Samuel Adams Tropic of Yuzu
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

Clear, golden color. Medium-sized, white head.Tropical fruits, herbs, and malt in aroma. Malty taste with fruity notes and light bitterness at the end.

Note: I am in the process of moving all of my ratings from other beer sites to here, so that all of my ratings are consolidated in one place. The review below is an exact copy of my original RateBeer review from 08/26/2017.


12 oz. bottle.

AROMA: Hints of banana and citrus.

APPEARANCE: Pours a slightly hazy, pale gold with a crisp, white, head that lasts a long time.

TASTE: Lightly sour with undertones of lemon and fruit juice.

PALATE: Average body with a slightly thick and slick texture. Carbonation is average and the finish is moderate with a touch of bitterness.

OVERALL: Another ho-hum beer from Samuel Adams. Nothing particularly good, nothing particularly bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raise your hand if you know off the top of your head what Yuzu tastes like...

I thought so.

Yeah, I don't know either. One of the beers from this year's Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Pack had Yuzu in it as well so it's nice to see that brewers are embracing new ingredients and flavors into their beers. This tasted quite herbal and floral but wasn't so offsetting that I felt like I had to chuck it down.

The pour to this was decent as the beer had the appearance of a European Light Lager. Thankfully, there was no "skunk" to the smell as some light passion fruit, pilsener malt, lavender, chamomile, and the like could be found here. Light and floral, there was a bit more heft to the taste as the Yuzu kicked in, along with mild stone fruit, resin slickness, and a bit of burn. Was that agave I felt or a floral presence that I couldn't quite pinpoint? Either way, this was unique as that factor few me in and left me with a mild burn that had me wanting more...until I emptied the bottle out.

Having a December notch on the side of the bottle, a very mild warming effect could be detected once I finished it's contents off. This grew on me as it warmed up and had me wondering why more offerings here in America don't feature Yuzu. It's tasty, a bit dark and mysterious, and not unlike anything found in these parts. A low herbal and spicy mouthfeel allowed it to shine through, much to my delight!

8/3...pours bright gold, no foam. Light fruity nose, wheaty. Almost waxy. Lime based malt, must be the yuzu. Certainly sour, but held in check. Soft fruitiness throughout. Subtle bitter, very interesting.

12 ounce bottle into signature pint glass, best before 9/2017. Pours slightly hazy medium golden yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of lightly tart lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, mango, melon, pear, red apple, peppercorn, wheat, cracker, biscuit, and herbal/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of yuzu, spices, pale malt, and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of lightly tart lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, mango, melon, pear, red apple, peppercorn, wheat, cracker, biscuit, and herbal/grassy earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, mango, melon, pear, red apple, peppercorn, wheat, cracker, biscuit, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice robustness and balance of yuzu, spices, pale malt, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Clean finishing. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, bready/grainy, and slightly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6%. Overall this is a nice fruit/spiced wheat ale. All around good robustness and balance of yuzu, spices, pale malt, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink. Very well balanced between all flavors. The spices compliment the fruit well. Not as vibrant on the Yuzu as I hoped for, but still a nicely enjoyable and unique offering.

 

This beer pours a rich gold with an average head. The aroma features strong notes of bubblegum and clove, with anise, banana, cinnamon, orange, and grapefruit flesh. The flavor starts with the strong clove lead spice, then shift to bubblegum, banana, papaya, underripe mango, mandarin orange, and grapefruit, and then it finishes with a hint of cinnamon. The mouthfeel is very light and very fizzy. Overall this is a pretty tasty beer - I imagine it is a Belgian style of some sort, with the huge yeasty notes - maybe a witbier variation? It is pleasantly fruit and light, with nice spices to it. I definitely enjoyed it, thought it is certainly not a complex offering.