Taste of Amurica...Boston Style

Anyone out there not so much a fan of classic Sam Adams Lager?  I have to say that I never was much of one myself for quite some time, and I am not sure what my long time aversion was.  I think that I had it for the first time years and years ago when my beer palate was that of an infant and chances are the hop assault (relative to keg Natty) turned me off, and I just never gave it a second shot.  When I came to Boston, I was really surprised to find that Samuel Adams was everywhere...and popular to boot.  Now you're probably thinking, "Oh Tom, Master of the Glaringly Obvious...why were you shocked to find that people drink Sam Adams Boston Lager in...drumroll please...Boston?"  I guess I just anticipated irony to reign over cliché.  (Kinda like Guinness in Dublin...no, it is not just an Ameican marketing ploy.  Irish people drink it too!)  Well I gave it a second chance, and while I am not going to start an "I Heart Sam Adams Boston Lager" Facebook group, I do appreciate it and enjoy it from time to time.  I'll tell you what I do love though (no...no Facebook group) is their myriad seasonal and Brewmaster selections.  Enter Sam Boston Ale, stage left.  I have sidestepped this one numerous times in favor of their Octoberfest, Winter Lager, White Ale, Summer Ale, Scotch Ale, etc., but I was finally compelled by some unknown draw to take the plunge this weekend.  

Before I delve into this, let me comment on the glass you see this beauty filling to the left.  Do we have any people out there who have considered buying the ShamWow?  (Just me?  I mean, come on, Vince Shlomi makes such a condescendingly convincing case for it...it's so absorbent, for god's sake!)  Well, the Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass is like the ShamWow of beer glasses...meaning that it is mysteriously desirable.  (Ineffective and ambiguous analogies requiring blatant explanation have always been one of my strong suits.)  About the only difference between the two is that Jim Koch doesn't beat hookers like the public face of ShamWow.  Despite this shortcoming, it boasts numerous other features such as a specially designed (and feminine, I would say) shape to trap and aim aroma right at your schnoz, thicker glass toward the bottom to slow the heat transfer from your hand to the beer, a rolled lip that directs the beer to the front of your tongue, and etchings at the bottom to help encourage release of the bubbles.  Apparently they hired a think tank of world class (?) scientists to spend years developing the perfect glass for drinking Sam Lager.  This is all supposed to add up to a full-sensory experience to make the beer taste even better.  Does it work, you ask?  Does beer actually taste better from this glass?  You bet your sweet ass it does!  Everything it is supposed to do, it does.  (Is this a rationalization thing to protect myself from feeling like a sucker after dropping 8 bucks on it after the brewery tour?  Nah.)  I think we can all agree that if nothing else, it sure does look classy.

Now, I am generally an ale man.  I love the hoppiness (don't even get me started on IPA's...woah, baby)...the florals, bitters, bite, you name it.  Not to mention, too many bubbles kinda piss me off...like I am drinking some sort of spritzer or something.  Naturally I would be partial to this over their Lager, but bias aside, there is no question in my mind the Boston Ale stands head and shoulders over it.  

The Breakdown: The color is wonderful and inviting, and, as it is an American ale, it appears slightly more effervescent than its British counterpart, but the bubbles have their place here.  The first note to phone home is a slight sweetness at the tip of the tongue (it's that rolled rim, I'm sure of it) that is soon countered by a moderate bitterness.  What I found that made this ale artfully crafted was the fact that the bitterness doesn't overstay its welcome, and I think it's due to the mild, almost unreadable citrus note resulting in a very clean finish.  It bows out on a slight biscuity note that is almost like a savory little snack stoking your appetite for the next sip...and eventually the next pint (contender for a good session beer).  All in all, Sam Adams Boston Ale packs a medium body with full, complex, and (most importantly) balanced flavors that make it, in my mind, a great summer beer that would quench the thirst and complement nearly anything that might land on the grill at your next cookout.  I quite enjoyed it and would definitely choose it again.  I am putting this one in the warm weather, crowd pleaser, go-to column.  Well played, Mr. Adams.