Verloren - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Verloren opens with a very witbier-like nose in many aspects, being full of bananas and bread, but with far more spice notes than found in most witbiers. The coriander adds a peppery note, and the fruit esters include orange, pear, apple, and melon. Hops add a touch of citrus, mainly lemon, with small additions of grapefruit. Brown sugars rest beneath, along with hints of vanilla. There’s also a touch of sourdough bread here. As a whole, the nose is certainly one of the more intriguing in Sam Adams’ lineup, bringing together a mélange of aromas that very nicely play off of each other. The banana and sourdough (though the latter is quite faint) are particularly nice.

On the tongue, the beer opens sweet and fruity, with huge fruit esters such as berry, orange, banana, and melon immediately present. A nice spice backing, including pepper and coriander, adds pizzazz and nuance. The salt that was used in brewing does bring a slight saltiness to the beer, but I can’t honestly say I would have been able to figure out what was causing it had I not known of the ingredient—in other words, the beer is by no means salty, but instead, the salt acts as a subtle amplifier of other flavors. There are also touches of toast crust and very light sourdough, as well as lemon and faint grapefruit from the hops. The aftertaste is more bitter and plant-like than the main mouthful, many of the sugars having died off, but enough remain to not make this overwhelming. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is good beer, and certainly intriguing. The witbier and coriander notes, when combined with lovely fruit esters and breads, strike a nice balance and work well together. I did find the flavors ever-so-slightly watery, which was especially present after several sips were taken in a row and the flavors diminished somewhat. But this is a still a very nice addition to Adams’ Limited Release series.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 16:09:51 | More by jondeelee

buckyp

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

06-17-2013 23:24:33 | More by buckyp

Cresant

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

06-16-2013 21:19:17 | More by Cresant

HerculesRM

South Carolina

4.49/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A light white head, translucent orange/copper in colour. Smells slightly sweet with coriander and citrus. The flavour is a perfect blend of sweet and bitter: coriander, bitter and sweet orange peel, mild peppers, honey. I can't taste the salt per se, but I can tell it's there by the way it tones down the sweetness in a very pleasing way. Medium mouthfeel, rolls perfectly in the mouth without being heavy.

The Boston Beer Company doesn't sell bad beers. Every offering is well conceived and polished, and Verloren is no exception. Well done, Mr. Koch!

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 17:49:54 | More by HerculesRM

Brew33

Ohio

3/5  rDev -14.5%

06-12-2013 18:36:03 | More by Brew33

Aisha

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -14.5%

06-11-2013 15:01:26 | More by Aisha

pagardner

Virginia

3/5  rDev -14.5%

05-31-2013 04:18:52 | More by pagardner

fredmugs

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%

05-27-2013 22:00:03 | More by fredmugs

mfigueroa713

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

05-19-2013 21:11:53 | More by mfigueroa713

ThreeFishes

Florida

3/5  rDev -14.5%

05-12-2013 21:24:31 | More by ThreeFishes

TwoForty

Florida

5/5  rDev +42.5%

05-12-2013 02:58:04 | More by TwoForty

jonathaniler

Florida

5/5  rDev +42.5%

05-12-2013 02:11:20 | More by jonathaniler

jmgault1

California

3/5  rDev -14.5%

05-02-2013 03:58:48 | More by jmgault1

FliryVorru

Alabama

2.5/5  rDev -28.8%

04-29-2013 17:52:08 | More by FliryVorru

prisoner1572

Illinois

3/5  rDev -14.5%

04-14-2013 02:41:32 | More by prisoner1572

ILiveOffHops

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +14%

04-07-2013 01:19:57 | More by ILiveOffHops

jkermitj

Mississippi

2.5/5  rDev -28.8%

04-07-2013 00:30:42 | More by jkermitj

beertardis

Rhode Island

1.75/5  rDev -50.1%

03-18-2013 12:17:07 | More by beertardis

williamjbauer

West Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -21.7%

03-15-2013 02:02:26 | More by williamjbauer

EricClayton

West Virginia

2.5/5  rDev -28.8%

03-15-2013 01:06:20 | More by EricClayton

GossageBrewery

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured this Gose from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass. Poured a hazy orange color, produced a huge white creamy head, excellent retention and lacing left on the glass. The aroma consisted of toasted grain, spicy coriander and lemon citrus. Medium bodied, a foundation of malted grain followed by spicy coriander, butter, and lemon citrus. I was a little disappointed with the flavor, a bit to heavy on the thick buttery taste- I feel it overshadowed the coriander, toasted malt and citrus a bit. Glad I sampled but not a Ale that I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 20:40:15 | More by GossageBrewery

kingmaker

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

03-08-2013 06:08:04 | More by kingmaker

LambicPentameter

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured out of a 22 oz bottle into a Weizen glass. No freshness date that I could find. First time having this particular style, so take that into account when reading my review.

Appearance - A very attractive looking beer. Pours a hazy orange with amber and gold highlights. The head isn't terribly substantial (maybe between a half and a full finger) and it dissipates to a thin film on the top of the beer fairly quickly. The foam was VERY reminiscent of soap suds in the bottom of the bottle as I swirled to make sure I captured any sediment.

Smell - Reminds me of a Hefeweizen, which I suppose makes sense, given that this is an German-style, unfiltered wheat beer at it's core. Notes of lemon zest, spice, coriander, some white pepper. I really like the smell of this beer, truth be told.

Taste - This is the first component that hasn't really appealed to me. The front of the taste again imparts the essence of Hefeweizen, but the flavor is a bit more diluted, with the finish dropping off quickly to an almost watery finish. Notes of wheat, coriander again, and right before the flavors fade, a hint of that added depth of flavor from the salt. Honestly, I was afraid the salt would have a negative impact on the flavor profile, but now I'm thinking it needs more of it to set off the roundness of the wheat base. Taste needs some refinement to make this beer go from decent to outstanding.

Mouthfeel - A bit soapy, especially after the flavors fade. Has some body to it at first, but again seems to just evaporate. Like the taste, this component needs a bit of work.

Overall, a respectable beer. Not at all a bad choice, but I wouldn't buy it again without some assurance that the imbalances of the flavor profile and mouthfeel had been corrected. At the very least, it got me eager to try other versions of the Gose style. Now the trick will be finding some.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 17:04:49 | More by LambicPentameter

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

02-17-2013 03:14:32 | More by Daniellobo

rmargeson

New York

4.25/5  rDev +21.1%

02-13-2013 02:54:22 | More by rmargeson