Samuel Adams Blueberry Hill Lager - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

kojevergas

California

2.21/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2

"Lager with Blueberries and Natural Flavor Added." 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with branded pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are average. Unfiltered. Brewed with Tettnang Noble hops. 5.5% ABV.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger beige colour head of bad cream, below average thickness, and average (2 minute) retention. Body colour is an unflattering cloudy pale yellow. Dull, transparent, and translucent. It's not much to look at. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Poor limited uneven lacing as the head recedes.

Sm: Blueberry syrup; it's somewhat artificial but there are appealing elements there. Flavour syrup/extract. Pale malts. Medicinal sweetness. Cough syrup-esque. An above average strength aroma. No yeast character or a alcohol is detectable. Maybe some floral hops.

T: Candi sugar, blueberry extract/syrup, pale malt extract, and syrupy cream. Ugh. Cloying. Sickeningly sweet and syrupy. Somewhat medicinal. Lacks balance. Badly built. Simple. I don't like the flavours here.

Mf: Syrupy. Too thick for the style. A bit watery. Smooth and wet. Not at all crisp. Poor presence on the palate. Too full-bodied for its lack of flavour.

Dr: The low quality here really impedes drinkability. I definitely wouldn't get this again. Hides ABV okay. A crappy brew from Sam Adams. This shouldn't have made it to market. I'm not excited about consuming the other bottle from the variety pack I got.

High D

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 05:20:29 | More by kojevergas

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.56/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Now, I know what y'all're thinkin', but, no, I'm not gonna make a Fats Domino reference. It's just too easy, man. Regardless, this stuff pours a clear brass topped by a lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises syrupy blueberry (y'know, thick and partially artificial without bashing you over the head with it's fakeness) over a carpet of very light biscuit, barely hanging on for dear life against the torrent of berry. The taste proves my suspicions about the artificiality were warranted (if still wrong in full reality) as some plastic weeds its way into the berries. In the background, those touted noble hops serve only to provide a clashing foil of greenery for the berries, muddying the waters into a bayou of unhappiness. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a thankfully dry and quick finish. Overall, things just didn't go well with this one, as the berries come across as fake and the hops battle rather than bolster the fruitiness. It's not as bad as the horridity that was the Cranberry Lambic, but it's certainly nowhere near good, either.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 06:56:23 | More by TMoney2591

MickeyBeer

Illinois

2.7/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

12 oz bottle from a variety pack poured into a pint glass

A- Hazy golden color with about one and half fingers of head that has nice retention.

S- Strong blueberry smell comes forward. Pretty sweet and fruity.

T- A little bit of malty sweetness, but the dominating flavor is blueberry. The aftertaste is a little bitter, but doesn't taste like hops. Not a big fan of it.

M- Medium amount of carbonation, not the smoothest finish. I don't think I could have more than one or two of these at a time.

O- Not a huge fan of this beer. It isn't awful, but I certainly will not seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 23:39:37 | More by MickeyBeer

Brad007

Vermont

2.99/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3

Pours a beautiful whitish-gold color with a huge-ass white head into my glass. Holy shit. I guess washing your glass does make a difference! (j/k)

As expected, there's a strong, sweet hint of blueberry on the nose. It overpowers any other flavors that might be within this beer. Let's see if it carries over to the taste.

Indeed it does. Just one slight problem: the result is a huge mess. You have the blueberry flavor clashing with the sweet malt already present here.

The mouthfeel is horrible as well. Dry and bitter with a rough edge of blueberry. Hard to dig.

I don't think that blueberries work well in lagers. They're better suited to ales and I say this only because I love blueberries and anything flavored with blueberries. However, this isn't as bad as Wild Blue (ugh!).

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 10:54:12 | More by Brad007

roundthewaygirls

Virginia

3.04/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

poured into a pint glass. from the beers of summer variety pack.

A: straw colored. looks like honey. surprising, i expected it to be blue. hazy. bubbly. barely poured any head. faint, fizzy lacing.

S: blueberry. but not fresh blueberry. more like blueberry gelatin. probably residual from the fermentation process. that's about all i get from the smell, but it's pleasant and bold.

T: blueberry up front. pale malts. weak citrus hops on the finish. weak compared to the smell.

M: decent, well carbonated. light. a little watery.

