Samuel Adams New Albion Ale - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Tone

Missouri

3.58/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear, gold color. 5/4 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of sweet malt, strong pale malt, slight hop, hint of rice, hint of lemon, and a hint of sugar. Fits the style of an American Pale Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and clean, with a low carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, pale malt, slight rice, and slight hop. Overall, great appearance, decent aroma, feel, and body; light and session-able.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 13:43:24 | More by Tone

spokeydonkey

New York

2.95/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass. Pale yellow and crystal clear with many fine bubbles and almost no head.

Smells vaguely of citrus and grain. very subtle.

Tastes grainy and bitter. Only slight citrus hop flavor. Remings me of a slightly amped up pilsener. Very crisp and clean with a touch of citrus. Not what I'd call a pale ale.

Mouth feel is light and very crisp from the carbonation.

Overall its a nice crisp beer but not much about it stands out. I can see how it was innovative back in the day but it doesn't stand up well to modern versions of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 01:47:43 | More by spokeydonkey

TeamMathis

West Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Clear, orangish yellow.
Smell: Not much of one. Smells like a cheaper beer. Floral and maybe just a touch of citrus.
Taste: Floral and citrusy. A touch of honey perhaps.
Mouthfeel: Spritsy carbonation. Crisp, and somehow watery.

This historical name doesn't really deliver with this Sam Adams remake. Nor is this a good example of an American Pale Ale. The smell and taste doesn't really offer a lot. The taste is a cross between flowers and a distant, citrus something. The floral part improves as the drink warms. However, the over-all experience is very shallow. The crispness is refreshing, but the taste and smell are quite lacking. It is more like carbonated water than an APA. Do not drink this cold. I would not get this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 01:33:54 | More by TeamMathis

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on 2013-04-05 in Warsaw, IN

A - Clear yellow with a 3-finger pillowy white head and good lacing.

S - Rising white bread, light citrus and hop floral. Pleasant.

T - Sour dough bread, tart apple, some sweetness, pepper, herbal. Finish is a decent blend of light malt, pepper and lingering bitterness. Not very complex but enjoyable.

M - Fairly light body, medium carbonation, a bit creamy but finishes dry.

O - Decent. Glad I got to try this historic-influenced pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 22:15:14 | More by Tucquan

bmwats

Louisiana

3.51/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a hand glass.

A: Dark hay color. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, white head. Lots of effervescence continually matriculating to the surface. Plenty of beer ring lacing and a nice foamy blanket.

S: Pungent sourdough bread. Not much else.

T: Bready, rubbery sort of flavor. Pungent and a little bitter.

M: Light and crisp, but a bit of a syrupy feel. Bitter and pungent character lingers throughout. A little of a dry finish.

D: Easy sipping beer, not quite a session style.

Atmosphere is pretty good. Nice body, with lots of active carbonation, a really nice head, and plenty of lacing. Nose is simple but distinct. Flavor is rubbery, sour bread. Bitter and dry. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 22:20:42 | More by bmwats

teromous

Virginia

2.83/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Almost completely transparent, with a light gold body. Tons and tons of visible carbonation leading to a huge white head.

S: Not much nose at all. I get a light floral and herbal scent, but it's extremely faint.

T: Very light pine taste, and faintly bready. Mild bitterness which works well for the style. Really not that impressive.

M: Watered down and light bodied.

O: Overall I wasn't impressed with the beer at all. The overall flavor is just way too light. The hop and malt flavors seem balanced, but they are a distant memory in the background of this beer. I really can't recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 20:30:23 | More by teromous

tdm168

North Carolina

3.56/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - clear, golden orange with a thick, soft cap of foamy, white head that has good retention

S - sweet and citrusy with hints of orange zest

T - very faint malt, citrus, some light grapefruit and orange zest, mild piney bitterness in the finish

M - medium bodied, crisp, a tad overcarbonated

This is a decent, refreshing pale ale. The flavor profile doesn't demand a lot from the palate, but it offers just enough hop character to seem creative. This would be a nice beer to have on hand when you're trying to watch the game and relax, but it'll probably disappoint most in its simplicity.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 01:12:52 | More by tdm168

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.65/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a lightly hazed light amber-yellow color with a nice thick and billowy just off white head. The head fades very slowly over time leaving a fantastic level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The smell is rather light overall but consists of some notes of a grainy and bready nature as well as some aromas of a a light citrus and herbal hop smell.

