Monday, March 5, 2012

Sam Adams Alpine Lager.



It's been a while since I've have anything from Boston Beer Company but I saw this seasonal out the other day. An unfilitered lager, it pours exactly the way it sounds. It's just a little hazy, with no obvious particulates. I did notice that appears to be much less carbed than the typical macro: only a few trails of bubbles leading up to the headless surface. Nonetheless, the carbing is most evident all around the edges, leaving a pretty pleasant liquid gold center. The taste is reminiscent of those countless cans of macro but much more mature and refined. It's full-bodied, slightly sweet honey notes, sunshine and amber waves of grain. It's like the college beer that has finally graduated, settled down, put on about 20 pounds, and learned to stop and smell the roses.

I like this beer because it's an easy drinker, still flavorful, and not so thin as to be dismissed without a thought. It should be a nice change of pace in the typical springtime lineup of hefes and wits and the like while bringing a bit more heft to the table than a kolsch or some other craft pilsener. A little lemon might help boost the citrus and cut through some of the body.


  • Appearance: Pale gold, slightly hazy, no head retention.
  • Smell: A rich, grainy aroma. Characteristic lager smell but much heavier and thicker.
  • Taste: Almost hefeweizen-like, slightly sweet. Almost nondescript except for the small points of hop flavor, no bitter, no floral.
  • Mouthfeel: Cohesive and surprisingly heavy but still refreshing. Carb is fairly low and slow, tingling only around the edges.
  • Drinkability and Overall: I like it. It's a nice change of pace from hefes and wits for warm weather beers.


No comments: