The
Sam Adams Odyssey P1
ahhhhhh good old Sam
Adams. Its where most people got started in drinking good beer. Its
the largest craft brewery in the world, and the most widely
distributed craft beer as well (its hard to find a place that doesn't
sell their iconic Boston Lager). However, the question arises: is
their beer ACTUALLY good? Can it stand up to scrutiny of a seasons
craft beer drinker?
Most say no. Most say that
they are now a very boring brewery: unable to properly coax the
seasoned beer drinker into buying either their staple 6 pack beers or
their seasonal 4 pack or bomber beers. However, it cannot be
overlooked that their is a real bias against the Boston Brewing
company. They are, after all, the largest craft brewery. Their
brewing volume and use of tv advertisements (Boston brewing co is in
fact, one of the only craft breweries that relies on traditional
advertisements like tv or billboards) have caused many the beer
aficionado to shun them in favor of “local” and smaller breweries
which they see as being the producer of the better beer.
Is this criticism correct,
or does Sam Adams have some real winners out their that people are
just ignoring just because of their own biases? Well that's the
questions that I hope to answer, one beer at a time. I will look at
trying ALL the beers from Sam Adams (or at least the ones I can find
and afford), and giving a honest and good-natured review to all of
them.
I will be focusing on both
their bomber\4packs series and larger 6 packs. Hopefully this will
eventually paint the breweries overall skill into focus and show once
and for all whether or not Sam has what it takes for me to call them
a real “craft” brewery, not in terms of what the BA paints it as,
but merely as the producer of good beer.
Ill be starting with this
brew I picked up with my new years beer (of which I might do a
spotlight on as well), Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier.............picked up for
the usual 1.99 a bottle from the Proof bottle shop
consumed at breakfast with
two toasted waffles covered with peanut butter. Because, why not!
Da Review,
Beer-Advocate style:
Blackberry Witbier
Blackberry Witbier
Appearance: strikingly clear, looking more like a cider or campaign than a witbier. Really, only the most style-driven lovers of wits will have a problem with this (tho YES, I gotja...wit bier means white beer and this isn't the cloudy white that it should be) but still, as opposed to grading it on style, it looks very nice if you grade it merely as a blackberry beer.
Ill compromise and give it a 3.5 for appearance.
3.5\5
Smell: This beer smells wonderful. It has a sour blackberry smell, mixed in with the character of the beer. Id say that it comes out smelling like a blackberry scone or another type of fruit pastry. not too shabby!
4.5\5
Taste: see what I like about this one, is how subdued it is. The blackberry flavor never takes up too much power from the beer, and it never gets to be too powerful to be cloying. Too many fruit beers do that and I find it in bad taste. However, this brew has some problems. It does not have enough wit flavors in it....and what little it has will not satisfy wit diehards (it has just a slight touch of soft bready wheat character). but for what it is as a fruit beer, I've it a 3.75 on taste.
3.75\5
Mouthfeel: Relatively middle ground in body final gravity, with a great heavy dose of carbonation. easy drinking.
4\5
Overall: Ill be honest, I liked this one, against all expectation. I'm not a big fan of wits OR fruit beer. mixing them together? odds are that if it was not for my blog, I would never had had this one. but I like it. if you treat it as a blackberry beer, its pretty good. I like it. overall, Id give it a 3.5\5
That totals out to a 3.86\5 on BA......but I feel that's its closer to about a 80\100 overall.
if it had just a BIT more un-malted what (and maybe some more oats) I would give it more.
its good, and great for the uninitiated in beer, especially if they like blackberry's.
Unexpectedly good. Not recommended for lovers of the classic wit style...you will not find any classic witness here.
Smell: This beer smells wonderful. It has a sour blackberry smell, mixed in with the character of the beer. Id say that it comes out smelling like a blackberry scone or another type of fruit pastry. not too shabby!
4.5\5
Taste: see what I like about this one, is how subdued it is. The blackberry flavor never takes up too much power from the beer, and it never gets to be too powerful to be cloying. Too many fruit beers do that and I find it in bad taste. However, this brew has some problems. It does not have enough wit flavors in it....and what little it has will not satisfy wit diehards (it has just a slight touch of soft bready wheat character). but for what it is as a fruit beer, I've it a 3.75 on taste.
3.75\5
Mouthfeel: Relatively middle ground in body final gravity, with a great heavy dose of carbonation. easy drinking.
4\5
Overall: Ill be honest, I liked this one, against all expectation. I'm not a big fan of wits OR fruit beer. mixing them together? odds are that if it was not for my blog, I would never had had this one. but I like it. if you treat it as a blackberry beer, its pretty good. I like it. overall, Id give it a 3.5\5
That totals out to a 3.86\5 on BA......but I feel that's its closer to about a 80\100 overall.
if it had just a BIT more un-malted what (and maybe some more oats) I would give it more.
its good, and great for the uninitiated in beer, especially if they like blackberry's.
Unexpectedly good. Not recommended for lovers of the classic wit style...you will not find any classic witness here.
No comments:
Post a Comment