No love for American Adjunct Lagers?

...it does seem a little bit odd to describe something as having the "best overall mix of flavors" of the 10 and yet not rank it #1. Isn't "tastes the best" the most important factor, especially considering that the bottom two are described as "no flavor at all" and "so bad you wish it had no flavor at all?" XD

 

That would help explain why i liked Sierra Nevada's Vienna lager so much while never really caring much for SABL. I've never really warmed to ambers generally.

 

I think, for anyone growing up in PA, you sort of have to have a soft spot for Yuengling.

 

Nope.

 

I picked up a 30 pack of Gansett for 18.99 last week. Great fridge filler / baseball game beer

 

I did a "Shift Drink" last night while I was out getting wings here in Boston. PBR and a house shot. Ahhh. Really though, not sure why they don't serve a 'Gansett Lager instead up here!

 

I just discovered Genesee cream ale this week and I'm kinda blown away by the price point and quality of it.
It's the perfect cheap summer beer.

I prefer Euro lagers and pilsners but I'm always looking for good AAL's.

 

Good AALs do exist... second the motion on Narragansett Lager. I also like Lionshead Pilsner a lot. Underrated and relatively affordable for craft.

 

All I'm saying is that side by side, we all enjoyed the Gansett and Schlitz better. I love a lot of what Sam Adams (seasonals, etc.) does but their Boston Lager is just not that interesting a beer, aside from historical significance being one of the first American craft brews to get big. Sorry if your taste buds don't match mine and my 5 friends'.

 

You're right, blame poor wording. Narragansett was the smoothest of the group and had the most mild, gently enjoyable flavor. Sam Adams had more pronounced flavors - stronger hops and richer malts - and was more complex, but we just didn't find it tasty enough to make it #1.

 

I can't light fireworks off on the Fourth of July if I'm not halfway lit off of an AAL. Preferably Hamm's. I refer to it as "getting Hamm-ered".

 

So you find Narragansett and Schlitz to be more "interesting" and flavorful than Boston Lager??

I find it hard to take your opinions seriously.

 

That's cool. Good thing you're not coming to our next Beer Club meeting.

 

Given your taste in beer, I consider myself fortunate.

 

Too bad, you'd have liked our previous meeting trying a dozen Trappists and our next one featuring Vermonters (Heady, Lawsons, etc). It's just that sometimes, drinking crappy ALs is fun, and Sam Adams is an overrated, middling lager.

 

I almost never drink these anymore. No point vs. water. I did have a Miller High Life and a PBR last winter, and was surprised how much better PBR was. My buddy drinks lots of Miller, it was pretty awful.

 

SA Lager didn't belong in the "crappy american lager" list in the 1st place.
It's like having a pale ale rating/tasting session and throwing in a douple IPA, then rating it against the lighter crispness of the pale ales ("too thick and hoppy")

I love a Gansett too, btw, and a lot of the others on your list. I love AAL's in general.
It's just sad to me that Sam Adams is perceived to fall into this category of beers.

 

It's true, it shouldn't have really been on the list. We actually brought it along on our club getaway trip as a "good beer alternative" in case the real subjects of the tasting were too gross. But as it happened, we were pleasantly surprised by some of the other beers and actually disappointed by how much better than them Sam wasn't.

 

An old Sam Lager is not a very appealing beer. But a fresh one would destroy those others and it wouldn't be close. Still, tasting it alongside such flavorless beers isn't really a proper comparison. It's too different.