Samuel Adams: Stony Brook Red

A few weeks ago my family left to the east coast for vacation. I was supposed to go but do to unforeseen circumstances I had to stay home. I couldn’t have wanted to go more but sometimes life just throws curveballs your way and you have to roll with them. I found this a good time to try a few different beers and become even better friends with Samuel Adams. There have been a couple of different Samuel Adams beers that I have reviewed on my blog in the past. As I try more of the beer from them, the more I enjoy the beers produced by them. This time around I tried their, “Stony Brook Red”, and it was fantastic. It is a beer that everyone can enjoy.

What lead me to try this beer was the bottle. I have came across many different bottles since I have started my blog but nothing like this one. So congrats on the great marketing team.

So when you first pop the cork on this beer you know what you are getting yourself into. You immediately smell the aromas of the fruit and the sweetness of the malts in this beer. But lets dive deeper into this beer.

Starting off, lets talk about what this beer is brewed with. The malts that are in this beer are two row pale malts, Munich dingemans special B and dingemans aromatic malts. The hops in this beer are of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh variety.  This beer is also brewed with a Belgian style top fermenting yeast. So that is just was is producing some of the great flavors that you are tasting when you are drinking this beer. But those ingrediants are only the beginning of the beer as well, what is the final product of those ingrediants will be sure to amaze you with every sip.

So after you pop the cork, the next step is to pour this beer into you favorite glass. This beer will pour to a dark reddish brown and like I said before this beer has a very sweet aroma to it. You will be able to smell the sweetness of the malts and a lot of the sweetness is also coming from the aroma of fruits. When I tried this beer the fruit that came to the top of my head was pear along with some dark fruits such as berries as well. It really depends on your nose to what you will smell exactly.  Then when you take your first sip you will get what you expect after smelling this beer. The beer has a sweet taste to it that has a lot of fruit accents in it. However, that is only part of the taste. You will of course get the sweetness of the malts, and the best park is the slight hint of the oak that comes from this beer aged in oak barrels and that hint of oak is what makes this beer fantastic.

So like I said this beer is surely going to be enjoyed by everyone. I say that because this beer has sweetness, tartness and a little bit of sour. This beer is not bitter at all and goes down really smooth. If you are having this beer with a meal I recommend that you try this beer with mussels you will be amazed at the way they pair together.

I recommend you try this beer in the very near future.

Cheers!!

Samuel Adams Tasman Red

This Saturday was a pretty event filled day and it all started off with a great hike to the infamous Hollywood sign in Hollywood, California. My wife and I went on this hike with a few of our friends and we chose a great day to go. The weather was perfect, it wasn’t too hot or too cold. We weren’t the only ones that chose to go and view the historical landmark, the trail was filled with people going up and down the trail. When we go to the top, we were able to take a few minutes and take in the great view that looked over the Hollywood resevoir and the rest of Los Angeles, California. It was my first time up there as it was my wife’s as well so you can imagine that we enjoyed it a lot. There is nothing better than getting out and doing things with really good friends.

Then after the hike was finished we decided to treat ourselves to a little lunch and coffee at the Urth Caffe.  It was also our first time there as well and as with the hike I was really impressed with the coffee and desert that we had while we were there.  After our lunch it was time to go home and get changed and head to a family members birthday party.  After a little more to eat and great time with friends and family it was finally time to go home and relax.

There is nothing better to come home to and relax with than a great beer and that is exactly what I did.  When I got home I opened another great beer by Samuel Adams. I know Samuel Adams mass produces a lot of their beer but they also have some great specialty beers. The one that I had was the Tasman Red. There are many different things that make this beer special, unique and so good. I want to start off with the hops that it is brewed with. It is brewed with a variety of  Tasmanian hops which include the  Topaz and Galaxy hops.  These hops will give the beer the aroma of Grapefruit, pine and other earthy tones.  The malts that are in this beer are Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Special B, Caramel 60, Carafa III. The combinations of these malts will give the beer the sweetness of toffee that balances the taste of the hops.

Now when you pour this beer, it will pour to a dark amber color and have a great head on it. As soon as you pour it you will smell those Tasmanian hops that I was talking about. I feel as though the great fruit and pine aromas give this beer a very inviting  beer. Then when you get to take you first sip you will notice the taste of the hops at the beginning of the beer. The bitterness of the hops is definitely noticeable but this beer is not extremely bitter. If I were to rate the bitterness of the beer I would rate it at around 50 using the IBU scale.  The bitterness is then followed by the sweetness of the roasted malts. the roasted malts will leave you with the smooth taste of toffee at the end of the beer.  All of the different taste and aromas will leave you wanting more.

 

This beer is a great beer to pair with food because it can be paired with many diffferent foods. If you are  a fan of curry or any other type of spicy food such as Mexican this beer will go great with that. If you are a fan of cheese you can beer this pair with cheeses such as Pepper Jack, Cheddar and Blue Cheese. If you are a fan of meat of seafood this beer is one that you should try because it goes well with poultry , fish, shellfish and salmon.  Another recommendation I can make is that you serve this beer at temperatures between 45 and 50 degrees F.  I really hope you all try this beer because it is one of the best Samuel Adams beer that they produce and in my opinion a very good Red IPA.

 

 

 

 

Samuel Adams Norse Legend

Ever since I started my blog,  I have tried many different styles of beer by many different brewers. Some of the beers have been similar to other ones and then there are the ones that are completely different from any other that I have tried. That is what has made this experience interesting, fun, and enjoyable. I have come to realize that finding two beers that are identical is pretty much impossible.

The next beer falls into the category of the beers that are completely different from any other than I have tried before. This beer is brewed by Samuel Adams and is called “Norse Legend.” What makes this beer so different from any others is that it is aged on a bed of juniper berries. The process of having it age on a bend of juniper berries gives this beer a very noticeable citrus flavor and aroma. But before this beer is aged on the bed of Juniper berries it gets brewed with Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Rye, Special B, and aromatic malts and finished of with variety of hops called Hallertau Mittelfrueh. When being fermented this beer is the process of top fermenting which is where the yeast settles at the top of the beer instead of the bottom on the fermenting container.

This beer pours to a deep amber color and as I have said before the citrus aroma’s and taste a very noticable in this beer. This beer has a one of a kind of a taste. It might take a few sips to get used to it but after the first few sips this beer will go down smooth. Even though the beer  goes down smooth it still has the bitterness of the hops. I also believe that the juniper berries make this beer a little more bitter than it would be without them.

If you are looking to pair this beer with a meal you are in luck.This beer goes well with many different things. This beer goes well with seafood such as scallops, beef, and even goes well with a warm soup such as a french onion or tomato soup.

This beer is very unique and one of a kind. I encourage you all to try this one. I know for a fact that some of the people the that try this beer won’t like it, and others will love it. This beer is one of the best because its so different from any others.