Longshot Derf's Secret Alt - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

tdm168

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark brown with a very large, thick, brown head that has great retention

S - light caramel, doughy, citrusy

T - malty, doughy, caramel, bitter some faint citrus, very faint pine; spicy alcohol finish when the beer warms

M - medium bodied, well carbonated, warming alcohol

This is an enjoyable, malty offering. Just a tad more balance from the hops would make this a really good beer. I enjoyed it. If it were slightly more hoppy and the alcohol was more subtle, I would buy a few more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 08:29:31 | More by tdm168

Bung

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz. Best by August, but it's a big beer so no problem. Fairly dark amber pour, thin layer of off white.

Aroma, some caramel and citrus. A bit too much orange liqueur. It's a bit boozy.

Taste, not as boozy. Some citrus, caramel, grape at first. Much stronger biscuity-bread, toast and some nice chocolate and molasses.

Medium bodied, nice and creamy. Maybe just a little warm, a sipper.

Actually pretty nice, an "amateur" version of the Uerige brews.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 02:09:44 | More by Bung

RichardMNixon

Delaware

2.93/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into a seidel.

A: Beautiful ruby-red body with thin brownish head.

S: Sweet malt and honey with a touch of alcohol. Not a very strong scent.

T: The orange flavor they mention is there but accompanied by a strong medicinal flavor that's hard to get past.

M: Strong point of the beer. Smooth and thick leaving a tart aftertaste.

O: Not something I'd buy a 6-pack of. The Dunkel that came with this one in the Longshot pack was better but I don't have notes for it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 00:18:55 | More by RichardMNixon

BucBasil

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the 12oz bottle into an extra large pilsner glass.

Appearance is dark reddish cola brown with some light coming in at the bottom. Somewhat hazy. Head was amazing looking, light tan and sticks around a while.

Smell is much lighter than I imagined. Light bready sweetness with a citrusy twang in the the back. Some caramel.

Taste/Feel: Creamy and velvety smooth. Slight cocoa in the back somehow, bready, with a hint of sweetness. Toffee? This is really interesting.

Great beer, but a little much.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 23:38:13 | More by BucBasil

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes.

Amber pour with a medium creamy head, not much lacing. Smell had a rather juicy sweentess much like a watermelon jolly rancher, caramelly malt and some orange hop elements as well. Taste was caramel and chocolates, dried dark fruits..plums and cherries, and molasses. Medium body that holds together well. Decently carbonated, somewhat creamy. Somewhat sweeet, but enough bitterness so the finish is clean. Enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 17:19:55 | More by JackieTH

HalfFull

California

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a globe glass, showing a clear crimson with a light cap of foam. Retention is a bit brief but not too far afield.

Aroma is quite malt forward with caramel apple and some brown sugar notes. Bit of chocolate spice and a light hop profile initially, expanding with warming. More of a complex German lager at times.

Flavor is complex yet balanced with warming. Caramel and brown sugar arise again, clean on the finish and with a pleasant carbonation level. Aroma grows on you while the sweetness beats you down a bit. But at 9.3% that's not unexpected.

In the end a solid yet unusual take on the style. Sweet and strong, malty and hoppy. A bit tiring by the bottom of the glass.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 05:49:37 | More by HalfFull

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark brown with an orange hue. one finger pale white head with weak retention. Roasted toffee, caramel, coriander, orange and grapefruit are big in the aroma. Lots of thick malt and and yeast character. Wild mash of dark plum-like sugared fruits, roasted toffee, dark chocolate and orange peel with some hints of coffee and molases on the first sip. Quite boozy with a rich, hearty overall body. Mildly sour, fruity and sugary finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 23:16:54 | More by YouSkeete

fank2788

Connecticut

3.15/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle served in a pint glass
Dark slightly murky brown with a very sticky off white head in the glass. Sweet bread and brown sugar smell with a touch of citrus hops and a bit of a boozy character. The taste is very sweet upfront. Molasses, dark bready malt, brown sugar and alcohol are all evident in the taste. The alcohol definitely carries throughout this one and leaves a hot finish. Carbonation is lively but there is just too much unrestrained alcohol in this one, the whole second half of the sip is dominated by drying, stinging booze character that is a bit over the top. Overall I cant rate this very high it's just a bit too unbalanced. It would be ok for this beer to be so strong if only it was better masked by some real malt or hop character. Not one of my favorites but cheers to Fred on his Longshot win.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 00:02:01 | More by fank2788

TTAmod

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle with Aug best by date poured into pint.

A: Dark, but clear, brown with a one finger tan head that keeps up most awhile.

S: Nose is mostly dark esters and caramel.

T: It's big...it's sweet...and it's alcoholic. It's a huge malt bomb that onslaughts the taste buds with caramel, plum, and pineapple nut bread. There is the slightest hint of hops on the back end to help battle the almost cloying sweetness.

M: Appropriately thick and creamy. Goes down easy enough, though. There is a hint of alcohol in the taste, but not bad for over 9%.

