Samuel Adams Alpine Spring - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

clayrock81

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a cloudy orangish gold with good two-finger head and lace. Smell was typcial of a Sam Adams light beer of this style - citrusy, hoppy, not much else as spices and malts are pushed into the background. Taste is more of the same as I enjoyed drinking this, although partly b/c it's easy to drink and goes down smooth. Hops provide a nice bite, and there are some discernible citric/spice hop notes, but this isn't too complex and I can't really say any sweetness from the malts arrives for balance (although I'm not going to call this beer bitter or watery b/c there is some balance).

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2012 16:18:15 | More by clayrock81

yecklmj05

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The taste of spring in a bottle. With this releasing right upon the cusp of the Spring season in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, it gives the person partaking a smell and taste of a fresh mountain spring. This beer is light, crisp, & smooth. When poured correctly (from a bottle) there is a slight haziness that many beer drinkers welcome. Overall, an above average beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2012 16:04:29 | More by yecklmj05

iSip

Colorado

3/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sam Adams Alpine Spring: This was the Sam Adams on tap selection at a resort in Phoenix. It has a cloudy honey color with a pure white head that fades quickly. No aroma of note. The flavor is light and fresh, predominately citrus. No carbonation, but I had it on tap, so you never know how fresh the keg was. A good choice for easy summer consumption.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 15:14:09 | More by iSip

Dave1999

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Came in the glass a cloudy yellow with a small white head.

The smell was of citrus hops and malts. Not particularly strong but pleasant none the less.

The taste was light and crisp. Some citrus from the hops but quite subtle.

This had light feel to it with a nice level of carbonation.

This was the first beer I've had in this style and I liked it. I'd recommend this if you fancy something a bit different.

Edit. Tried this again in a bottle was no way near as good.I'd give this maybe a 3 in the bottle,big difference.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2012 18:33:44 | More by Dave1999

kylehay2004

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Single finger thick foam head with lots of lacing on a cloudy light golden body. Strong floral notes on the nose, grass as well. Flavor is also fairly floral with lots of lemon and orange peel. Medium body and moderate to high carbonation. Overall drinkable. Not too complex. A decent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2012 01:25:26 | More by kylehay2004

stewart124

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

At first I thought the bartender brought me the wrong beer. This looked so cloudy and orange.

Some floral notes and straw in the nose.

More straw characters and light bread come through in the overall character with a slight sweetness and yeasty goodness. I expected this to be a hellos and be filtered then when I saw the style posted on here as keller bier it made more sense. As I mentioned this came off as being sweeter and not a dry as anticipated but that may be a result of the yeast and that it was unfiltered.

Fairly decent overall but it didn't knock my socks off or have my asking for another.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2012 00:38:31 | More by stewart124

nickfl

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - poured with one finger of white foam on a slightly hazy, dark golden body. The head settles at an average pace and leaves nice lace.

S - a slightly spicy aroma of honey and malt with some herbalhops in the background.

T - lightly sweet malt up front with some spicy hops and lemony notes in the middle. finishes with notes of honey, malt and pepper.

M - medium thick body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly dry finish.

D - light and drinkable, a good spring beer that almost comes across as an american wheat.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2012 01:16:42 | More by nickfl

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazed golden blonde color, akin to a wit, light, fluffy pillow of head, moderate retention. Scent is pale and leads with citrus, blends with some lightly sweet and faintly doughy malts and yeasts, hints of floral hops come through later in the scent. Taste leads with quick note of watery citrus, lightly floral notes, light doughy bready kicks off the malt and yeast profile, some faint caramel also present. Lighter side of medium bodied, somewhat watery towards the end. A good flavored crowd pleaser, which is what most of Sam's seasonals have become.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2012 17:43:04 | More by rfgetz

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.3/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from session notes.

A. Very cloudy golden amber in color with a one finger fluffy head
that lasts for about a minute and presents some mediocre lacing.

S. Mild floral hopping nose.

T. Some minty herbal hopping is present. Also, there is a crisp lemon peel tone with some mild breadiness.

M. Light carbonation and body.

Not very complex but it does what it says on the tin, so to speak, so I can't really fault it for that. I would have liked a bit more aroma and some more interesting malt flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 23:47:29 | More by WastingFreetime

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a: This was a cloudy starw color. It was served to me with a small, firm, frothy cap.

s: Somewhat musty lemons and rough grains.

t: Kind of chalky overall with muted, leafy citrus, sof bananas, and a lightly tart grain flavor.

m: Soft and fairly full bodied.

o: I don't know enough to say if this is true to stlye, but it did seem kind of watered down to me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2012 23:04:05 | More by DIM

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass at the Cloverleaf Tavern.

