Samuel Adams Winter Lager - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Groomsy

Kentucky

3.73/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review taken from notes, consumed on Nov. 3, 2010.

12 oz. bottle marked with freshness date of March 2011; poured into a mug.

Appearance: Absolutely beautiful in my eyes - pours a very sexy red/ruby color with a very solid 1-finger beige/tan head, although I could have maybe poured this a little harder. It leaves some very good lacing at first down the glass, but the head dissipates to a few millimeters (though it sticks around) and leaves only some minimal spots down the mug. Looks like a beer from a dream.

Aroma: I actually find the aroma a little hard to discern, it took some concentration. But when I was able to narrow it down, the malts were the first thing that blasted my nose, especially caramel/toffee; this beer is loaded with them. I also detected some spices like cinnamon and even a little bit of orange in there as well. Hop aroma is there, very earthy, but not nearly as prevalent as it could be. Weak, but promising for what it is.

Taste: The taste starts off with a strange but inviting mixture of tangy orange peel and roasted malts, with flavors of caramel being the most evident. The malts really dominate in the beginning here. There's just a bit of earthy hop bitterness in the middle as well, followed by some cinnamon and almost a sugary dough type of taste in the finish, which is dry and crisp. The alcohol in this brew almost overwhelms the taste, but not quite. Very warming and hearty with some spices going down. Wonderful taste here.

Mouthfeel: There's a ton of carbonation in this beer which brings out the various flavors, and going down, the beer isn't overwhelming, but it's pretty thick and creamy. I guess the word would be "heavy"; this is a beer to handle gently. It finishes on a slightly bitter/alcoholic note.

Drinkability: Definitely a good beer with wonderful flavor, but I couldn't slam these down. This is a beer to enjoy on a slow night while having conversation with friends and is definitely a "sipper" type of brew. I couldn't imagine having more than 2 or 3 in one sitting, no matter how wonderful the flavor is.

A great seasonal from Sam Adams, and a solid way to dive into the Winter Variety pack. Enjoy this one and savor it.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 03:42:17 | More by Groomsy

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