Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Here’s a Taste of the New Samuel Adams Fall Beers

By

samuel adams fall beer
Photo by Kirill Zmurciuk
It’s easy for a profitable, established brewery to coast on a reputation built by past successes. Within the ever-evolving craft beer landscape, however, a lack of innovation is a recipe for disaster. That pale ale you made 10 years ago may still be tasty, but today’s craft beer audience is always on the hunt for new flavors and tasting experiences.

Perhaps no craft brewery is more well known than Massachusetts’ Samuel Adams. The brewing empire built on the back of Boston Lager has never stopped evolving. From the deep, rich experience that is Utopias to the complexity of Kosmic Mother Funk Grand Cru to the breadth of the Rebel IPA series, no one can say that Samuel Adams is a one-trick brewery. For fall 2017, the Boston bigwig continues to grow by launching two new Samual Adams fall beers and bringing back several seasonal favorites sure to excite its many fans.

Recommended Videos

Honey Rye Pale Ale is a brand-new release that can be found in the Beers of Fall Variety Pack. The addition of honey enhances the beer’s deep amber color and adds just the right amount of sweetness to balance the spiciness imparted from the rye. The end result is a bright, thirst-quenching beer with a crisp, clean finish.

Related

Harvest Hefe also has joined the autumn lineup. The hefeweizen-style may not seem like a natural pick for cooler temperatures, but Samuel Adams took the traditional wheat beer base and added warm baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. It’s a perfect alternative to the ubiquitous pumpkin ale.

The Beers of Fall Variety Pack, available now, also includes bottles of OctoberFest, 20 Pounds of Pumpkin, Maple Red, Black Lager, and (of course) the classic Boston Lager. The Fall Can Variety Pack feature OctoberFest, Bohemian Pilsner, and Dunkelweizen, which is exclusive to this canned collection.

Feature image by Kirill Zmurciuk.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
Whether It’s Here to Stay or Not, Brut IPA is Shaping the Future of Craft Beer
tulip pint beer glass

Several new beer styles seemingly pop up every few months and it’s often a crap shoot whether they have lasting power or not. 
New England-style and Hazy IPAs still tend to be the beers du jour after their slow rise to prominence. There's another IPA style, though, waiting to see if whether it will turn out to be a flash in the pan or have staying power: Brut IPA.
First brewed in California at Social Kitchen and Brewery, the style draws inspiration from brut sparkling wines, and the dry finish makes for a surprisingly crisp and sessionable beer that was quickly anointed the next big wave. The hype has faded, but retail shelves are still likely to be packed with the style this summer as breweries determine whether Brut IPAs can stick.
One reason for a quick fizzle could be how quickly breweries jumped on the Brut IPA train in the first place, said Eric Bachli, the brewmaster at Brooklyn’s Sixpoint Brewery.
“New England IPAs, now you see a lot of them, but it was a gradual progression, going back to Heady Topper. People slowly latched on and now it’s everywhere,” Bachli said. “With Brut, there was rush and there’s thousands of breweries now trying to get them out. I think it’s cool in a way because you get to try others and I’m impressed how quickly breweries like Sierra Nevada and New Belgium got them out.”
Sixpoint’s Sparkler Brut IPA will hit shelves in its distribution footprint soon, with Bachli's background from Trillium Brewing shining through. He’s leaving the beer hazy, but adding the enzyme that removes the residual sugar, resulting in a beer that is dry as a bone on the finish.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpSmGx4B3-c/
Bachli’s experimentation with the beer is part of the reason why some breweries aren’t packaging their Brut IPAs. At Washington’s Elysian Brewing, brewmaster Josh Waldman is leaving the style up for variations.
“My first impressions of the style were it was very cool with a catchy name and the concept was interesting,” Waldman said. “We didn’t catch on right away, and having heard of this emerging style, we realized we weren’t first to market so what do we have to do to make it special?”
Further Reading

Meet the Milkshake IPA, Your New Obsession
9 Fresh IPAs to Sip On Right Now
An Introduction to the Brett IPA and Three to Try

Read more
The best añejo tequilas to prepare for Cinco de Mayo
Drin anejo tequila this Cinco de Mayo
Tequila shot with salt

When it comes to drinking holidays, there are two that stand out. The first is St. Patrick’s Day with its green beer, Irish whiskey, and dry Irish stouts. The second is Cinco de Mayo with its tequila and Mexican beer. While we honestly don’t know why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we do know that Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day (that’s in September). It’s the day to remember the Mexican victory over France in the Battle of Pueblo.

Over the years, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we’ve enjoyed our fair share of blanco tequila shots and light Mexican lagers. As we’ve grown, we’ve realized we prefer something with a little more complexity. That’s why this year we’re going to sip añejo tequilas instead.
What is an añejo tequila?

Read more
Secrets revealed: Easy ways to elevate your cocktail game from a pro mixologist
How to improve your home mixology game
grasshopper cocktail

Making a top-notch cocktail is not implied. Even if you're working with a great drink recipe or all the necessary ingredients, you still have to execute. Fortunately, we know some people in the trade who have been turning out incredible cocktails for years.

That's certainly the case with Mike Milligan. He's the lead barkeep at Four Seasons in Oahu. From twists on classic cocktails to nailing a good egg white drink, he's the man for the job.

Read more