Sam Adams Alpine Springs pours a hazy dark yellow that's almost orange in color. There's about a finger of white foam that crowns the beer, displaying good head retention and leaving a bit of lacing behind. The nose is pretty solid carrying notes of crisp bready malts and lemon zest. The malt in the flavor profile is still definitely bready, but it's a bit more rounded and chewy than in the aroma. There's a light wave of bitterness that comes through mid palate before some floral and lemon-focused citrus flavors provide a nice finish. The beer is nice and full bodied, but the accompanying carbonation is just a little too prickly on my tongue. Alpine Spring is a fairly straightforward beer, but the combination of pale ale like hoppiness, and the smooth maltiness of a traditional lager, results in a tasty, easy-drinking beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2012 18:32:33 | More by axeman9182

MattU

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Bombay Bicycle Club.

Was unfortunately brought to me in a frosty mug.

Once the frost from the mug was wiped off appeared a brilliantly clear straw color with a 1 finger white head.

The aroma is fairly floral with bits of biscuity malt and a light hop spiciness.

Taste was similar to that of the nose. Clean malt background accompanied by a faint floral character and slightly spicy hops. The beer is overall more malt focused with a light sweet malt taste upfront that ends in a dry and slightly cracker like finish.

Mouthfeel is what you'd expect for a helles bock, ample carbonation and somewhat thin.

Overall one of the better beers that I've had from Sam Adams. While its nothing bold or surprising its the perfect beer on a warm Texas spring day.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2012 22:10:06 | More by MattU

57md

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is straw-like and cloudy with a finger of head that lingered a bit and left a touch of lacing on the glass. The nose is lemony with some mild hops. The taste is refreshingly light without being thin. The semi-dry finish was the highlight of this offering.

This beer would be nice for sessioning when playing hookie from work on warm spring days.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 06:31:21 | More by 57md

DocJitsu

California

3.98/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a honey gold with a white, creamy head. Strong head retention. Orange and lemon zest and banana bouquet. Soft, slick mouthfeel with prevalent citrus. Finishes with a mild lemon banana. Fun, summery beer. Could Boston Brewing actually be answering the call of their years long undeserved hype?

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 00:00:05 | More by DocJitsu

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ontap at The Sandlot in Morris IL.

Very nice golden color, slightly hazy, bright white foamy head. Really impressive retention and lacing.

Smells of some good sweet malt, like pilsner and crystal perhaps? There is a a pleasant, well-balanced hop note here-- mainly lemony, grassy, and floral.

The flavor is exactly like the nose-- very nicely balanced with a smooth toasty sweet malt and a mild bitterness at the backend.

Feel is light an well-carbonated. If this were in cans, this would be a PERFECT summertime beer for out on the boat. Highly drinkable, tasty, and flavorful enough to be interesting.
Certainly one of my favorites from SA.

Well done.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2012 19:12:08 | More by AleWatcher

Guden

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a hazy gold with a small white head with decent retention and a little lacing.

S- Strong fresh grassy and floral hops mingle with a little doughy malt nicely.

T- A well balanced blend of malt, hop and bitterness with the malt coming off bready, the hops being citrusy, floral and a bit mint like and the bitterness being mild and coming through at the end to round out the mouth nicely.

M- A bit thin and moderately low in carbonation, not too bad but could use a bit more body to feel less like water.

D- This thing goes down super easily. A lot like the boston lager but with a bit more of a floral/citrus/mint twist. A nice beer all around but maybe not exotic enough to have me seek it out more than a few times.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 23:28:11 | More by Guden

jman42

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at an Irish Pub

A = Cloudy orange color that was kind of unique, decent head, but minimal lacing (could be the glass not being rinsed well enough)

S = Hoppiness is definitely the predominent smell of this beer

T = Hoppy taste too with a decent balance with malt and a hint of orange

M = Good crisp mouthfeel

O = The hoppiness made it resemble more of an IPA, but I guess the citrus undertones is what makes it a Spring beer. Will drink again, but nothing outstanding

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 13:37:56 | More by jman42

tyleeis

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a Sam Adams glass.

