The Samuel Adams Conundrum

Way, way back in the late 19th century, Louis Koch devised himself a lager he rather fancied. It was a brew so liked, the recipe survived over a century as well as prohibition. Fast forward to 1984 and we have Jim Koch, the fifth generation, brewing himself up a batch of his family's beer in his kitchen. You've all seen the commercials; you all know what happens next.

Jim Koch with Samuel Adams, as well as a handful of other breweries such as Sierra Nevada and Redhook, helped to trail blaze what would become a revolution in American beer. Americans were shown what real beer was supposed to be. It didn't take too long for these craft/artisinal beers to take off in America. Today we are offered more beer options than we could have ever dreamed.

Even more so, Jim Koch flabbergasted beer enthusiasts with the introduction of Millennium and Utopias. Massive, monsters of a barelywine that came in at over 20% ABV and would put quite a dent in the beer drinker's wallet. It's beers like these, though, that many enthusiasts began to strongly appreciate and desire. That dent in the wallet didn't hurt so much once the brew was cracked and shared amongst friends... not to mention the buzz that 20% ABV can induce.

(I think even Sir Thomas More would approve)

Jim Koch was a renegade, and I have a lot of respect for the man. However, with as many groundbreaking beers as Samuel Adams has produced, they also produced some equally sub par beers as well. These beers just seem to lack any motivation or defining qualities. Beers that seem to stick out are the entire Imperial Series, Cranberry Lambic, the Longshot series, and especially the Cherry Wheat.

(What the fuck is dis shit??)

The Imperial and Longshot series are not bad beers by any stretch of the imagination. They just seem to be weak efforts at beers that could be incredibly good. Even more frustrating is the Longshot series. These are recipes created by homebrewers across that country. Samuel Adams purchases the recipes from winning homebrewers to release them in a mixed six pack. Most of the beers are just ho-hum and forgettable. Enjoyable, but in the end, forgettable. I can't help but wonder what the original recipe devised by the homebrewer actually tastes like.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing at Samuel Adam's Cincinnati brewery for a brewing position. The interview could not have been more fun or laid back. It mostly consisted of the brewers and I shooting the shit about what beers we would like to have with us if we were to be stranded on a desert island for life. We also got to talking about the beers Samuel Adams brews and they all shared the opinion that many lack in quality, and some they just flat out hate (looking at you Cherry Wheat). What confounds me further is Samuel Adams makes beers like Utopias, Millennium, Imperial Pislner, Boston Lager, etc. that are incredibly unique and tasty beers.

I'm not sure if I'm alone in feeling that Samuel Adams is starting to somewhat stray from their roots. I'm also in no way bashing Samuel Adams or saying they are selling out.... just making observations. There are plenty of breweries out there that produce beers that I forget the instant my glass is gone. However, these places do not have the reputation and expected standard Samuel Adams has. They brew bad beer, they disappear. Samuel Adams can get away with these bad brews. I just hope they don't become a habit and that more original goodness is still to come.

Note: I sincerely apologize for my horrible lack of photoshop skills.