O: definitely a novelty beer. liked the smell, but the taste was kind of disappointing. refreshing but i wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 03:05:37 | More by roundthewaygirls

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Fruit beer is a difficult thing to get right. It is rare to find a beer that brings real balance, flavor, and drinkability. This beer makes a good attempt, but ultimately falls short of being rally good. It is a slightly heavy, pale golden color. Nice white head. The aroma is predominantly blueberry, with a nice whiff of earthy hops. There is as sweet, pale malt underneath. Unfortunately, its smell reminds me of boo-berry crunch. The taste is a bit ore beer like, with some malt and grain character and some more genuine berry flavor. Soft finish. Light to medium mouthfeel. Not my style, and surely not great, but good.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:27:20 | More by Suds

Zorro

California

3.15/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Cloudy orange beer with a small white colored head.

Smells or blueberry and yogurt. Little bit of vanilla and creme scent. Basically ever smelled blueberry yogurt? That is what this smells like.

Starts out tasting of wheat malt and mild sweet and sour blueberry with a long blueberry after taste. Mildly sweet, biscuit malt appears. Blueberry taste really dies down after the third sip. Still basically tastes like a blueberry wheat beer.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Overall an OK Beer. Not something I would buy as a six pack but it isn't something I would pour out either. Picture of an OK Beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 00:42:43 | More by Zorro

BucannonXC5

California

3.16/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Firestone restaurant pint glass
From: VONS in Normal Heights (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $12.97 (w/ VONS card) for the summer variety 12-pack
Purchased: March 25, 2013
Consumed: April 8, 2013
Misc.: Enjoy by Aug. 2013

Poured a honey straw hazy color with two fingers of bubbly off-white head. Some sporadic lacing and fog on the sides. OK retention with some thicker spots on the way down.

Smelled a very potent whiff of blueberry and grape. Some artificial sugar smell as well, but that’s about it. Best part of the beer though.

Taste wasn’t as strong as the smell. Like the nose, it was almost strictly blueberry. Also some grape juice. Faint hops, although I couldn’t figure out which type. Not as good as I’d hoped.

Light body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Long, fruity finish.

Not as a good as I’d hoped and I’m a sucker for fruity beers. Good for the summer, but I wouldn’t have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 05:37:29 | More by BucannonXC5

Ruger

Kentucky

3.19/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

A - Pours with a thick three finger white head with good lacing. The color of the beer itself is a light amber.

S - Malt and blueberries not the best smelling blueberries but they are there and stronger then anything else.

T - Blueberries, and slightly bitter afterwards nothing really there. Its a lot different then I expected it to be, when comparing it to my favorite blueberry beer. Really disappointing in that aspect.

M - Refreshing and light bodied with moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 00:46:49 | More by Ruger

kristenspaintings

California

3.23/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Blueberry hill lager is a fairly decent tasting beer with a respectable blueberry flavor and aroma. I think I have found, however, that I don't particularly like blueberry flavors in my beer but I had to try it to find out. This isn't a fault of the beer at all.

Admittedly this is only the second blueberry beer I have tried, but its quality is head-and-shoulders above its competitor. It wasn't fake tasting or chemical. I can believe it was brewed with real blueberries and it is based on a good beer to begin with.

If you enjoy fruit flavored beer, you'll probably like this beer, especially if you're a fan of Sam Adams.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 22:21:28 | More by kristenspaintings

JosiahS

California

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.25

a: Poured into a mug. Honey-like color with lots of medium-sized bubbles. Frothy one-finger head. Light, sudsy lacing.

s: A lot of blueberry. Blueberry dominates the aroma. Some lager yeast and maybe a faint floral note.

t: Tons of blueberry up-front and mid-pallete. It eases up afterwards and a pronounced cracker/dough flavor comes through nicely. Slight bitterness mid-pallete helps to balance the extra sweetness.

m: light bodied, carbonated. Not watery.

o: I could imagine a setting where this beer might really hit the spot. Every other time, i would think it's too fruity. This is an okay offering from SA.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:18:52 | More by JosiahS

Maninthearena

Minnesota

3.29/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Appearance- Didn't get a chance to pour this beer, so I won't go into detail here.