Taste – The taste begins with a good bready and grainy base mixed with a lighter sweetness of caramel and some light fruit of an orange nature. Flavors of some yeast and a bit of spice are present in the beginning as well with them persisting almost entirely to the end. More toward the middle of the taste some citrus hop starts coming to the tongue, with the caramel and fruit flavors dwindling a bit. The citrus hop fades more toward the end of the taste, but is replaced by other hop flavors of a floral and herbal nature. In the end a rather crisp and clean lightly hopped grainy flavor is left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer is on the lighter to average side in its creaminess as well as carbonation. Both create a very nice crisp feel on the tongue and are nice for creating a very drinkable and refreshing beer while keeping a good level of flavor.

Overall- A very enjoyable and refreshing brew. It contains a lot of characteristics of a lager (crispness and graininess) with some flavors of a more hefeweizen nature (yeast, citrus, and spice). Tasty and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 01:47:24 | More by Darkmagus82

Kendo

New York

3.39/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from the bottle into a Harpoon pint glass. Body is pale golden with a small white head. Lots of visible carbonation.

S: Bready with some fruit and florally/perfumey scents. Not terribly stong in the nose, and certainly not big on the hops by modern APA standards.

T: Not really a lot going on, to be perfectly honest. Some bread doughy malt, generic fruity sweetness and a touch of lemony hops at the finish. A bit of lingering sweetness on the palate. Doesn't seem to be too far removed from a basic lager, both in appearance (yellow, white head) and taste.

M: Light-to-medium in heft with active, prickly carbonation.

O: I can see how this would have shaken things up a bit back in the day - I remember a lot of the "first round" of what we called back then "micro brews" from the early '90s (I drank a lot of Pete's, Rhinochasers, and others), and this brings me back to that time frame somewhat; I could see how this would be an easy "transition beer" into a different world of beer. But by today's standards, this one wouldn't really register as much of an APA. Still, it's inoffensive and easily quaffed.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 00:30:20 | More by Kendo

weonfire

Kentucky

2.63/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Clear opaque golden, inch of light white head, good amount of lacing. carbonation rising from bottom.

S - Crispness, german hops, dry

T - Initially: Grain, barley, biscuity, malt. Finish: is a dry, malty with bitterness of 2/10

M - Moderately frothy, light body, dry

O - I applaud this beer for blazing the American Pale Ale trail. That being said, I would not be drinking beer if this was the only option around. Flavor is minimal at best, nose isn't any better. This reminds be of my first sip of beer ever: Lowenbrau.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 19:08:06 | More by weonfire

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

2.23/5  rDev -34%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

A-Pours a pale yellow with a thin fizzy white head that leaves no lacing.

S-musty, malty, with just a hint of citrus hops-it smells like a lager

T-Balanced between citrus hops and malt that is graham cracker/biscuity. Not a strong flavor, but it tastes more like a well made all malt lager.

M-kind of thin and watery

D-you could drink this all day as it has a light body and good flavor with an average abv.

Overall thoughts: I almost didn't review this beer because I didn't want to rate it since its rating was going to be so low. I can't imagine what it would have been like to drink this in its time, I'm sure that would have been a revolutionary experience. However, against today's pale ales it just doesn't match up. My scoring does not do this beer justice in terms of its importance to the industry. This is a must try for craft beer lovers for its pure historical value and importance. It tastes much more like an all malt lager than a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 00:17:50 | More by thegodfather2701

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I was excited to try this one. I love what Pretty Things is doing with old recipes and this should be good too.

Pours a nice creamy but bubbly looking 1 finger head that tries to fade pretty quickly but keeps getting reinforced by bubbles streaming from the etch at the bottom of the SA PP glass, crystal clear toasty golden wheat colored beer.

Nose is somewhat reminiscent of Boston Lager, a light crisp malty base, but minus the lager itself, a bit of a cracked straw and doughy malt, and some nice hops, grassy and floral with faint lemongrass, light cracker grainy malt.

