Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
According to wikipedia: Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels).
I may be wrong, but I could not find any information that suggests that Jim Koch has setup shop in Belgium to pound this seasonal out, therefore this beer is not really a lambic. Let’s call it Samuel Adams Sparkling Cranberry Hops Juice. Other anal beer reviewers have also noted this. Lambics are complex blends of more than one beer that are brewed using wild yeast strains. It is also brewed using a method called “spontaneous fermentation”.
As a result, lambics have a dry, almost champagne-like quality about them. They are quite delicious when paired with the right meal. You certainly would not sit around scratching yourself, eating pretzels, watching football and chugging lambics. Lambics are not banquet beers and you will never see them turn a bottle blue or be “vented” in through some gimmicky can. I’ve never seen a lambic in a can. If you know of a lambic that comes in a can, please post it below.
Facts:
- I like cranberries.
- I like cranberry juice.
- I like Samuel Adams.
- I like lambics.
- This is not really a lambic.
- I like it anyway.
It pours medium red. The primary scent is cranberries and the special yeast. The taste is light and almost carbonated. There is no bite to speak of. It finishes nice and smooth with the same sweet berry taste that it starts with. The remarkable thing is that the “cranberry” taste is not bitter at all, and it should be. Cranberry is a New Englander’s berry. It’s not for sissies. It fools you initially with a bit of sweet and then punishes your gullible pallette with a bitter finish. HA! Acquire that taste! I like this beer, but I must ask Samuel Adams, where is the bitter? Maybe I need to search harder. I guess I will drink a few more. You can only find this in the Samuel Adams superb winter seasonal variety pack.
