Tonight IÂ’m reviewing a beer by another company IÂ’ve never reviewed before, Samuel Adams. IÂ’ve never been a huge Sam Adams fan, but when I went to the store they were the only winter beer they had that I hadnÂ’t already sampled. Thus leaving us Samuel Adams Winter Lager as the choice.

It comes in a 12 oz brown bottle. This one has the signature of Samuel Adams cast on the bottle where it starts to narrow into the neck. The main label is done in blue and white with the name of the beer taking up much of the label. There is a small picture of Samuel Adams hoisting a stein at the bottom. Four snowflakes also grace the label.

When poured into a glass you can appreciate the nice dark amber color. Light passes through the body easily; there is no cloudiness at all. It poured almost no head at all. I even tried to pour it so as to create more head just so I could discern the color. What filmy head that did form quickly faded to nothing. There isnÂ’t even a ring around the edge of the glass.

There is a nice caramel malt scent to the beer. ItÂ’s not very strong, but it is the only prominent scent you can get. If you concentrate you get a hint of prunes or plums. The scent of alcohol can also be detected. When drank, the flavor is much like the scent. Caramel malts are the primary flavor with just a touch of prunes and a slight hop bitterness that finishes well. The aftertaste is very mild and doesnÂ’t last very long.

It is a medium bodied beer with a light carbonation to it. ItÂ’s very easy to drink and would probably go well with most holiday meals. At 5.8% alcohol by volume itÂ’s surprising at how mellow it really is.

Overall this beer pleasantly surprised me. I thought it was well worth the drink and wouldnÂ’t mind drinking another. Overall IÂ’m giving this a 6 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:52 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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To continue with the Winter Themed beers, tonight I tried Celebration Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. IÂ’ve never reviewed a beer by this company; in fact IÂ’m not sure IÂ’ve ever had a beer brewed by them in the past.

A very festively dressed 12 oz brown bottle is the delivery method. The label has a nice winter scene of a cabin with red flowers around it. The label just screams, “HAPPY HOLIDAYS!” The neck label, also very festive… has the year of the beer on it as well as a little story about making winter brews.

The beer has a nice copper and orange color to it. There isnÂ’t a hint of cloudiness to it at all. The only thing that obstructs the view is the carbonation bubbles. A thin off-white head is produced that fades quickly to a film on top of the beer. There is some lacing, but not much.

On the first scent the nose is assaulted with the scent of hops. A slight citrus and spice scent can also be detected. The combination almost gives the beer a pine scent. The taste is much like the smell. The bitterness of the hops overpowers the rest of the flavors. You can barely taste anything else. The aftertaste is much of that of pine. ItÂ’s so bitter itÂ’s difficult to drink.

It is a medium bodied beer with a normal carbonation level. There is a nice smoothness in the mouth. It coats the mouth and throat; unfortunately that coating helps the taste to linger.

I was really hoping for a nice somewhat spicy winter or Christmas ale, this however is more like a bitter IPA than anything else. The scent is overpowering and the taste is almost overwhelming. Over all I have to give this a 1.5 out of 10.

Now if you excuse me I'm going to go gargle with Jack Daniels to get the taste out of my mouth.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:10 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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As Christmas Season is upon us and it was my GrandmotherÂ’s favorite time of the year, IÂ’ve decided that IÂ’m dedicating tonightÂ’s review to her memory. Actually IÂ’m going to stick with the theme all month and do nothing but Christmas style beers for the next three weeks. Tonight we are starting off with Christmas Ale by the Great Lakes Brewing Company.

The standard 12 oz brown bottle once again graces us with its presence. The label is black. In white lettering at the top is the name of the brewing company and at the bottom is the name of the beer. In the middle in a gray square is a green toy train car holding red Christmas ornaments. There is short description of the beer on the label as well. It brags a sturdy 7.5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV).

It has a nice dark copper color with a slight amber hue. The body is clear with no sign of cloudiness. A quarter inch off white head formed when poured into the glass. The head faded into a film on the top of the beer. It left some lacing on the side of the glass, but not a lot.

Cinnamon is the first scent you notice to this beer. There is a mixture of raisins, ginger and honey also noticeable. A touch of coffee malts can also be smelt. The taste starts off with a strong cinnamon flavor that is followed by ginger, honey and coffee malts. The flavor covers the higher 7.5% ABV. The combination leaves no doubt in your mind that this is a Christmas beer.

ItÂ’s a medium bodied beer. The carbonation gives a little bite to the tongue, but not much. With the higher ABV, one would think it would affect the drinkability of this beer, but it really doesnÂ’t.

ItÂ’s a little sweeter then I normally like, but itÂ’s not a bad beer. I donÂ’t know if I would go out of my way to buy it for anything other than maybe a Holiday party, but I definitely wouldnÂ’t turn one down if it were offered to me. IÂ’m going to rate this a 4.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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