Taste brings malts out front again, nothing big though, a crisp lighter side drinking beer. Malts with a mild sweetness, little cracker doughy again and some toasty straw kinda thing but much lighter than the nose, and even a little chewy like. THen hops, plenty of them, grassy and chewy with a little floral and even bit earthy, and fair bitterness that ramps on the finish. The dry finish brings a little more cracker malt flavors and a decently bitter slightly earthy spicy grassy hop profile. A little crisp and fairly clean with very mild yeast flavor late on the finish too, and a faint slightly skunky taste that seems to stick somewhere on the back end of the finish.

Mouth is med bodied, tons of carb maybe a bit too much.

Overall not bad, a decent beer aside from the faint skunky thing going on there. Nice hop profile, decent malts, decent balance, overall pretty good minus the one off flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 23:43:27 | More by jlindros

metter98

New York

3.46/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: The beer is slightly hazy light yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high white head that took a long time to die down, leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacy rings of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of grainy malts in the nose along with notes of floral and grassy hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that it also exhibits some hints of herbal hops. A very slight amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink. Although the Cascade hops seem a bit muted compared to today's standards, this beer is definitely in a league of its own if you compare it to the other beers that were available during the New Albion Brewing Company era in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 00:55:37 | More by metter98

rlee1390

Indiana

3.61/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear orange, little carbonation, one finger head that doesn't last long.

S-Bland, wheat, bread. not much else. Nose resembles a pils more than anything.

T-Step up from the nose. Bread and grass with mild bitterness. Balance is nice.

M-Medium bodied, nicely carbonated, easy drinking.

O-Glad that SA made this beer for the history associated with it, but at the end of the day a boring beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 23:59:16 | More by rlee1390

jtierney89

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -26%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Gold clear color with about a finger of white head which fades fast. Not much on the nose besides sweet grain.

Medium bodied, bright crispness. Nice light biscuity sweetness and brightness turns slightly buttery and toasty. Flowery hop presence which accentuates the taste of the alcohol in this very lightly flavored beer.

It's extremely refreshing but rough on the finish with detectable alcohol and hop presence that only contributes a perfume flavor. Hop bitterness is non existent, lingering sweetness. I get the idea behind this beer but recipes change and different beers become popular over time for a reason. This is just too mild for today's craft palate, even for those who can appreciate a mild flavored beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 23:35:34 | More by jtierney89

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

New Albion Ale

LOOK: Pours a rich golden color, white foam cap that has some longevity. Little lacing on the pint.

SMELL: Standard aroma of a clean grainy maltyness.

TASTE: Biscuity pale malts are the primary flavor, with a light herbal hop touch. A touch of tangy yeast, and quite bready. Lager like, but very clean and refreshing.

FEEL: Light bodied, with a fullness of malt providing good depth. This is a well brewed beer.

OVERALL: A simple, straightforward beer, but not without its merits. A 12 pack of this in a cooler during the summer sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 22:11:12 | More by Stinkypuss

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle. best before July 2013.

A: mostly clear, but there may actually be a minor haze to this brew. head is bright white and super frothy. retention is great. good lacing.

S: big time malty sweetness. muted, but present, bitterness. hop aroma is non-existent. bummer.

T: sweet, a lot of malt sweetness. almost seems like simple sugar here. hop bitterness is there too, but no hop flavor.

M: carb is super mellow/moderate. medium bodied ale.

D: not exactly sure the last time I had a Budweiser but I feel like this brew is pretty similar. this thing has a lot more to do with a lager than an American pale.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 03:20:12 | More by Jimmys

MCain04

Illinois

3.41/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Gift from BostonRyan, thanks bro, 12 oz bottle poured into an oversized DFH snifter.

A: Clear straw yellow with 1 finger of pure white head, average retention and lacing.

S: Pale malts, some grassy hops, not too aromatic though.

T: Clean and crisp tasting, almost lager-like, pale malts are present and some hops, but not a lot of bitterness or true flavor. A little stale.

M: Clean and crisp, as above, dryer than expected, thin body.

