Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Samuel Adams LongShot series
Boston Beer Co., Boston
Samuel Adams holds a yearly homebrew contest for amateur brewers and its employees, brewing the three winners for national release in six-packs — two each of the top two amateur winners and the top employee-made homebrew.
This year features a nice style selection of a Belgian golden ale, raspberry Berliner weiss and a Flanders red ale.
My favorite was Nanzer’s Belgian Golden Ale, brewed by Kevin Nanzer, of Mountain View, Calif. This was the strongest of the bunch, with a 9.1% ABV. It featured soft, slightly sweet light malts with a hint of tartness in the background and a creamy mouthfeel.
The aroma was of berry fruit, clove and some pepper. The only downside to this beer was a tepid head. As I watched it expire almost immediately, I couldn’t help but think of all the Belgian beers I’ve had with huge, rocky, lasting heads.
I doubt this was the fault of Nanzer’s recipe or his own brewing, as the other two beers in this year’s sixer also suffered from heads that immediately gave up the ghost. Something didn’t translate right with Samuel Adams’ brewing of these three beers. I should note the carbonation of all three beers were fine.
Raspberry Berliner Weiss, from Tim Thomssen, of Lincoln, Neb., is based on the sourish Berliner weiss style. The poor head was really a surprise with this beer, since weiss beers are known for their prolific foam.
Maybe I’m spoiled by the intense fruit in Founders’ Rubaeus raspberry ale, but I didn’t catch much raspberry in the aroma of the weiss, and would have liked less lemon and more raspberry in the flavor.
The beer, despite its lack of head, was still well carbonated and puckery, and its 4% ABV made it a good thirst quencher.
Neighborino Flanders Red Ale, from Cincinnati-based Samuel Adams employee Colin Foy, had a 6% ABV and did a good job hitting the highlights of the style. It had the prickly carbonation, and aromas and flavors of cherry and raspberry.
The sour dominated the beer, as opposed to some examples that are a 50-50 split between sweet and sour. Again, this ale had poor head retention.
Samuel Adams has widespread distribution in the U.S., but the LongShot six-pack is a limited series. The brewery’s ZIP code-searchable beer finder link is located at the bottom of its home page.
Those interested in entering the next contest must do so between June 27 and July 22. Information can be found here.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns, click here.
