One of the yearly traditions that I stay on the look-out for is the release of the Sam Adams Longshot winners. And this year I will be reviewing all three and we start with….
A Dark Night in Munich
Created by Corey Martin
“Corey has been working on his Munich Dunkel for some time and the result is this amber, medium-bodied brew. With a nice malty backbone, this lager has roasty, slightly spicy notes and a traditional doughy character from the yeast. It is well worth the time he took to perfect it.”
Longshot!
Coming to a mixed 6-pack near you next spring are the newly crowned winners of the Sam Adams LongShot competition.
Russian Imperial Stout by Joe Formanek of Bolingbrook, IL
Munich Dunkel by Corey Martin of Round Rock, TX
Derf’s Secret (Sticke) Alt by Fred Hessler (employee)
Personally, I am looking forward to the last two, especially the Sticke.
which hop is this?
My beer buddy Richard had a sighting of the new Latitude 48 single hop box from Sam Adams. I suggest picking one up. 48 is made up of 5 hop varietals. So this pack showcases each one individually. Hallertau, EKG, Simcoe, Zeus and Ahtanum. Plus the regular 48 that has all included.
I have sampled the Ahtanum (strong with intial citrus taste) and the Simcoe (which is all bitter all the time). I’m saving the Zeus and Hallertau for last.
Helping the Longshot
Here is your second dose of Sam Adams related news…..
“(Boston, MA) – Samuel Adams today announced that it is expanding its philanthropy initiative, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, to home brewers and small craft brewers nationwide. Focused on helping up-and-coming brewers turn their passion for beer into successful businesses, the program will target funding of at least $100,000 to the craft brewing industry in 2011.
The initiative is part of the company’s Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program, which supports small business owners in the food, beverage and hospitality industry by providing accessible financing, as well as business and financial literacy tools and assistance. Small brewers nationwide can apply for loans ranging from $500 to $25,000 to be used for a variety of business purposes including expansion, equipment, and marketing, with all loan payments recycled back into the fund.
Launched in June 2008 in partnership with ACCION USA, one of the country’s top not-for-profit micro-lenders, the broader initiative has already loaned $540,000 to over 60 businesses – largely in New England – with the goal of reaching $1,000,000 by the end of 2011.
“Our goal with the craft brewing component of Brewing the American Dream is to support small business owners in our niche of the industry who are facing the same hurdles around starting or expanding their nano or microbrewery that I faced when I started brewing Samuel Adams in my kitchen in 1984,” said Jim Koch, brewer and founder of Samuel Adams.”
It is actions like this that make me continue to write about and drink craft beer. What other industry helps out possible competitors like this? And they spent most of the fund money in their own backyard!
Longshot 2011
So they can be easily spotted in your favorite beer store, here are the public winners of this years Longshot competition sponsored by Sam Adams…
– a Cascadian Dark Ale apparently
– a Belgian IPA
The last beer in the mixed pack will be the Honey Bee Lavender. I always look forward to the Longshot packs. Always at least one really good beer and one really weird beer in each pack.
a smaller Chocolate Bock
Sounds good. Maybe not in the teeth of the summer, but I should let you decide from this description from the Sam Adams website: “Smooth, rich, and dark, with the robust flavor and creamy texture of chocolate.
To create Samuel Adams® Chocolate Bock, we wanted to take the flavor beyond the taste of dark roasted malt. We started with a complex selection of carefully roasted malts combined with hand selected Noble hops from Bavaria. After using a centuries old brewing process, we slowly aged the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs from Felchlin®*. Known for their quality these wild cocoa nibs, harvested from the rainforest of Northern Bolivia, impart complex aromas and flavors of chocolate, honey, and vanilla in the beer.”
LongShot
This is my favorite Sam Adams beer release of each year, hands down. Each year it’s dramatically different and you get a wide style variety from a mere 3 different beers.
Here is the pertinent information…..
“The 2010 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores beginning in April for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Michael Robinson’s Old Ale, Ben Miller’s Barleywine, and Jeremy White’s Saison.
ABOUT THE WINNERS AND 2010 CONTEST
Michael Robinson’s Old Ale is a malty English-style brew boasting notes of dried fruit, nut, and caramel. A slight bitterness balances the combination of five malts in this full bodied beer. Light brown with reddish highlights and good clarity, the ingredients of this English-style brew are all American with the exception of the yeast which is distinctively English. Created to enjoy on cold nights or as an after dinner treat, Mike’s Old Ale is 9% alcohol by volume, about twice that of the average beer. An experienced homebrewer, Mike was recognized as a finalist in the 2008 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest, as well as in the 2007 Samuel Adams® Patriot Homebrew Contest.
Ben Miller’s Barleywine is a dark red, flavorful brew with rich plum undertones to complement its caramel malt flavor. A self-proclaimed ‘hop head,’ Ben used several varieties of citrusy American hops in this beer, creating its resiny aroma followed by clean bitterness. Ben’s Barleywine is his 100th homebrew, brewed to commemorate two years of enjoying the hobby.
Jeremy White, who works in the IT department at Samuel Adams, channeled his love of Belgian beers to create his Saison, a classic Belgian-style brew. Jeremy’s flavorful, refreshing and lighter-bodied beer is brewed with Grains of Paradise, an exotic tropical spice also found in Samuel Adams Summer Ale. The peppery flavor is complemented by a slightly sweet aroma with hints of vanilla and citrus.”
The Old Ale sounds tempting.
50 from 50 – Massachusetts
It is only fitting that Sam Adams is the beer for Massachusetts. I went for their latest creation on the market.
Sam Adams Longshot
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNso5-IZ5Gg]
What is in the 'fridge?
from Bridgeport in Portland….
a Belgian Tripel from their Big Brews line
also from Samuel Adams in Boston
the Longshot Home Brew winners 2008
