David Brockington's Tasting Notebook

Sam Adams Cask Ale

This is the first review that I have written to this forum since October. For those scoring at home, it is also the 61st such review since I posted my first such review to the very young r.f.d.b. on April 20, 1994. The more perceptive among us will note the anniversary.

Initial Impressions:

Last summer I drove my partner out to the northeast where she is presently attending graduate school. As is our wont, along the way we stopped at as many brewpubs and microbreweries that we could fit into our trip. Since she was moving to New Hampshire, we were able to use her house as a base for invasions both to the north (Maine) and the south (Boston).

I have since heard in this forum that Sam Adams no longer brews the subject of this review. If this is true, it is a shame.

The beer was poured from an engine. I did not note if there was a sparkler attached or not, but I seem to recall a sparkler. The beer was brewed a few blocks from the pub where it was served at the Sam Adams Jamaica Plain facility.

Nose:

The nose featured a hint of maltiness, with an evident, but subtle hoppiness.

Flavor:

This beer had a very nice and nuanced flavor profile. It was lively as one's expectations of cask beer predicts. The malt hit the palate first, somewhat stronger than suggested by the aroma. A big hoppy flavor competed with estery notes in the middle; this beer was sufficiently fruity to indicate its English inspiration and clearly dryhopped. The finish was quick and slightly sweet, suggesting a fair amount of caramel malt used in the mash.

Final Analysis:

This was a very nice pint, perhaps one of the best cask ales I have had in the states. It had everything one expects from a good cask ale: it was fruity, hoppy, malty, gentle, and live. This beer serves as a statement that for all the various criticisms that the Boston Brewing Company opens itself up to, it can brew some truly excellent beer.

Rating: ****1/2

(5-star scale)
Copyright 1997 by David Brockington, all rights reserved.
Seattle, USA
Comments? Fire off some email: dbrock@u.washington.edu
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