Smell-Probably my favorite thing about this beer was the nose as it did in fact have a distinctively pleasant blueberry smell. Blueberries were pretty dominant, maybe bordering on some cranberry too.

Taste- Again blueberries, except I got much more of an artificial berry flavor with the taste compared to what I smelled, kind of a let down in that regard. Some berry hoppiness underneath but not really bitter. Some yeast profile that had me thinking of blueberry Eggo waffles, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Mouthfeel- Kind of chewy, some good depth of carbonation, nothing overwhelmingly significant.

Overall- Better than a lot of other berry beers and could hit the spot if you are indeed craving some alcohol with your blueberries. But as it verged on some artificial flavors, it could have been better.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 12:05:05 | More by Maninthearena

mactrail

California

3.3/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy amber color in the tall Stella glass. If Samuel Adams has a signature, it's this perfect foam on nearly every beer, every bottle. An interesting citrus and fruity nose. Malty, surprisingly rich, with a pleasant spritzy mouthfeel. The blueberry scent and flavor is pervasive. You really have to like that taste. Brief hint of hops, but it's more like a low-gravity malt liquor with a jolt of fruit.

So they did a pretty good job on this one, and the blueberry flavor seems authentic. I still am not convinced that blueberry is an appropriate flavoring for beer, but then I'm not Swedish. From a 12 oz bottle purchased at Ralph's supermarket in San Clemente.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 05:26:02 | More by mactrail

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

This poured out as a clear golden color with a white head on top. The retention is pretty good and there is a moderate lacing. The smell of the beer is a fruity, there is a delicate aroma of sweet blueberry on the nose. The taste of the beer is sweet, plenty of blueberry flavors. There isn't much depth to this beer, very one dimensional. The mouthfeel of it is lighter bodied, good carbonation but a little on the cloying side. Overall this beer is a little too sweet, I think it will be better in the dead of summer.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 16:41:54 | More by Knapp85

wedge

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Cloudy gold topped by a solid slab of thick foam. Tart, juicy blueberry aromas upfront with a sort of creamy sweetness. A little less blueberry forward in the flavor...berry sweetness, grain, spiciness, and a citrusy touch near the end. Light, slightly acidic, and decently crisp. A decent warm weather drinker, but not something I need more than one of.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 22:42:56 | More by wedge

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.39/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Summer sampler complete with token fruit wheat fizzy beer to complement the Boston Lager, and the Summer Ale. This one pours bright golden with a slight haziness large slight off white head flowing nicely, leaves behind fine speckled lacing. Aroma gives off some tart notes of citrus and berry jam, pretty one noted sharp wheat accents. Flavor brings tart berry jam with sharp wheat ale acidity, biscuit dough yeast cake action complements with a hint of citrus in each sip. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with full on flowing carbonation not too spritzed up or overdone in anyway linger natural blueberry flavors between sips. Overall not my cup of tea part of a sampler refreshing summery it fills the quota and there's really nothing too off.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 18:50:48 | More by WVbeergeek

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, no bottled on date present, but the label is notched at best before August 2013. My fifth and final new beer to try from the Samuel Adams summer sampler variety pack.

Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Fairly gentle pour yields one finger of bone white froth, the same appearing head on pretty much all of the beers in this sampler pack. Body is a murky lemony orange color, the same as most of the others also, with what appears to be some blueberry sediment floating around.

S - Smell is of authentic blueberries, I will give it that. Although, while authentic smelling, it is more of a blueberry juice concentrate type aroma. Faint grain aroma lurking in the background. Not a very strong aroma, but still nice for a "lager".

T - Taste is of fruity blueberries, grainy corn, some citric qualities presumably from the Noble hops used in this, and maybe some bubblegum malt taste in the finish, although that could be some blueberry aftertaste.

M - Feel is of sticky fruit sugars, with a dry chalky finish.

Overall, an interesting new take on the style by Samuel Adams, definitely glad to have tried it. While it might not be epic or world-class by any standards, it definitely achieved what it wanted here.

Samuel Adams Blueberry Hill Lager ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 21:54:37 | More by mfnmbvp

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very hazy light orange-amber with a fluffy white head. Lacing is approved.

Nose offers blueberry skins, artificial lemon, and more citrus from the Tettnang. Some orange, some sweet cracker, and pale malts. White bread notes remind me of the smell of angel food cake and blueberry waffle.

