Samuel Adams Wicked Double
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

Less generic than the other Samuel Adams NEIPA I tried. Citrus, other nondescript fruit, pine, and a slight, nonthreatening rounded dankness under it. That last thing, plus the booziness, keeps it out of smoothie territory. The appeal of Sam Adams seems to be they've sacrificed the potential to blow your socks off for the ability to consistently bat a solid B to B+ (aside from a couple missteps) in any style they try. This is that.

 

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours orange yellow with a fluffy white head. Smells of sweet citrus, with just a hint of tropical fruit. Tastes of citrus with tropical notes. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a good beer.

 

Pours with a good head that disappears quickly to no head at all. The aroma is rich, with citrus overtones but also with a heavy alcohol whiff. The taste hides that alcohol emphasis well, and there is more mouthfeel than you'd expect. It's well balanced, with the citrus and sharp bite of the beer countered by some residual sugar (I assume) that coats the mouth. It lacks a true hoppy aroma, honestly (though the citrus overtones might well be hops…they might also be the yeast used, or both). It's a very good drinker, but strong…goes to your head quickly, and this is purely because it's so easy to drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazy pale orange with a 2" white head, which lasts. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is floral, pine, grapefruit.

Taste is pine, grapefruit, mango, apricot.

Medium body, light carbonation. Dry, resinous finish.

A wicked, juicy NEIPA.

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a very hazy yellow- orange color with a small head of puffy white foam. The head has a good level of retention, fading over time and leaving lots of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the beer is quite big, with lots of herbal and grapefruit hop mixed with orange juice and papaya smells. Along with these aromas comes notes of a floral and pine hop smell as well as a bit of apricot and peach. Overall, rather inviting.
Taste – The taste begins with an orange juice sweetness mixed with some bready and cracker flavors. At the same time there is a decent showing of a grapefruit hop and some flavors of herb and pine. As the taste advances the orange juice fades a tad, but is still one of the dominant tastes. Other flavors of peach and apricot join in all while there is a surge in the grapefruit. A touch of lemon comes at the very end, leaving one with a nicely hopped and moderately crisp but chewy citrus heavy taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is thick and chewy with a carbonation level that is on the slightly lower side. For the flavors and the style, the feel is great and makes for a nice sipper.
Overall – A nice easy drinking hazy. Dangerously easy to drink at 8.3 %. Rather nice.

From the can, it pours a hazy amber color with a nice, long lasting, off-white head that leaves lacing. The nose gets a pleasant peach or possibly apricot scent. The mouth gets a smooth feeling pleasantly juicy brew that gives a nice zing in the back of the mouth like a nice citrusy beverage does.

Pours a cloudy/hazy apricot orange with a thick off-white head that has staying power. Nice lacing. Aroma is almost non-existent, picking up faint citrus. Flavor isn't much better than the nose, unimpressive. Feel is on the light side of medium bodied. Light in carbonation. Overall, disappointed.

From a 19.2oz stovepipe can, stamped April 2023. Served in a spiegelau IPA glass.

Pours a hazy orange-gold with two fingers of sturdy white foam. Retention is excellent, leaving a sudsy cap and collar and a tattered curtain of heavy lacing.

Nose is grainy and citrusy. Robust aroma of orange peel and lacquer thinner.

Taste is right in line with the nose, biscuity, bitter and citrusy. Bitter oily orange peel is prominent. Tasting orange peel, lemon juice and grapefruit pith, twist of lime, pine sap and baking soda biscuit.

Feel is thinly juicy, medium bodied and brightly carbonated. A little chalky maybe but the feel is still sharper than expected in the style as advertised.

Overall, a serviceable beverage but bears little relationship to the product described on the label. It is, in fact, ‘hazy’ however, if you close your eyes, it is a pretty straight-forward old-school c-hop-type double IPA in most every respect. Which is fine. It’s absolutely drinkable.

Great flavor flav on this one! Creeper at 8+ abv with impressive notes throughout. Finish is pleasant.

 

12oz can dated best before February 2023.

Pours hazy copper with a moderate head and retention. Cherry cough syrup with fruit juice in the nose. Medium bodied with a tacky mouthfeel. Sweet, almost artificial fruit on the palate. Cocktail syrup, canned pears. Finishes fairly dry with lingering canned fruit syrup flavors.