Lagerboy Speaks – Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Samuel (or Sam to his friends) Adams is an extremely well-known brand over in the States – but one that sadly doesn’t traverse the pond that often. Well, a few weeks ago Lagerboy was idling along the lighter, fizzier section of his local bottle shop when fully stopped in his tracks by the sight of a six pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager (4.7%). Never has a transaction been concluded as swiftly as that which followed, and soon enough he was happily ensconced in his lair with the booty (which is of course located underground, to aid natural cooling of the beers). Boston Lager was the first beer produced by the Boston Beer Company, in 1985 – although the original recipe was created in 1860 by a distant relative of one of the three founders of the BBC, Jim Koch.
Named after one of the original New England Patriots – who also happened to be an enthusiastic brewer – Sam Adams Boston Lager quickly developed a cult following, presumably in part due to the lack of additions that plagued (and continue to plague) mass-produced American lagers. It helped the Boston Beer Company grow into a huge company – in 1996 it was the largest US craft brewer, and it’s flagship was brewed under licence in several states to keep up with soaring demand. Today the company is the largest American-owned brewer in the world (after the previous incumbent Anheuser-Busch was acquired by the European behemoth InBev).
So the tasting – well, it’s a beer than surprises right from the start, with an unexpectedly rich caramel colour. When you get a lager that you can’t read a newspaper through, that’s usually a sign that you’re in for something interesting (or something that’s off). The thick white head lasts for a good while, aiding the slightly hoppy, slightly sweet aromas to come off the beer. It’s not a strong smell by any means, but the hops do come through to some extent. It tastes weightier than you would expect for an American lager – but of course, this is an American craft lager. It would be great for a blind tasting session, the balance of hops and malt give a wonderful alternately sweet and bitter flavour. Nothing dominates the taste as a result, and with no rubbish added it’s a cut above, a fantastic lager that really delivers.
