Bold and rich, with a touch of holiday spice, Samuel Adams Winter Lager is a wonderful way to enjoy the cold evenings that accompany the season.
You can’t have “holiday spice” without cinnamon. So we tried dozens of cinnamons and came to a blend of cinnamons grown in Southeast Asia. Unlike the more common varieties of cinnamon, the blend contains Indonesian and Vietnamese cinnamon. The Vietnamese cinnamon is prized for its intense and complex pronounced spice taste.
The spices for Samuel Adams Winter Lager are fresh ground just before brewing, adding character and depth to the generous quantities of malted wheat. We then brew these spices with a dark wheat bock, to put our own twist on the classic bock style. The result is a deep ruby lager with a warming spicy flavour profile.
Bock beers, like the dark wheat bock Winter Lager, are classically strong dark lagers originating from the town of Einbeck, Germany. Translating to “billy goat,” some claim bock’s name association comes from being brewed during the astrological sign of Capricorn. Bocks are known for their rich malt character and low bitterness. High in food energy and nutrients, these beers were traditionally brewed by monks during fasting on holidays such as Christmas and Lent. Thus, these stronger brews are closely associated with the holidays. 355 ml, 5.6% alc./vol.
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Had to start earlier than normal to make sure I got all 6 in tonight…har har. Nice brew, similar to last nights. And I’m glad winter beer does not equal chocolate…I was getting worried. Strong taste with little after taste, fair head and nice amber colour. Thumbs up.
Living in Boston for 6 years and visiting the Sam Adams brewery, a bit bias about their beers!
Agree with Steve, similar to last night. Pours a dark amber, some head, low to medium carbonation. Dont really taste the orange peel, ginger or cinnamon – everything blends together. Can smell and taste the maltiness. Perhaps hoppy bitterness on the finish. Not huge character like some of the other beers but that can be a good thing. Goes down easily, smooth. Perhaps they should make this beer in 750ml!
If only this came in a 750 ml….
I had a pint of this a few weeks ago and loved it. So when it came up on our list I was very excited for tonight!!
This is a clean brew with a lot less hoppiness than I expected from Mr. Adams. It almost has a slight coffee taste on the finish with a mild hoppy aftertaste.
Truly enjoyable – and very easy to have more than one…..
I don’t have a lot to say about this beer. I’m not picking up on the cinnamon, or any other particular spice. It’s not a bad beer by any means, but nothing about it grabs me. This beer tastes like how I remember Rickard’s Red (though I may be way off the mark, since it’s been a dog’s age since I had a Rickard’s).
I agree with Chooch, easy to drink and very enjoyable. This lager tastes like an ale, but goes down smooth. Caramel coloured beer that has just the right amount of carbonation. The tasting notes are subtle and the Southeast Asian Cinnamon is lost on my palette. Malty with a hoppy finish, but not too hoppy. I’m glad this was a six pack because daddy needs some breakfast drinking beers.
I’ve kept up with the drinking, no problem, but the posting has fallen behind. Sam’s tastes really nice, but maybe a bit mostly harmless, as Douglas Adams would say (no relation). It seems less micro and more major.