Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Samuel Adams delivers a consistant, high quality drinking experience. You know that, but that’s not why you come to this site. You want to hear something a little different.  This year’s Winter Lager seems to be a little bit different than previous.  I mean, the stuff is delicious. If you compare it to their other seasonal offerings, it does not hold a candle to the uniqueness of their Summer Ale or even the Old Fezziwig, but it is hearty and delicious.

When I cracked it open,  I smelled banana nut bread and that was a scent I have not picked up in another beer. It was as unexpected as it was comforting and welcome.  The focus of Samuel Adams Winter Lager is the malt and less on the hops.  I did not find it as sticky as the Magic Hat Roxy Rolles.  The color was a beautiful reddish amber.  As I recall, this is a bock beer, which is a German beer, traditionally brewed for special occasions.  High-gravity Bock beers are higher in nutrients than lighter beers and were brewed by monks who drank them during periods of fasting.  This explains the banana nut bread smell.  The spices in the finish are sure not to offend anyone.  I suspect that Samuel Adams Winter Lager and Old Fezziwig were concocted in tandem and that because the Winter Lager was less spicy and more mainstream, it became the standard for Sam’s winter offering.  Hey, they’re both winners in my book.