Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA 2013 - Mosaic - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Brewsephus

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

16 oz bottle poured into a Sam Adams Boston Lager specialty pint glass.
Enjoy by date on bottle 6/2013.

A- Pours a robust 2 finger, off-white head, with small/medium bubbles. Leaves 1/2 inch of lacing around inside of glass. Brilliantly clear, with many bubbles in suspension. Copper colored.

S-Very nice bouquet on the nose. Pine, tropical fruits, cherry, blueberry.

T-Strong malt character, but seems very balanced in conjunction with the hops and alcohol. Lovely pine character lends itself to the finely metered bitterness. The late addition hops seem to be more earthy than floral. There is a slight amount of fruit, albeit muted. Blueberry, sweet cranberry and a tinge of mango.

M- The mouth-feel is spot on. Very balanced malt usage and dialed in hop scheduling make this beer a master craftsman's product. The carbonation is exact; not over or underdone. The beer has a wonderful body and is very round.

O- I think this beer is one of Sam Adams' best offerings. Not being very impressed with this nauseatingly long resume, I feel like they miss the mark a lot of the time. While they MUST have great brewers under tenure, it is seldom that they are given a portion, let alone, free reigns to make something memorable. Latitude 48 with Mosaic is exactly that. It is a fantastic beer that has been toned back by commercial interests. This is the work of a brewery that does not operate with any sort of reckless abandon. This is a beer that is very session-able, ringing in at a modest 6.0% ABV. I love what this beer is trying to be, but it doesn't quite reach that mark for me. Tasty, with room for improvement.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 20:45:20 | More by Brewsephus

jploving

South Carolina

3.76/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

The mosaic hop....never heard of it...so when I read on the bottle this IPA was made with the mosaic hop I gladley picked it up for $7.97 at my neighborhood grocery store....(it was on sale)...
I waited until I installed a new sump pump under my house before I opened the first bottle..it was a way to reward myself for a successful home project...
I did not get a lot of aroma when i initially opened up the bottle...a little more when I poured it in a pint glass....a little more sweet (maybe some citrusy notes) than I remember the last time I drank a Sam Adams Latitude IPA.
This is a very well balance beer. There is a nice malty backbone-firm but not strong like the older IPA--but the hop characteristics are more pronounced and better defined. The cliche grapefruit and piney flavors are certainly there, but for some reason I tasted a bit of peach and sweet apple...that is what i enjoyed the most. To me, this Latitude IPA is much better than the elder.
Once again, Sam Adams matches body and ABV with great accuracy....and just enough bitterness lingers after the swallow to make you want another sip...this is a nice IPA for snobs and rookies alike.
I rate it 3.75

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 16:51:09 | More by jploving

NateMac13

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-20-2013 15:03:24 | More by NateMac13

bzach

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-18-2013 22:30:43 | More by bzach

TeamMathis

West Virginia

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Clear amber. Decent lace of head remains.
Smell: Grapefruit, pine, citrus, and maybe vanilla.
Taste: Malty citrus and pine.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation.

I like this IPA. The grapefruit and pine smell is so inviting, and the bitterness is decent. It's a bit too malty for my tastes, but definitely enjoyable. I would probably get this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 04:12:09 | More by TeamMathis

lobster74123

Ohio

4/5  rDev +6.7%

05-16-2013 05:32:46 | More by lobster74123

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to my brother tenderbranson69 for sharing this with me,enjoyed chilled from a 1/2 pint froma 12 oz brown bottle.

The color is a familiar medium amber with very good clarity and thin cream of light beige with small bead and good retention. The smell is very pleasant with some grapefruit and herbal notes and mild sweet piney elements with light malt ester. The feel is good with mostly bitter texture but has nice resinous oily almost creamy body with a nice malt foundation allowing the bitterness to be cushioned somewhat. Moderately carbonated with semi-dry finish.

The taste is very hop influenced with some mild tangerine notes and slight simcoe-like herbal earthy tinges with some mild herbal and tangy hop flavor with yeast gently supporting the mild caramel tinge from the malt. Overall I loved the taste and it was gone too quickly. I would look for this if you are at all appreciative of Latitude 48 in the original formula because this is a lot better IMO.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 13:52:54 | More by Slatetank

gshackles

New York

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-13-2013 00:10:09 | More by gshackles

KiMiRaiK

Washington

3/5  rDev -20%

05-12-2013 02:57:42 | More by KiMiRaiK

rph97

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%

05-09-2013 23:15:04 | More by rph97

CBlack85

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-09-2013 01:14:37 | More by CBlack85

CloudStrife

New York

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Best by Aug 2013.

