Try?
Re-buy?
So I hate to say it, folks, but I will anyway: the 2013 Samuel Adams Longshot sampler is the weakest variety of beers in this series in as long as I can remember. And I can remember back pretty far, actually. Just read my review of Samuel Adams Longshot Molasses Coffee Stout from 1997 if you don’t believe me. In fact, I’ve never missed a Longshot brew to date.
One of the reasons this year’s 6-pack fails to impress me, I guess, is because it has two fruit/herb beers and an imperial IPA that’s not just the second one in the series but, at least in my opinion, not as good as the first one featured a few years ago. Of the three beers this year the weakest of the weak is Samuel Adams Longshot Beer Flower Wheat, with Magnificent Seven, the imperial IPA, and Strawberry lager rounding out what you get.
Don’t get me wrong, I love fruit and herb beers, but there is something about Longshot Beer Flower Wheat I just don’t like. The beer, recipe of California’s James Schirmer, is described on the label as a “wheat ale brewed with hibiscus flowers.” Here’s more from the label neck:
With the hot summer months and fun gatherings in mind, James brewed a refreshing wheat beer with an exotic kick. This beer is smooth and light bodied with the delicate flavors of hibiscus.
Longshot Beer Flower Wheat has an alcohol content of 5.8% by volume, and I paid $9.99 for the sampler six-pack. Let’s crack one and see how it goes, shall we?
Samuel Adams Longshot Beer Flower Wheat pours to a hazy yellow amber color with a thick creamy head formation and a lightly flowery nose. Taking a sip, the beer is lightly malty up front with some wheat tartness and softly fruity, herbal-flowery hibiscus aroma and flavor. As the beer warms, it displays an unpleasant chalkiness that definitely detracts from the overall enjoyment. It finishes lightly bitter and gently dry.
I am not very impressed with this beer. It’s probably the least enjoyable beer I’ve had from Boston Beer, whether in the Longshot or Sam Adams line. It’s not a beer that I can really appreciate stylistically or hedonistically, and were it sold in a dedicated six-pack, not a beer I’d buy again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