O: I would drink this again over BMC stuff if offered, but probably wouldn't purchase it. Sam Adams has far better offerings.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 02:34:21 | More by MCain04

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.24/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from Premier Gourmet. Fairly basic pale ale, lagerish. Yellow bodied with a small amount of white head. Medium mouthfeel. Very mild bitterness. OK drinkability. A small cut above a macro beer. This would have been above average 30 years ago or so.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 01:44:02 | More by northyorksammy

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.21/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

From the 12. fl. oz. bottle.Sampled on March 15, 2013.

It pours a slightly hazy pale yellow with a fizzy white head that lingers. It looks like it should.

The aroma is mostly of grains and bread with a slight hop ester dancing in the background. It smells more like a pilsner.

The body is about medium and astringent.

The taste is much like the aroma with an immediate grain note that eventually evolves into a solidly bitter finish. The finish does not linger. This is said to be based on an original 1980's recipe. By today's standards it is a rather bland and typical pale ale. I did not start drinking crafts until about 1986 or 1987 but I expect I would have been more impressed when it first came out.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 23:19:57 | More by puboflyons

patpbr

Ohio

3.64/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is light, a faint amber with not much in the way of head. Nice hop and malt aromas. I noticed malt first but mixed in with a lot of hop. Not a lot of noticeable flavors. A medium body thy finishes clean. I was lead to believe this was a special beer from a different time, turns out Sam Adams makes this one now.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 01:00:57 | More by patpbr

jmbranum

Oklahoma

4.5/5  rDev +33.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I remember reading about the original brewery from Michael Jackson's field guide to beer, so I was quite excited to get to try this remake of a classic.

Pours a bright, clear gold liquid with a very generous white head. Lots of grain and spices in the aroma.

The taste is crisp and complex. Sweeter than I expected but very well balanced. It reminds me of either an English pale ale or maybe a toned down Belgian farmhouse beer. Very distinctive mix of hops and spices. I also am reminded of Anchor steam beer.

Despite the name, it is not an APA. Compared to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, the hops are much more subdued and seems more like an English pale ale. Nice biscuit-like maltyness.

Medium smooth mouthfeel.

Overall, a very well-balanced beer. I will buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 19:54:57 | More by jmbranum

ktblue22

Vermont

3.9/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Had this beer in a flight of 5 other of my favorites - this was the one I hadn't tried, and it was extremely surprising!! Most of the surprise came from the fact that I was expecting an APA and it tasted very very similar to a Saison or Farmhouse style....so it was a shitty APA but I thought a very pleasing beer, which is sometimes why I try to blind taste beer - its crazy how much pre-conception can hinder or alter our first-taste perception of craft beer.

A - milky, cloudy banana yellow
S- yeasty and banana - very pleasant
T - so saison/hefeweizen! Yummy, lots of banana and slight clove. Milkiness and sweet banana hop were the leading flavors. Would totally order this on tap on a summer day
M - medium bodied with a grittiness that I appreciate in a hefeweizen - again, not sure why this is labeled as an APA -but I liked the beer overall

O - I love the story about this beer and continue to appreciate what Koch does for his community and the craft beer community as well, if you don't know it you should look it up!

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2013 19:38:00 | More by ktblue22

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.49/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter

A: Light amber with a half finger head that dissipates pretty fast to light bubbles. Not much lacing.

S: Honey, malts

T: Light malts, tangy, honey, caramel. Smooth, easy going. A light, bitter finish.

M: Medium with decent carbonation.

O: Better than I expected. Glad I got to try this springboard for craft beer. For an old guy, this beer went down easy. Wouldn't mind another.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 16:33:53 | More by brewskifan55

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Single purchased at Liquor Outlet, Boonton, NJ.

Poured into my Sam Adams Lager glass. Tremendous carbonation streams. Two fingers of snow white micro-bubbles. Pale golden body, good clarity with a bit of haze. Minimal lace.

Grassy hay aroma, more like a helles than a modern pale/blonde/golden ale.

Light sweet malt beginning. Noble hop nip at the swallow. Clean finish.

Light bubbly mouthfeel.

A nice easy drinking piece of history.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 03:06:21 | More by RonfromJersey