O: For a homebrewer, this is a highly complex and intricate brew. It's big, but not TOO unbalanced. I think a bit more of a hop bite would do wonders here. I don't know whether or not this guy will ever read this, but I think a nice dose of Saaz would be sublime.

Still very, very good, though. Kudos.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 00:40:36 | More by TTAmod

ToddT

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Clear deep amber with some ruby highlights and a good sized off white head. Head fades slowly and leaves some spotty lace on the glass.

S- Roasted malts, caramel, toffee, and hints of candied plums.

T- Bready notes of roasted malt, caramel sweetness, candied sugar, and a slightly medicinal aftertast at the finish. The finish is dry with some alcohol heat.

M- More that medium but not quite full bodied, carbonation is medium. Some sugars begin to build up on the palate as it warms and the medicinal notes at the finish become slightly off putting.

O- Could use a few tweaks here and there, a little too sweet and there are some out of balance hop notes in it, but it is a good attempt and a not often represented style. The 9.3% ABV shows up at the finish too, some barrel aging or just cellaring this for a short time might tame some of this.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 17:23:27 | More by ToddT

womencantsail

California

3.45/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The pour is dark amber in color with an off-white head. Toasted malt with a surprising hoppiness, mostly citrus peel. There’s a nice sweetness to the nose and quite a bit of white grape, which I seem to get in most alts. Some caramel and toffee maltiness, maybe a bit of chocolate, too. The flavor is a bit boozy, unfortunately. Some citrus hop flavor, a lot of toasted malt, white grape, and toffee sweetness are also present. The booze really lasts throughout the entire sip.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 04:56:12 | More by womencantsail

tophers

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Very pleasant aroma...sweet, bready.

Taste is toasty with a significant amount of melanodins. Don't taste much of any hop flavor or bitterness. Strong alcohol profile and even more noticeable in the aftertaste.

Medium-heavy body with moderate amount of carbonation.

This beer was just to overwhelmingly alcoholic in taste for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 22:52:33 | More by tophers

williamjbauer

West Virginia

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled served in a pint glass

A - garnet amber hazy with 1 finger khaki bubbly head with moderate retention and good lacing

S - sweet caramel malts, dark fruits, a lot of booze

T - sweeter than maple syrup, this caramel sweetness hit you hard and lasts till the break of dawn. The caramel and molasses malts dominate and never seem to diminish. The dark fruits and citrus hop notes chime in ever so briefly and are overwhelmed by brash warming booze that almost ruin the experience rather than complementing it. Great effort with malt however.

M - medium light body with low carbonation and a ton of warming etoh. Sticky.

O - tastes like a barley wine but has the embodiement of caramel malt all the way. A good spring and winter beer or a dessert brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 20:38:47 | More by williamjbauer

yuenglingfan101

Indiana

4.93/5  rDev +31.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Loved this beer. Derf is a great beer with an awesome name to it. Taste very strong.Smells like heaven mouthful is the same as taste and appearance not to thick. Poured this beer into a pint glass which has been very trusty to me the since i started reviewing at this site

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 18:01:06 | More by yuenglingfan101

beagle75

Iowa

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

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

A: Clear, dark amber color with one finger of diminishing parchment-tinted foam head. Moderate lacing remains on the glass.

S: Heavy caramel and spirituous dark fruit dominate. Booziness becomes more obvious as the beer warms.

T: Begins sweet, with intense dark fruit and bready Munich malt. Acidity is mild but distinctly citric into the middle where malt becomes more roasted. The finish is very spirituous and fruity, remaining sweet throughout.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: A strong ale to rival Belgian quads and English barleywines; this alt is a very big beer with an origin grounded in experimentation. Flavors are focused and they resonate well on the palate. The only limiting feature of this beer's appeal is its over-9% abv. All sides considered, this one is good enough and strong enough to see the inside of a barrel.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 03:57:16 | More by beagle75

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sam Adams tasting glass.

A- Deep garnet/brown with a nice two-finger high head of light tan foam, finely carbonated.

S- Malty and lightly spicy in the nose. Bready malt aromas too...smells great.

T- Fruity and nicely hoppy flavors, nice mingling of the sweet/bitter components...pleasant hop finish.

M- This is a heavyweight for sure, with all that malt packed in it it's very full-bodied. The soft carbonation reinforces that.

O- I'm really liking this one, great complexity in the flavor and I love the body of this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 00:10:37 | More by beerluvr

Thickfreakness

New York

4.3/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a deep mahogany/ruby red with a thick three finger head that lingers and hangs onto the sides of the glass as it dissapates. Great clarity for a beer this dark.

S- Dark amber honey... Smith Bros. Honey cough drops, licorice, sweet malt, caramel/cinnamon buns, sour cherry, some spicy pepper notes and some banana yeastiness. Really cool with amazing depth!

T- Thick, rich and sweet honey. Lots of malt sweetness, tons of licorice, dried cherries, Really nice caramel, toffee and honey cough drops. Nice bready yeast notes. No real trace of hops, but this is all about the malt bill.

M- Thick and sticky. The alcohol hides nicely behind the caramel and honey sweetness. Not much in the way of pop on the tongue... it just kind of glides and surrounds the mouth in sugary sweetness.