The flavor is a little spicy, but a lot fruity. Some freshness to the blueberries was preserved, other nuances remind me of Bubble Yum. Bubble gum, lemony hops, sweet pale malts, and traces of peppery yeastiness. Finish is short and dead.

Sam manages to put a little girth in the body of their summer seasonals. This is no exception. Oily medium for a session fruit lager. Smooth. Carb offers some bite.

Merely okay. Average. How good can a blueberry lager be, anyways?

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 13:59:13 | More by thecheapies

robby23

Iowa

3.43/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

It had a nice golden amber color to it with a nice thick foamy head very bubbly head dose go down a bit. The smell remind me of blueberry cobler with a little hint of citrus maybe. The fell of the beer was very smoth and crisp great on a hot summer day. The tase of the furit was not too over power and well balnce with the wheet and grains maybe a little hops

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 20:19:11 | More by robby23

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.46/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A - Mildly hazy bright yellow beer with a rocking full inch of head and fairly decent lacing.
S - Mild grain bill, sweeter malts, and a touch of tart/sweet blueberries.
T - Doesn't really get too tart or sweet comes off somewhat artificial with a touch of cereal grains and some sweet malt finish. Somewhat enjoyable.
M - Light and crisp, spot on for a fruit beer.

Overall it has some decent blueberry flavor, grains are mild but balanced, and its enjoyable. I have one left but I really couldn't see getting a six pack of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 01:58:50 | More by DrDemento456

jwc215

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best by Sept. notched on label:

Pours golden with a thin, lasting white head that leaves lacing.

The smell is of blueberry bubblegum.

The taste is of blueberry juice and bubblegum. There is a cracker-like quality and a mild hoppy citric character in the back to give it a "beer" quality. Sweet, but has a tart touch and a mild dryness in the finish.

It is light-bodied with snappy, but not too fizzy, carbonation.

It has more character than just blueberry flavoring. Not a bad fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 16:11:06 | More by jwc215

HalfFull

California

3.48/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Standard pry off bottle poured into a pint glass, the Blueberry Hill pours a lightly hazed deep straw in color and with half an inch of soapy white foam. Offers fair retention and some sticky lace.

Aroma of pale malt with some light citrus accompanying the more pleasant than anticipated blueberry character. Flavor follows suite with a subtle berry grain flavor, a lightly chalky aftertaste followed by a brief cleansing sweetness. Blueberry notes don't come across as artificial and are present yet not overdone in my view. Decent feel with a light grain character and ample carbonation. Interesting brew and not overdone. Subtle and pleasant yet with enough fruit character to keep it interesting. For a while anyway.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 05:48:22 | More by HalfFull

mynie

Indiana

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

Pours like a dark adjunct. Smells lightly of blueberries and noble hops. Tastes, lightly, of blueberries and noble hops.

It's all quite solid, but sometimes I really wish Boston Beer Co. would be willing to diverge a bit from the Boston Lager template. I mean, yes, this is obviously quite different from Boston Lager, but like nearly all of all of SA's beers, it has just about the same body as Boston Lager, as well as the same bittersweet biscuit yeast back end. It works, like I said, but just barely, and deviating a bit could have helped it come together much more nicely.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 01:00:08 | More by mynie

TeamMathis

West Virginia

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

Appearance: Slightly cloudy. Yellowish orange. Quickly dissipating head.
Smell: Blueberry and citrus.
Taste: Light blueberry and semi-tart finish.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation and slightly spritsy.

I would take this over many if not most of the other lagers from Sam Adams, or anywhere else I suppose. The blueberry is clearly there in both smell and taste, which is refreshing. The aftertaste provides some barely noticeable tartness. The finish has that familiar lager blandness to it. This isn't a bad drink at all and a little less boring than the standard lager. Enjoy this served quite cold on a hot, summer day. I probably would not get it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 02:40:57 | More by TeamMathis

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle from a verity pack. Pour hazy golden with a long lasting, foamy, white head.
Aroma is of blueberries, hops and pale malt. Body is medium and crisp. Taste is of blueberries, spicy hops, lemon zest and biscuit malt. Finish is long and slightly tart. Nice refreshing brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 16:22:48 | More by mikeg67