Inside the mind of Jim Koch

Kolsch just isnt popular enough for a lot of people to care. There's only 1 with over 1000 reviews.

 

how do you know its not a different beer? It doesn't sound like you've tried either one, but you're "sure" its a very subtle adjustment (at best). Brewers come out with dozens of IPAs and people practically shit their pants over each one, why is this met with so much skepticism by you?

 

The title should be "Inside the mind of Jim Ko(ls)ch.

Thanks, I'll be here all week...

 

Neither was/is a Koelsch.

 

This is confusing. First you ask if the two beers are the same beer, then you claim that it is the same beer being re-branded. Which are you arguing for/asking about?

 

If it's the same beer, why re-name it? Easy, because people will buy it. Look at Stone's Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam IPA. Simply Ruination Grapefruit Slam (draft only) rebranded. Did I buy it and enjoy it? Yes. Was it actually a new beer? I don't think so

 

It sounds like what you're saying right now is "nobody actually cares very much about Kolsch beers, so why do brewers even try?"

 

Because if its not popular then few people will notice thus he can get away with it.

 

Maybe he's just trying to keep the BA crowd guessing and discussing - and thus making people want to try more Sam Adams stuff.

 

If there are two different recipes involved it isn't rebranding. So your question really boils down to asking why did Boston Brewing produce two different beers in the same style. Probably for the same reason Victory released Hop Ranch and Dirt Wolf within the same 12 month period.

 

A very quick research of the Sam Adams website provides the details of:

Escape Route:
HOP VARIETIES
Strisselspalt and Aramis
MALT VARIETIES
Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, acidulated malt, flaked barley, and carafoam
YEAST STRAIN
Top-fermenting Ale
COLOR
Golden, veiled / 7 SRM
ALC. BY VOL/WT
5.0%ABV - 3.9%ABW
IBUs
30
CAL PER SERVING
147
AVAILABILITY
Limited Seasonal

East/West
HOP VARIETIES
Spalt Spalter, Strisselspalt
MALT VARIETIES
Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, malted wheat, and Bohemian pils malt
YEAST STRAIN
Top-fermenting Ale
COLOR
Pale golden, SRM: 5
SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
Jasmine Sambac
ALC. BY VOL/WT
5.0% ABV - 3.9% ABW
IBUs
15
CAL PER SERVING
147
AVAILABILITY
Limited

So, it is easy to see that East/West and Escape Route are different beers.

Cheers!

 

Better question: Why did Sam Adams replace Boston Lager taps all around Boston with Rebel IPA? Everywhere I used to see Sam and Sam Seasonal, I now see Rebel IPA and Sam Seasonal. They're fighting against themselves with a mediocre product.

 

Conspiracy theories are much more appealing than facts.

 

Are you implying that a well-made Koelsch wouldn't find a market?

 

At the risk of being repetitive, I started a thread a while back about Sam Adams Escape Route Kolsch. I took pains to be clear in that post that Escape Route Kolsch is not of the same ilk as a Kolsch brewed in Cologne, Germany but is a pleasant beer to drink and I personally appreciate Boston Beer Company making a beer such as this (which I presume is available nationwide?) to expose beer drinkers to a style such as this.

While I would have preferred that Boston Beer Company brewed a beer more akin to a Cologne, Germany brewed beer I appreciate what they did with this beer.

Here is a link to the thread I started on Escape Route Kolsch:http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/sam-adams-escape-route-kolsch.149141/

Cheers!