Buttery smoothness consumes subtle caramel-malted nuttiness and hop-seared barley toasting of moderate-bodied English ale. Sour dried fruits and piquant herbs consume Melba-toasted white-breaded off-dry finish.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
SAMUEL SMITH’S OATMEAL STOUT
Brown-sugared cocoa-buttered burnt caramel sweetness provides lusty opening salvo to paramount stylistic icon. Bitter coffee bean stead reinforces off-dry hop toasting. Maple-sapped oats and roasted chestnuts neatly justify smoked chocolate-mocha malting. Ubiquitous espresso undercurrent surges above dramatic barleywine intrigue. Full-bodied and frothy like a creamy eclair, yet never thick, heavy or sinewy; goes down like silk. In a class by itself.
SAMUEL SMITH’S NUT BROWN ALE
Samuel Smith churns out such world class brews is it any surprise this may be the best nut brown ale on the market? Rich mocha malt penetration, sweet yeast resonation and enduring chestnut finish retain crisp distinction. Maple-sugared honey-sapped hazelnut, pecan, and almond detected at backend. A shade lighter and less creamy than Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout.
SAMUEL SMITH’S INDIA ALE
Extremely hop-spiced Scotch-nosed IPA goes down easy considering full-bodied richness and wood-smoked burnt toast depth. Thick maple malts, fluctuating caramel jaunt, and cola nut saunter inform creamy butterscotch finish, creating chocolate-covered raisin illusion.
SAMUEL SMITH’S IMPERIAL STOUT
Arrogant nuttiness, bitter charred grain persistence, and stark molasses malt mustiness keep robust mahogany-bodied sienna-headed stout uniquely world class. Creamy chocolate-roasted maltose sweetness counters dry-hopped tobacco chew, pecan pie, cashew, and maple illusions to busy almondine-bourbon finish. By glorious comparison, not as frothy as Guinness Stout and less bitter than Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout. Essential.
SAMUEL ADAMS WINTER LAGER
Apprehensive winter seasonal brings dark bock essence and immutable fruity waft to malted wheat undercurrent, making this copper-hued ’97 batch better than its ’96 predecessor. Overripe raisin, tangy cherry, tart orange, and silken spices penetrate mildly creamy finish of tinnier autumnal ’03 version. 2010 version: Metallic front end depletes vegetal-spiced ginger snap, brown-sugared cinnamon-nutmeg fade, and mandarin orange zest for sour-creamed tangelo spicing to toasted bread spine. 2011: Phenol hop spicing and vegetal fruiting are problematic. 2017: Unspecific orange-peeled cinnamon and ginger spicing only casually sweetens the front end while peaty Scotch-daubed tobacco roast fades beneath fizzy carbolic spritz.
SAMUEL ADAMS WHITE ALE (2004)
Better version of preceding White Ale offers juicy citrus frontage, tangy ripe orange assertion, and sharp hop assurance for sunny-hazed Belgian-styled seasonal. Recurring grapefruit-lemon tartness buttressed by dry wheat bed and herbaceous-floral fling.
SAMUEL ADAMS WHITE ALE
Pale-hazed fluffy-headed Belgian-styled white ale features creamy malt frontage, fruity banana-grapefruit tartness, and tertiary mint-nutmeg tingle. Yeast residue and grain sediment at bottle bottom battles back spicy rose hips/ hibiscus contingent. Not peculiar enough and inessential.
SAMUEL ADAMS WEISS
Dry wheat spine mutes orange rind bittering and clove spicing for mellower German-styled brew that flattens out to watery sourdough midst. Billowy foam-headed moderation lacks sufficient hop explosion to carry it along to creamy butterscotch-dipped honey-toned finish.
SAMUEL ADAMS VIENNA STYLE LAGER
Sunset red medium bodied patriot weaves candied Vienna malts through sticky maple and butterscotch scheme. Moderate spiced hops support rosy orange-tangerine tang, but strident dry nut finish too mannered.
SAMUEL ADAMS TRIPLE BOCK
Devastatingly powerful, extremely complex triple bock to warm your spirits on a cold wintry night. In clear faded blue 8.4-ounce bottle with eye-grabbing 17% alcohol content, this creamy mahogany beauty opens with syrupy cherry-chocolate mouthfeel, sticky licorice fluctuation, and burnt caramel reticence rounded out by sugary medicinal tempest that’ll overpower novices post-haste. Slow sipping treat every bit as strong as indicated. Besides impairing eyesight, probably cures small aches and pains. Recommended over prescribed tranquilizers.
SAMUEL ADAMS SUMMERFEST ALE
On tap, quick berry fruitiness retains citrus-hopped fizz and ripe grapefruit-tangerine-orange blossom sweetness. Sunset orange turbidity matches thick yeast-malt concentration.