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Why not a Snow Bunny Ale?
Rated 7.41 by 63 Beer Drinkers.
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Drinking in a Winter Wonderland
By Belly Buddy Ed McShea
UPDATE 10/14/2002:
From a Boston Beer Company Press Release: "Sam Adams Debuts Two New Beers -- Sam Adams Light and Samuel Adams Vienna Style Lager In Its Winter Classics Pack. This year's Winter Classics pack has added two new styles-- Sam Adams Light and Samuel Adams. Vienna Style Lager. Making its debut in the Winter Classics Holiday 12-pack is Samuel Adams Vienna Style Lager. The Vienna style of beer originated in Vienna, Austria in 1841 and is widely considered to be the first true modern lager."
Brian's Belly will update our review to include these changes just as soon as our drinking schedule allows. While hosting a recent holiday party, Belly Buddy Mark Higgins gave me what I would consider one of the best presents I could get- a naked lady bottle opener. Not that my wife agrees, but I thought that was pretty special. And as if they were thinking ahead, Belly Buddy Dave Lauterbach brought a case of Sam Adams Winter Classics.
This seemed like as good a time as any to write up our opinions of the 6 brews included in this festive case, so we all grabbed the naked lady bottle opener and a beer and went to work.
While there were several good brews included, the one I whole-heartedly DIDN'T like was the Old Fezziwig Ale. I have to admit, from the start I wasn't expecting that much out of it- the label said "brewed with cinnamon, ginger and orange." Sounded like an exotic tea... and it pretty much tasted that way. Sorry Jim Koch, but this beer doesn't fit in with the fine variety of beers Sammy A generally offers.
Quite honestly, the first thought that crossed my mind after tasting was "Nyquil." And I made sure my palate was clean, too. I even attempted a second taste- and it didn't get much better. Maybe my taste buds have been dulled by years of Bud and Coors Light- I don't know. I do know that this ale wasn't very appealing to me. I'm really not into the "fruity" beers.
Along the same lines, I didn't go for the Cranberry Lambic... I had tried it several years ago in the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston- a Mecca for all beer lovers- and wasn't that fond of it either.
However, I will be as fair as possible. If you like a bold, fruity and strong tasting beer, Old Fezziwig is the one for you. When poured, it had a strong aroma, a deep amber color, and a great head! If your taste buds are sophisticated enough to pick out a pinch of cinnamon in a brew vat, go for it.
Another that I sampled in the winter pack was the Pale Ale. This was more my style of beer- I liked it. It was a more of a traditional ale- golden in color, with just enough "bite" to it. It had a fairly strong taste. Don't be confused with the "Pale" name- the beer is rich in flavor. I didn't find it dry like most pale beers- it was very refreshing. It's also possible that, coming off the Fezziwig, warm Schaffer would've tasted good (Granpa McShea would kill me for that one). This was a very good beer.
Dave
I wanted to start with one of the two beers included in this case that I hadn't tried in quite some time. After seeing Ed's face when he sampled the Old Fezziwig, I decided to go with the other brew available only in this package... the Cranberry Lambic.
I should begin by mentioning that I'm not a fan of wheat beers- I always felt that they left residue in my throat... not so much an aftertaste as an afterthought that I had flem on my larynx. Call me crazy.
But when you add to that the slightly bitter taste that cranberries are known for, this Belgian lambic became a beer with no hope for redemption as far as I was concerned.
Disappointed, I later moved on to the Boston Ale (I had tried this before). This amber ale has a malty flavor which is a bit more spicy that most ales. I'm not sure I'd go all the way and call this "robust" as the bottle suggests, but it did something for me. Not definable as bitter or sweet, the aftertaste was pleasant. I had another.
Brian
I decided to try the Winter Lager. The label introduced it as "a dark wheat lager brewed with winter spices." What the hell are winter spices? The first thing that came to mind were sugarplums dancing in my head. But realizing that sugarplums were in fact a candy and not a spice, I settled on the fact that it must be a combo of the same type of stuff in the Fezziwig Ale. It turns out I was correct, with the core spices being orange, cinnamon and ginger.
