs.  It has a nice head to it and a touch of caramel and other flavors. I think the issue I have with the beer is it is not something I could consume more than one or 2 of at a time. It is too malty for my taste and seems to overload my taste buds quickly like running a wooden Popsicle stick over my tongue one time too many.  It is not too carbonated and has a nice dark full body. All in all I would rate it 3 out of 5 burps.

Samuel Adams beer is a pretty mainstream beer for a “micro brewery”. I bought mine at Target here in Texas. The lager beer is pleasant in taste and has a sweet aftertaste with a nice hint of citrus fruit. I would definitely recommend this beer as a great stepping stone for people who are tired of the watered down version of American beer. That being said I also think this beer is a little too mild for my particular taste. It also has a lot of carbonization. I would rate it 3.5 burps out of 5.