Good morning! It’s 8:49 AM on Super Bowl Sunday as I type, and no, I’m not drinking a Samuel Adams Kellerbier as I do. I did have one the other night, though, and took some notes as I am generally wont to do. I finally picked up the Samuel Adams American Craft Lagers 12-pack you see, just in time to watch my Patriots play in the big game. I’ve been a Pats fan since 1978 and drinking Samuel Adams since there was a Sam Adams (in the beer world anyway), around 1985. To be sure, I’ll be picking up some Harpoon today or something else from New England. But there has to be Samuel Adams….
Anyway, you get 2 bottles of the Kellerbier in the 12-pack plus two bottles each of the following:
· Samuel Adams Smoked Lager
· Samuel Adams Coffee Black Lager
· Samuel Adams Fresh as Helles
The Kellerbier, Smoked Lager, and Coffee Black lager are “new”. I use quotes there because some may be variations on previous Samuel Adams beers. The Kellerbier is a good example. It is the first Samuel Adams beer I have come across bearing the name Kellerbier, but not the first example of the style. Samuel Adams Alpine Spring was/is also a Kellerbier, or unfiltered lager.
First, let’s see what Boston Beer has to say about Samuel Adams Kellerbier. From their website:
Kellerbiers originated in German cellars when brewers couldn’t wait to taste the fruits of their labors, so they tapped young beers straight from barrels. Our version ages on oak chips for a refreshing juxtaposition of light unfiltered malts with an intriguing woodsy note.
Ingredients:
HOP VARIETIES
Spalt-Spalter, Tettnang
MALT VARIETIES
Pale two-row malt, Melanoidin malt, Carafa Special 1
SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
Oak chips
Samuel Adams Kellerbier has an alcohol content of 5% by volume with 30 IBUs. The 12-pack ran me $14.99 at Kroger. My bottle is notched as best before May of 2018, although the 12-pack suggest you enjoy before May of 2018. I am assuming they gave the Kellerbier a little extra time since it contains yeast.
OK, now let’s go back and look at the stats on the Apline Spring. It has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume, is made with pale and honey malts and Tettnang Noble hops. No mention of wood in my tasting notes or the specs. So, same style but different beers really.
Samuel Adams Kellerbier pours to a cloudy amber color with a thick head of foam and an appetizing bready dough nose. Taking a sip, the beer is very smooth and malty with decided fresh bread and yeasty bready notes. It hints at a light woodiness that is accentuated by the delicate nature of the beer. A balanced finish offers more of the oak coming forth.
I like it! The wood adds an extra dimension here, and while the beer is not overly aggressive, neither is the style. For $15 you could do a lot worse than this beer and all the other goodies it comes with. Now, for the important stuff.
Go Pats!
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
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