O- This one is all about the sweetness and honey! Note an everyday drinker, but really glad I finally tried it. Really amazing depth... with each breath, you pick up something different in the backround.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 22:17:58 | More by Thickfreakness

Jason

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.

LOOK: Clear and bright tawny hue, ample suds

SMELL: Brown bread, leafy, dried plums, alcohol, faintly peppery, earthy, toast, grassy

TASTE: Sweet, slightly thick, bready, toasty, treacle, sharp alcohol, warming, mild twang, floral, dried grassy finish

Decent Double Altbier, I had expected this beer to open up a bit more. Sweetness was a bit much, after taste fades pretty quick. Worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 00:59:45 | More by Jason

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours a very dark cherry red, albeit rather clear. The head is two fingers and tan, and fades quickly

S- nice roasted malt aroma...caramel sweetness also comes through

T- overly, OVERLY sweet. The caramel taste is overbearing. There's a faint taste of alcohol in the back-end as well

M- body actually seems very thin. Huh.

O- looks nice...smells nice...but the taste is way too over the top. It's just too much

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 20:17:43 | More by bigfnjoe

rodney45

New York

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark hardwood coloring with a large and long lasting head that is a cinnamon infused whip cream color.

S: Big malty aroma, slight hints of vanilla, Munich and crystal malt.

T: Sweet up front with a touch of cocoa, vanilla, walnut and nutmeg. Secondary profile is all crystal malt, with undercurrents of plum and coriander. It has a non dry finish with faint wisps of coffee and light noble hops.

Ml: Very creamy and smooth. Low bitterness and low carbonation.

O: I really enjoyed this altbier, it reminded me of a strong ale, or a Belgian quad. This was quite a beer, and was on tier with any European dopple ive tried in a while. Good attempt by BBC and their longshot winner.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 11:37:06 | More by rodney45

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a DFH snifter.

A firm pour yields just a faint ring of foam. Dark brown in color. Aroma is very malty, sweet, with toffee undertone, and a hint of sour apple fruitiness.

First sip is tremendously viscous, with a syrupy sweetness. This is a huge malt bomb, for sure. Bitterness is present, but any real hop flavors take a back seat to the huge body of this beer. I still pick up some apple-like flavors, along with molassas and maple.

I think this is another quality beer from the Longshot line. You really have to been in the mood for a big, sweet, beer such as this, but it is done very nicely.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 01:25:25 | More by FickleBeast

allengarvin

Texas

2.7/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This is a very dark alt, with with a bit of a reddish-gold tint when held to the light. Nose is unusually fruity, with ripe apricot notes, together with some sharp hints of alcohol. Taste: really sweet taste with a lot of yeasty fruitiness. I'd probably have identified this as aiming for a Belgian style in a blind taste test. The other notable is the hot alcohol notes. Way too strong for an alt, even the reserve sticke type, and it doesn't hit any of the points typical of the style. Not a pleasant drink at all. Puzzling how this one made it into the lineup.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 01:18:11 | More by allengarvin

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

4.23/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Bright clear mahogany with a frothy tan head leaving a quarter inch of foam behind.

S - Bready and caramel malts, candied fruit, toffee, dried fruits.

T - Rich toffee and caramel, multigrain bread, dried fruits, light yeast flavor, nutty with just a touch of booze.

M - Medium body, smooth and creamy with just a bit of alcohol warmth.

D - Stands up to the Uerige versions if not maybe a touch better. Drank this one fairly warm and the complexity really comes out.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 23:48:23 | More by brewcrew76

cjgator3

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle

A- Poured into a pint glass. Pours a dark brown color with an off-white head with good retention and lacing.

S- The aroma is a ton of sweet bready malt, dark fruits and caramel with faint citrusy hops and some alcohol as well.

T- The taste like the aroma is a lot of sweet malt with a moderate amount of bitterness in the hops in the finish and a lot of warmth from the alcohol.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a perfect amount of carbonation for this beer.

O- Overall, a pretty solid malty beer that would be perfect for a cold winter night in front of the fire.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 02:36:20 | More by cjgator3

budgood1

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours ut a clear dark crimson colour with a thinnish taupe head and sparse lace. molasses and anise aroma with a dollop of dark rum and brandy. the taste is malt centric, a bit of red ripe fruit, with a burnt sugar overtone and boozy backbone. it has a citric hop note that gets lost quickly in the boozy cauldron of chewy maltiness. it's hot, that's for sure. due to the high ABV, it comes across as full bodied...with a sugary, sticky mouthfeel. drinkability is ok...imperial alt or double alt or sticke alt i'm not sure...all i know is that i've never sampled a version of the alt style such as this so i have nothing to compare or contrast it to.

overall, again sampling a massive beer such as this in the throes of summer heat has a negative impact on overall enjoyment and appreciation. nevertheless i can't find anything wrong with a tasty buzz maker such as this longshot concoction. maybe something to cellar or lay down?? never hurts to experiment methinks!

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 23:50:57 | More by budgood1