Here Sam Adams goes again… making one of these craft brew styles that most mainstream beer breweries dare not try. I swear, Sam, you’ve got balls – and I am constantly impressed with you.
I’m not a Rauchbier fan, and if you’ve ever had a Rauchbier, you’d probably agree that it’s easily described as “smokey”. I took a sip of this, and it tasted like a beer that I sat beside a campfire, forgot about for like 4 hours, then found again and drank; again, not a fan. It does have some great malt character, but it reminds me of that “liquid smoke” stuff that people add to their chilis and stews. Now, even though I didn’t like the taste, the smell is awesome and reminds me of Fall!
Keep on keepin’ on, Sam Adams; even though you don’t always hit my palate right on, you make me proud!
Cheers!
A Cap A Day 
September 19th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
I’m not always a fan either, but I agree with your sentiment about keeping on.
September 25th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Can’t be successful if you fold after one bad beer, eh? 🙂
September 20th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
We bought this seasonal pack a couple weeks ago and this is the one beer left in our fridge! I actually liked the smoky flavor, but I think you have to be in the right kind of mood for this beer. I think I liked it more than my fiancé did, and I’ll probably get around to drinking it soon.
Nice photo!
September 25th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Thanks Lady! Yeah, I kinda liked the smokiness at first – but I couldn’t drink the whole thing – the flavor just started to be overwhelming for me. I bet it would taste good mixed into some cupcake batter though! 🙂
September 26th, 2011 at 10:48 am
I’m not so sure about cupcake batter, but it would be great in chili or stew! I had a bottle last night and actually really enjoyed it. If they toned down the smoke just a bit it would have been great, but I found it enjoyable.
September 26th, 2011 at 11:18 am
Yum… it would be good in chili!