Samuel Adams Belgian Session
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

Reviewing this beer from memory. My thirtieth brew reviewed from these guys. Like most beers from Boston Beer Company, also known as Sam Adams, this is just ok.

Golden color with medium head. Aroma of Belgian yeast, wheat, and fruits. Taste follows the aroma .Semidry taste with moderate hoppy 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 05/03/2013.


12 oz. bottle. Pours clear and golden with a very frothy, white head. Aromas of hay, yeast, citrus, and clove. Taste is slightly bitter. Light flavors of citrus, cloves, and caramel. Texture is thin and a little watery. Average carbonation with an abrupt finish. Flavor-wise, this is an okay beer, but the texture and body are poor in my opinion.

From notes 6/2/12: Pours a clear, golden amber with 2.5 fingers of white, foamy, somewhat lasting head that leaves some patchy lacing. Aroma presents a yeasty spiciness, ripe banana, apple, a hint of coriander, pepper and some cracker/biscuit malt. Taste is thin for the style with fruity esters of watery banana, apple and green plums; slightly dry with almost no pepper or spice accents and at best only a suggestion of caramel. A disappointment.

 

 

 

 

Poured into a tulip, the appearance was a moderately bright yellow color with a finger's worth of white foamy head that quickly dissipated to leave some gentle sticky lace.
The aroma had some faded grassy sweetness, light bready character, slight Belgian sweetness, some grape skin, light white pepper, and citrus at the very end.
The flavor brought the previously mentioned aromas together adequately - somewhat sweet with a little tang and then some tart and sourdough bread. Mild aftertaste pulled in the tang, bready character and Belgian sweetness.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt on par. Light finish on some of the bready malts, and grassiness.
Overall, I can see it as a Belgian pale ale, and I don't mind this for me. Might be nicer with it's respected food.

**
07/09/14

Aroma: yeast, bread, grapefruit
Appearance: darkish yellow, clear.
Taste, Wang with aftertaste of ash, hint of citrus.
palate is very flat. Thin body.

All the things you hate about mediocre Belgian beers, with none of the upside of the great ones.

**

This was sort of like Belgian ale -light-. Had one at a social function and enjoyed it but mostly because it was much better than some of the other choices. It was just as advertised,a Belgian turned into a session beer which for most fans of the style it probably won't work. It just lacked the depth,complexity,and flavor associated with this style

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz bottle, best before Oct 2016, served in a Tulip glass.

Appearance: Mostly clear gold-amber with just the barest hint of suspended sediment when held up to the light. Thin off-white ring of foam with some islands and strands of persistent lacing. Nice colored beer.

Smell: Very little aroma until a solid swirl of the beer is given, and then I can detect some toasted malt notes and some fruity esters, but then it dissipates and I only get a bit of cooked grain.

Taste: Not very Belgian in my opinion. Cooked grains, a bit of veggie hops (older hops are to style for some BPAs, but this isn't quite right), some bit of lemony citrus, and an attempt at some fruity esters, but it doesn't quite work.

Mouthfeel: Prickly carbonation, a bit thin.

Overall / Drinkability: Not something I'd want again by itself. Maybe better with food? A bit of a miss on this beer. BPAs don't necessarily need to be made into a session beer - you sort of want the higher malt and ABV because a good BPA is a good beer to have all by itself and it doesn't need to be watered down, which is what I feel this beer is. Great looking beer, but it misses in just about all other ways.