Sam Adams Brewer Patriot Collection

[dbrociner]

Just picked up 2 four packs of this new collection from Sam Adams. For full details click here.

Wanted to know if anyone had had tried this yet and what you may have thought.

[TongoRad]

Not yet- I know where there are a whole lot of 'em and I'm waiting for the price to go down .

Scuttlebutt isn't too positive, but sometimes you just gotta try something and see for yourself. It may indeed be right up my alley (I am reminded of things like an amaro and soda with a twist of orange peel, which I love but folks like my wife recoil in horror at.)

Please post back with your impressions when you try them.

[eje]

Hard Root Beer!

The mind boggles.

I can't quite tell from the press release if the Ginger Honey Ale is a Ginger Ale (mead?) or a Ginger and Honey flavored beer.

I eagerly await your report.

[dbrociner]

Another write up from today's NYTimes, link.

Yes, I will report back. I've got some down time coming this weekend and with the 4th coming this seems like the perfect beverage.

The clerk at the liquor store said that the feedback on the rootbeer had been very positive.

[mtigges]

I would be VERY interested to try these beers. Somehow I doubt that we'll be able to get them in Canada though. I'm going to Portland in Sept, hopefully I'll find some!

Mark.

[Nishla]

I stumbled across this at the store yesterday and picked up a box. We tried all 4 tonight.

First, the dark wheat ale and root beer brew:

The wheat ale was quite good, but not spectacular. I thought it was pretty well balanced, with a touch of acidity.

My husband really liked the root beer brew; I thought it was a bit too sweet. It definitely smells like root beer, and is quite spicy and herbal.

Here's the George Washington porter and the ginger honey ale:

I think the porter may be my favorite. It's dark with coffee/chocolate flavors, with a nice bitterness.

The ginger honey was pretty good too...very strong ginger flavor, but not too sweet.

[dbrociner]

Thanks, Nishla. Nice pix.

[Kent D]

Say, those look yummy! Must find some before the 4th, so I can have a nice patriotic brew while endeavoring not to blow my fingers off lighting fireworks. (Yes, I know that alcohol and explosives don't mix -- I'm ever so careful, but it's thirsty work.)

[Alex]

I also stumbled across this collection today at my local supermarket. It was trying to avoid being bought by anyone, perched as it was on the top shelf of an end cap of the wine section. I'll contribute my 999 cents (plus deposit) after it's been suitably tested.

[Alex]

Having completed my patriotic duty, here's my report:

Dark Wheat Ale: Well crafted, smooth, not at all heavy, but, as the NYT said, rather one-dimensional. Good, but not worth $2.50/bottle.

GW Porter: Coffee, malt, a bit of chocolate and molasses. Nice, but again, not worth the price.

Root Beer Brew: The NYT loved it; I though it was just weird. I'm a root beer fan, but this had too little sassafras and too much other flavorings. Wintergreen? Bleh.

Ginger Honey Ale: My favorite of the bunch. Light, refreshing, just enough ginger, only a touch of sweetness. A great summer drink. I'd easily buy it again, but only w/o the others.