A: Pours a clear amber with a large fairly dense off white head. Leaves some decent lacing all the way down. Lots of tiny bubble visible in the body. Head takes a while to dissipate.

S: Nice citrus hop aroma, the mosaic is an aromatic hop. Not an overdose like more IPA's, thinking this will be more balanced than a hopbomb. Malt adds some sweetness and breadiness.

T: Mosaic hops do pull through for a real pleasant citrusy hop. Bittering flavor is fairly dominate throughout which is good.

M: Medium body with ample carbonation. A bit sticky but sort of expected from these hops. Fairly easy drinking though.

Overall a real nice entry from Sam Adams. Love the focus on mosaic hops as they are an amazing new hop. Give this one a go.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 23:35:13 | More by CloudStrife

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is clear copper in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high beige head that died down, leaving a thin head covering the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light aromas of caramel malts are present in the nose along with some hints of melon.
T: The taste has initial flavors of caramel malts with a little bit of associated sweetness. Notes of citrus and melon hops are also noticeable and contribute a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and slightly crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer seems to be a little maltier compared to other IPAs but it is easy to drink and the flavors of the Mosaic hops could be enough of an incentive to make me want to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:02:14 | More by metter98

MilkManX

Arizona

4/5  rDev +6.7%

05-07-2013 20:53:38 | More by MilkManX

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-07-2013 20:40:32 | More by dalepryor

beertunes

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured into nonic. Poured a clean, clear copper color with 1/2 inch of light khaki colored head that had OK retention and light lacing.

The aroma was very subdued, especially for an IPA, light hops and a faint grain/malt scent. That subdued neutrality carried over to the flavors. A very light malt base supporting a mostly floral hop taste.

The body was slightly fuller than most IPA's, but not full or heavy. There was a slightly sticky finish that had the flowery notes lingering a bit too long for my tastes. Drinkability was good I suppose, my bottle was gone quickly enough, but I wasn't in a hurry to get to the second bottle in the sampler sixer. Overall, an OK brew, good, not great. Take a shot on it if you want.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 18:59:03 | More by beertunes

Zanico

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-05-2013 01:01:15 | More by Zanico

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4/5  rDev +6.7%

05-03-2013 12:52:01 | More by marlinsfan4

Vigilante

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-02-2013 07:21:44 | More by Vigilante

Jugsbug

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +20%

05-02-2013 01:29:13 | More by Jugsbug

FliryVorru

Alabama

4/5  rDev +6.7%

04-29-2013 17:33:20 | More by FliryVorru

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev 0%

04-28-2013 22:09:26 | More by brewcrew76

nebula1999

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +6.7%

04-27-2013 12:33:27 | More by nebula1999

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.71/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I purchased this bottle during my recent foray to Mari's 6-Pac 'n' Mor in Reading and I have been waiting for a cold to kick to better sense this new strain of hops. I felt quite fortunate last year to get the Latitude 48 series in total and I am anxious to see what this newest addition is like.

From the bottle: "Our 2013 release features Mosaic (TM) hops, a new hop from the Pacific Northwest. They add a burst of citrus notes to the distinctive layers of German, English and other American hops, all from growing regions near the 'hop belt' of the 48th Latitude. Cheers! [undersigned] Jim Koch".

I went with another aggro pour as I really wanted to get the scent of hops going in my kitchen. Guess what? It worked! It smelled like pine resin and my mouth instantly began to water. Gimme dem hops, man! The color was a deep-copper like an old girlfriend's hair and the clarity was beyond NE-quality. I could see what the Fates were about to weave into my future and it looked like beer. I could also see loads of tight, tiny bubbles of carbonation and I began to long for my SA glasses that broke in a recent kitchen cleaning mishap. As the finger of light-tan foam began to fall, it was already leaving sticky lacing in its wake. Mouthfeel was soft, not at all abrasive as some IPAs can be, and the burst of flavors on the tongue was phenomenal! Pine, grapefruit, someone mentioned blueberry and I got that kind of light tartness. Wow. Finish was like deodorant - arid, and extra dry. Man, I caught the Zephyr winds blowing across the Sahara in my throat and all I could think to do was to take another sip, exacerbating the "problem". Ha! Yeah, some problem, all right. The blueberry flavor really began to take hold on the extreme finish. This is an AIPA for hopheads. All malt buffs need not apply.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 20:07:59 | More by woodychandler

Herky21

Iowa

4/5  rDev +6.7%

04-23-2013 12:20:39 | More by Herky21