Sam Adams releases a number of variety packs over the course of the year, usually changing them with each season. This month they also released a special new pack, called the Brewing The American Dream Collaboration Pack. This 12-pack features two bottles of Boston Lager along with two bottles each of five new collaboration beers. Each collaboration is with a brewery that helped get their start by participating in the Sam Adams Brewing for the American Dream program, which provides training and loans that helped make these brewers dreams a reality. Profits from this 12 pack will be funneled back into the program to help the next generation of American brewers get started. I was very excited to try the beers in this pack (disclosure: they were provided by Sam Adams). Here are my thoughts on each shown in order of how much I liked them, starting with my personal favorite.
Boston Tea Party Saison: Collaboration with Woods Beer Company in San Francisco, CA. Boston Tea Party is a saison brewed with yerba mate tea, coriander and grains of paradise and fermented with the yeast strain used in Sam Adams Kosmic Mother Funk. My favorite beer in the pack, funky yeast on the nose and tons of flavor from the fermentation, apple, pear, a little acidity along with the distinct flavor imparted by the Brettanomyces. The spices add complexity without overwhelming the beer, and the finish is dry and just a touch tart. A complex but still easy to drink saison.
Oats McGoats Stout: Collaboration with Brewery Rickoli in Wheat Ridge, CO. Oats McGoats is a gluten-reduced oatmeal stout. A little roasted barley on the nose, and full dark malt flavors, milk chocolate, toffee, espresso. A little bit of herbal hops round out this full bodied but still easy drinking beer. You would have no idea the beer is gluten-reduced, it’s a tasty and flavorful stout.
ThreeNinety Bock: Collaboration with Roc Brewing in Rochester, NY. ThreeNinety is a Helles Bock brewed with Mosaic and Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops and named after the distance between Boston and Rochester. This is a super drinkable maibock, crisp and clean. The crackers and bread from the malts meld well with grassy and herbal hops. I enjoyed the beer, but I would have liked to see the fruity Mosaic hops shine through a little more, it would have made it a little more unique.
Time Hop Porter: Collaboration with ChuckAlek Independent Brewers, Ramona, CA. Time Hop is a hopped up porter brewed with Zeus, Chinook, Cascade and Goldings hops. Dark chocolate and black coffee notes from the malt combine with grass, pine and lemon from the hops. Smooth, drinkable and not too boozy at 5.3% ABV. I have mixed opinions on this beer, it was a interesting take on a porter with the extra hops, but not what I usually love about the style. Hop-heads might love this beer, for me it was just OK.
Desert Kaleidoscope IPA: Collaboration with Bosque Brewing in Albuquerque, NM. A West Coast IPA brewed with Zeus, Cascade, Mosaic and Ekuanot hops. This IPA features solid hop flavor, notes of pine, lemon and grass along with substantial malt, with touches of honey and caramel. I would have liked some more hop aroma, for me that pungent aroma is make or break in an IPA and I didn’t get enough of it here.
Previous Sam Adams Reviews:
Sam Adams 26.2, Sam Adams Hopscape and Fresh As Helles, Sam Adams Rebel Raw, Sam Adams Rebel Rouser, Sam Adams Double Bock, Sam Adams Cold Snap, Sam Adams Octoberfest
Idle Hands Proeme pours hazy light yellow with a massive white head. The aroma is a mixture of floral hops with fruity and spicy yeast. The yeast leads the flavor, notes of apple, peppercorn and bubblegum. This is complemented by the hops, hints of lemon, grass and orange. The malts round out the flavor with touches of cereal and bread crust. Proeme is light and very easy to drink, sessionable at 5.0% ABV. The finish is crisp and dry with some lingering hop and yeast flavor. I really enjoyed Proeme, the flavors work well together. It’s nice to have Idle Hands beers back into the regular rotation! Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.
Cambridge Brewing Co. Working Class Hero pours a hazy bright yellow with a solid white head. The scent is mostly fruity and spicy Belgian yeast along with a touch of citrusy hops. The yeast leads the flavor, notes of pear, clove and apricot. The citrus peel and hop flavors complement this well, adding touches of orange, lemon, and grass along with a crisp bitterness. The malts round out the flavor with touches of wheat bread and cereal. Working Class Hero is light and crushable, a session beer at 4.5% ABV. The finish is crisp and dry with some lingering yeast and citrus flavors. This is a delicious saison, after we tried it my wife exclaimed “I think I’ve found my summer beer for the year”! I agree and highly recommend grabbing some. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.
Deciduous Mosaic Sylph pours a clear bright yellow with a massive white head. The scent is a mixture of tropical hops and expressive Belgian style yeast. A fruity strain of yeast leads the flavor with notes of apple, apricot and pear. This melds well with the Mosaic hops which add hints of pineapple, mango and grapefruit. A mild malt backbone rounds out the flavor with hints of white bread and crackers. Mosaic Sylph is very light bodied and effervescent, but packs a little punch at 6.3% ABV. It has a dry finish with some lingering fruit flavors from the hops and the yeast. I love a thoughtful combination of New World hops with expressive Belgian style yeast, and this is a very good example of the style. I’ve been impressed with the Deciduous beers I’ve tried and this one is definitely worth picking up. Hoppy Boston score; 4.5/5.
Idle Hands Thing 1 pours hazy straw yellow with a minimal white head. The scent is all from the fermentation, fruity, funky and acidic. The yeast leads the flavor, notes of green apple, barnyard, apricot, lemon and pineapple. There is a little sourness, but it isn’t overwhelming. This is complemented by a mild malt backbone, hints of bread dough and crackers. Nothing in the flavor screams hops, but some of the fruity flavors from the fermentation could be from hops too. Thing 1 is very light and refreshing, and not too boozy at 5.1% ABV. The finish is complex with a little tartness and yeasty esters. I really enjoyed Thing 1, it’s very different from any of the Idle Hands beers I’ve had in the past but very high quality. It’s good to have them back brewing interesting and delicious beers. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Smuttlabs Trucco pours a clear amber orange with a minimal white head. The scent features a little whiskey mingling with estery Belgian style yeast. The flavor here is complex, no one component stands out over the others. The fermentation adds substantial character, barnyard funk, pear and apple along with a touch of tartness. The whiskey and oak from the barrel aging are noticeable but subtle, which is key with a lighter beer style like a saison. The malts add body along with notes of biscuits, honey and bread crust while the hops are minimal. Trucco is medium bodied and drinks very smooth for a beer with 10% ABV. The finish is dry with lingering yeast flavors and a little puckering bite on the tongue. Smuttlabs Trucco is a very good beer, lots of different flavors but they all work together. I like seeing some barrel aged saisons, and this is a great version of the style. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Oxbow Barrel Aged Farmhouse Pale Ale pours a hazy golden yellow with a massive white head. The scent is a complex mixture of fruity esters, barnyard Brett and acidity. The diverse flavors from the fermentation and aging also dominate the taste. The Belgian style yeast adds notes of green apple, pear and lemon that mingles with funky Brett, a solid hit of tart sour flavor, and just a touch of oak. There is also some citrus fruit flavor that I assume is from the hops, hints of orange and mango. A light malt backbone rounds out the flavor with a little bread crust and honey. The beer is light and easy to drink, moderately boozy at 6.5% ABV. The finish is dry with a little lingering acid and some yeasty esters. Oxbow Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale is really good, incredibly complex but still easy to drink and approachable, diverse flavors but everything works together. Wild/barrel aged saisons are becoming a favorite style and this is a stellar example. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.