Appearance is a cloudy golden color. In this particular glass there's very little head. In the other pilsner style glasses the head is thick and foamy, about 2 fingers worth, a beautiful thing :)

Smell is bready with some citrus, that's all I can really pick up at the moment.

Taste is citrusy. The orange seed taste reminds me of Blue Moon but definitely more complex and not overwhelming. Little bit of lemon too, overall it's a good taste that gets better as you go.

Mouthfeel is light, very soft with light carbonation, an easy drinker.

Overall I enjoyed it. A little higher abv than the "average" and good flavor. This is the second time having it and I figured might as well do a review, so there you have it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 02:01:00 | More by tyleeis

Brent

Kentucky

2.68/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Sam Adams puts out a generally excellent lineup of beers, across the board. Any brewer is going to let a clunker slip through every so often, and so is the case with Alpine Spring. What I find surprising, however, is that this is a major seasonal offering, not just a one-of that didn't work out. The brewer lists some lofty inspirations and ingredients, but here the sum is less than the parts. Grainy, rough and unpolished are the descriptors that come to mind. A distinct raw grain flavor dominates, and the hops are blunt and nondescript.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2012 22:45:34 | More by Brent

JayS2629

Alabama

4.4/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this on tap at the local Loco's. Looks amazing! Beautiful copper with slight haze cuz its unfiltered. Three finger white cap that sticks around and leaves huge rings on the glass.

The aroma is fresh and hoppy with a caramel backbone. Grassy and herbal notes with a hint of citrus.

Nice balance of caramel, bready notes, and biscuit in the back with huge floral and herbal notes, some lemon zest, and other citrus.

Medium, almost creamy, smooth

Absolutely delicious and well balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 02:53:10 | More by JayS2629

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- a slightly cloudy goldenrod with orange hints. Nice creamy egg shell colored head. A little bit of lacing.

S- Lemon zest, noble hops, and some pilsner malts.

T- Some lemon zest, a restrained noble hop presence, some wheat malt, that transitions into a strangely interesting and quite pleasant grainy sweetness. Lemon zest lingers

M- spot on carbonation, and the wheat malts lend a certain creaminess to the brew.

O- I didn't know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. I like this quite a bit more than Sam Summer Ale, likely due to the more pilsner like qualities. Certainly glad this will be around even in non-craft beer friendly establishments through the spring.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2012 02:35:01 | More by JWU

CampusCrew

Florida

3.8/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huh... alot better than i thought. I was expecting something plain and cost effective replaement for noble pils. This has a super thick body for a lager. Huge head retention. No much aromas as expected with a german style lager. Flavor is full of herbal like flavors. Very earthy hops. I might like this better than noble. Well done... SA has really perfected the lager style beers. Well done and saved me at a regular sports bar. Thanks sa

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 18:01:18 | More by CampusCrew

JunkYardJake

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Texas Roadhouse.
Served in a 22oz frosted mug. Cloudy and golden in color with a creamy white head. Smells great. Fresh citrus hops a plenty. Palate is refreshing and tasty with a good malt base and strong citrusy hop flavor with low bitterness. On tap, this is a great beer that suprised me a bit. I wasn't expecting this level of flavor and aroma. This should stay in the SA portfolio, in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 16:30:27 | More by JunkYardJake

cousineddy

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at Ruby Tuesdays earlier in the evening so hopefully my memory holds up.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy yellow/orange with two finger on nice fluffy white head.

Smell: Not that much here, some citrus and some bready malts. A touch of florals and aromatics.

Taste: Some nice citrus notes along with a touch of honey and clove. Some nice mild hoppiness along with some maltiness is a nice touch.

Mouthfeel: Not to fizzy, right amount of carbonation. Nice and smooth, easy to drink.

Overall: I was very pleased with this beer, very refreshing, would be great on a hot summer day as well.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 05:10:37 | More by cousineddy

homebrew311

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap.

A: pours a cloudy yellow with orange tint. Nice frothy white head like a fluffy white cloud, great retention, tons of lace.

S: nose starts of with lemon, orange and coriander, faint wheat malt in the background, relatively mild on the nose

T: taste is fruity with waves of citrus, orange, tangerine, a dash of spice and yeast, a bready malt backbone

Mf: high carbonation, smooth body

O: this is better than I expected, nice and refreshing, nice balance of flavor

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 02:10:48 | More by homebrew311