It takes on a dark red amber in the glass. With a wheaty malt taste, I felt it was a bit too bitter for such a dark lager. Perhaps too much orange & ginger and not enough of the sweet spices. I wouldn't call it fruity like Ed calls the Fezziwig, but it definitely has a seasonal feeling... I wouldn't drink this on the beach in the summer. Unfortunately, I wouldn't drink more than one of these by a fire in the winter either.
Mark
After carefully watching the faces of the boys as they sampled these brews and used words like "bitter", "malty" and "spicy", I decided to grab the one I knew I could get down without a problem... Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
If you've never had one of these, get with the program. In a word, it's good. In a few words, it's rich and it's the opposite of every other beer you may usually order on tap at a bar.
At the end on the evening, the cooler still held two Fezziwigs, two Cranberry Lambics and one Winter Lager. The rest of the Sammy A, as well as the rest of the beer supply, was gone.
3rokndady» I adored the Summer Ale...when that dried out after the season I though I would also like this...sorry, I'm just not buying it...too much of a liquorish ginger spice taste...yuk....gives me the heavy jeebies. 1Shock» Wow. I don't know what they did to this but it is horrible. I really enjoy SA beer's, but this smelled and tasted horrible. I couldn't finish it (but I did). 4Scrappy» Seasonals are hit or miss. Octoberfest is a hit, all of this seasonal stuff in this pack is a miss. Cranberry Lambic? Leave the Lambics to the Belgians. Cinnamon'y & spiced beer does not make a good beer, so the Winter Lager should be retired too 11Beer Lover» Samuel Adams is simply the BEST!!!!! 11Mark B.» Winter Lager is definitely one of Sam's best. Theres nothing like having one of these while sitting on my back porch on a November evening. 6Joe Blow» They need to dump that Old Fezziwig and the Cranberry crap. I get one of these from somebody every winter and usually end up tasting, then dumping the Cranberry and OF. Other than those, the samplers are quite good. 7Brian Portland - OR» I look forward to the Winter variety pack every year. I really enjoy the Winter Lager, and to a lesser extent the Old Fezziwig. These are definitely seasonal beers, to be consumed at the fireside. The others are good, the lambic I don't care for. 11yankeesSUCK» Sam Adams Boston Lager is by far my favorite brew... I also enjoyed the Winter Lager... something different and it warmed me up... hell I even made beer battered cod fish the other night... and what did I use... Sam's of course... delicious!!! 9Davie» I love the Fezziwig and I will go on record as saying that I wish they would sell it in stand alone 6 packs like they used to it's the beer that started Sammies holiday beers and it is unique and exceptional - Ginger Malt Spice 9BronxBomber» Goes great with Christmas dinner. Or with an Egg Nog. There is always a case in my house during the holiday season.
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While hosting a recent holiday party, Belly Buddy Mark Higgins gave me what I would consider one of the best presents I could get- a naked lady bottle opener. Not that my wife agrees, but I thought that was pretty special. And as if they were thinking ahead, Belly Buddy Dave Lauterbach brought a case of Sam Adams Winter Classics.
This seemed like as good a time as any to write up our opinions of the 6 brews included in this festive case, so we all grabbed the naked lady bottle opener and a beer and went to work.
Another that I sampled in the winter pack was the Pale Ale. This was more my style of beer- I liked it. It was a more of a traditional ale- golden in color, with just enough "bite" to it. It had a fairly strong taste. Don't be confused with the "Pale" name- the beer is rich in flavor. I didn't find it dry like most pale beers- it was very refreshing. It's also possible that, coming off the Fezziwig, warm Schaffer would've tasted good (Granpa McShea would kill me for that one). This was a very good beer.
But when you add to that the slightly bitter taste that cranberries are known for, this Belgian lambic became a beer with no hope for redemption as far as I was concerned.
I decided to try the Winter Lager. The label introduced it as "a dark wheat lager brewed with winter spices." What the hell are winter spices? The first thing that came to mind were sugarplums dancing in my head. But realizing that sugarplums were in fact a candy and not a spice, I settled on the fact that it must be a combo of the same type of stuff in the Fezziwig Ale. It turns out I was correct, with the core spices being orange, cinnamon and ginger.
After carefully watching the faces of the boys as they sampled these brews and used words like "bitter", "malty" and "spicy", I decided to grab the one I knew I could get down without a problem... Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
