Tasman Red IPA

Beer Name: Tasman Red IPA
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 6.75%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Tasman Red IPA is from the same series of beers as Third Voyage, at least if the bottle and label style is anything to go by. It has a crazy looking person on the bottle if you're looking for it.

Tasman Red is a very deep ruby colored beer that arrived with about a finger of head. This head was thick and fluffy, and it faded away slowly while leaving a heavy lacing pattern behind. Another plus was that this beer came in a clean glass, so I had nothing to complain about. There is a nice aroma of citrus and pine hops, and there is also some caramel malt to go with it.

This beer has a very big flavor, mostly hops but with some maltiness in there as well. I suppose it would be apt to call it a "bold" beer. The hops are probably the main flavor, but the malt has enough presence to avoid being overshadowed. The beer finishes bitter, with an aftertaste of lingering malt with a bit of hops. I had this on draft, and it seems like it would be much better this way than from the bottle. There's just something about it.

Final thought - I enjoyed this beer, and it was very good with food. It's sort of a mix between a red ale and an IPA, and there's noticeable contributions from both. I would probably be glad to drink this again if I see it out somewhere.

-Jon

Third Voyage

Beer Name: Third Voyage Double IPA
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This bottle has a whole bunch of numbers and letters on it, but none of them can be converted into any kind of date which means I have no idea what they are or when this beer was brewed. Third Voyage is a limited edition beer brewed in honor of Captain Cook's third voyage around the world or something and uses hops from the various areas he visited. Something like that. I read the back of the bottle, but I wasn't really paying much attention. I guess the history lesson will have to wait until another time.

Third Voyage is a fairly dark IPA, with a deep reddish amber color. It produced a whole lot of head that lasted for a very long time and left a lacing pattern that basically enveloped the entire glass. By the end of the glass though, some of that lacing had disappeared, leaving behind a fairly heavy pattern. The aroma has a good amount of hoppiness, but there's also a strong malt presence. The hop aroma fades pretty quickly, which is kind of surprising, especially for a double. I don't know what kind of effect that might have on the flavor.

The initial flavor here is bitter hops, mostly piney. There's also a lot of maltiness going on here as well, much more than most IPAs. Each sip starts off with a bitter punch, and then finishes with a caramel malt flavor, along with a bitter aftertaste. The carbonation is medium, and combined with the bitterness makes this beer a sipper.

Final thought - As a limited beer, this one works. I don't think that I would drink it regularly, but it was nice to see something new and experimental from this BBC. Maybe beers like this can get into their normal rotation and crap like the White Ale and Cranberry Lambic can hit the bricks.

-Jon

Latitude 48 IPA

Beer Name: Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 6%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by May 2011

It's always a nice surprise when there's a new beer to try when you're not expecting it. Such was the case last night with the Latitude 48 IPA, whose name comes from the fact that the hops used are all grown close to 48° north latitude. For you geography people out there, this latitude includes the "hop belt," and I have to assume that is far more awesome than the Bible Belt.

Since the Boston Beer Company uses dark brown bottles, I wasn't able to see the color of the beer or get any idea of its head production or lacing capabilities. I was able to pick up on a nice hoppy aroma, specifically citrus and floral hops. Maybe a little hint of pine in there as well. Unlike many IPAs, the hop aroma wasn't overwhelming, so this might be a less intense hop experience.

Latitude 48 IPA is a much milder IPA than a lot of other ones that I've tried. It has a hoppy taste, but it's much less pronounced. The hoppy and piney tastes come through nicely, but they don't linger in the aftertaste. There's also some sweetness in the finish. The beer has a good level of carbonation, probably in the medium range.

Final thought - I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. I like a lot of stuff in the Sam Adams line of beers, but I don't think they've ever done anything in the IPA style before, so I was a little wary. Well, this is a nice, easy drinking beer which is perfect for an evening at the bar. Which is where I was.

-Jon

SA Octoberfest

Beer Name: Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 5.3%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown, best by Feb 2011

Now this is where it's at.

This beer smells like fall. I am not exactly sure how to describe the smells of fall, but this beer definitely has those smells. That could possible be because the beer comes out during the fall, but it could also be because they did it on purpose because it's a fall beer. It's really one of those "chicken or the egg" situations.

This Octoberfest is not very hoppy, but it's pretty malty. Maybe they use less hops and more malt when they brew it. It's got a little bit of carbonation, but not too much. It also has a sweet, roasty taste at the end. I bet that is a result of the malt as well. Probably some caramel malt, or something along those lines. There's a whole lot of flavor going on here, so it's not for the Bud Light crowd.

Final thought - I really don't think I need to tell you about Sam's Octoberfest offering. At this point, you should know that you either like it or you don't. I think you should be in the first group, but that's because I like good beer. This would be a good beer to drink a bunch of while sitting around a fire and throwing funny things on it. Especially if the fire is at someone else's house, due to the risks involved.

-Jon

Boston Lager

Beer Name: Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 4.75%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown, best by Dec 2010

Alright, so I don't know the "professional" way to describe beers, so I'm just going to do things my way.

Everyone knows that I am pro-Samuel Adams. Not the actual guy, although I'm sure he was a real guy and not some creation like Cap'n Crunch, but the brand of beer. It's one of the 2 breweries that I've been on a tour of, and they make a lot of good stuff. I can still try to be unbiased though.

The first thing I notice about this beer is that as soon as you smell it, you know you're getting beer. There's no other scents mixed in there, like flowers or fruit or whatever. The flavor is pretty hoppy at first, then a little taste of caramel, and finally it finishes bitter. I remember they told us on the tour what they did to make that bitter finish, but I forget. Something with how they hop it or whatever. Maybe they dry-hop it.

Boston Lager has what I would call medium carbonation. It's bubbly, but not really bubbly like soda is bubbly. However, like soda, it's absolutely horrible warm. Some beers can get away with being served at a warmer temperature, but this isn't one of them. If you buy a 6-pack (or 12 or case or however much you feel like drinking) and it's not refrigerated, do yourself a favor and ice bath it before you start the festivities. You'll be sorry otherwise. And if you don't know about the ice bath, you have a lot to learn about drinking.

I think this beer is a good beer for a meal. I would enjoy a couple of these with a steak or some ribs. Maybe even some barbecued chicken. It's not the kind of beer I would sit around drinking a bunch of while I watch the Sox though. A few of them are enough for me.

Final thought - Boston Lager is a quality brew that makes a regular appearance in the fridge. It's a nice one to have if I'm out at a higher quality bar, and I am never disappointed to find it in the bottom of a cooler if I'm out at a party. Well done!

-Jon