Dammit. I love Sam Adams beers. Most every beer they make I love. Not this one. It’s just… not a great beer. There… I said it. I said it

And I’m not the only one who has said it. Why, let’s check in with Sgt. Stout from yesteryear… his thoughts were less than happy ones!

In fact, I just re-read them and all pretty much, yeah—just read that and replace his name with mine. My two cents are these:

This is a beer in the style of a traditional, seasonal brew. It should not taste the exact same every year. What we have in 2008, though, is just what we did in ‘07 and I have a sneaking suspicion it’s been the same every year they make it. Now look—I love when Sam Adams Summer Ale hits the shelves. Likewise when White Ale is back in winter. Ditto when their winter beers come out (love me their Cranberry Lambic and Old Fezziwig Ale!) but this is… is beyond seasonal! It’s a fest beer, dammit!

So I would have liked it to be special for this year’s fest. Instead, the beer is, like the Sarge said last year and last weekend when we cracked some Octoberfest open, too yellow, too malty-sweet, not enough hops… not enough balance at all really. It’s just not very complicated, and what taste there is has a sugary cardboard flavor to it.

That said… it’s still better than most of the shnit out there on the shelves. Grab one on draft at a bar—don’t buy in quantity without a test. Captain OUT!