Samuel Adams Rebel Cascade

But only sourced from obscure Chilean volcanoes, the ones in Hawaii aren't dank and earthy enough.

 

Real talk. If rebel raw lives up to the hype and is readily available, it will definitely be a go-to and I look forward to it.

 

I prefer the hops sourced from New Zealand volcanoes. Tropical fruit mixed with volcanic ash is so complex.

As much as people bash Sam Adams, if Raw and Cascade are world class IPAs, they'll fly off the shelves. Bourbon County variants are very good, and people line up the day after Thanksgiving for these beers. No one seems to care who owns them.

 

Ah, the trendoids on their road to nowhere; you nailed their mindset perfectly.

 

I've only had it at a ballpark, but it did just what it was supposed to do: be the best beer at the ballpark .

 

I would say the fact that Mr. Koch has taken the stance that brewing heavily hopped beers takes zero skill and anybody can brew unbalanced IPAs. He also thinks all bars should carry Boston lager (probably taken out of context but this my understanding based on various articles). Now recently SA seems to be brewing a lot more of these easy to brew IPAs.

I personally love Boston lager and enjoy a handful of their beers.

 

I just read your reply after my post but I agree. Doesn't keep me from drinking Boston lager though.

 

Chances are this will be good, I found Rebel IPA to be fairly decent and cascade hops tend to make a decent IPA, Cheers!

 

I was really surprised by Boston Lager when I had it last week for the first time in a couple years. It had a nice structure with fragrant floral Hallertau hops centre stage with very little bitterness. I found that the malt sweetness mixed with the hop aroma in a way that made it too sweet. There should have been more hop bitterness in the beer. It is as though some hops were moved from early addition to late. I would take Boston Lager over Brooklyn Lager, (whose cascade dominant flavour and thin body makes me crave a heavier bodied pale ale with a similar profile) but give me Anchor Steam over both any day. Boston Lager would be a regular purchase for me if they upped the bitterness without taking away any aroma hopping.

 

Any idea how old the Boston Lager was?

 

I believe the best before date was February or March 2016. It was in a newly designed six-pack, while most six packs on the shelf had the old design. I would guess that it maximum 4 months old. Most likely less than 3 months old. I don't know when it was brewed. I never buy a beer unless I know how to roughly calculate its brew date (the Liberty Ale I am drinking right now was brewed September 2015). Any idea when the Boston Lager was brewed?

 

I had a Cream Stout from them tonight. I believe their beers are bottled five months before the best by date.

On the neck of all their bottles there's a row of numbers and the first three are the Julian date, and the fourth number indicates the last number of the year (so mine said "5" for 2015). This bottle of Cream Stout had a best by of March 2016, and the Julian date indicated it was bottled on September 7th. It was delicious.

Going by this logic, your bottle could be about 11 weeks. This makes the beer more than drinkable, but the lack of bitterness you indicated is quite perceptable in fresher bottles of Boston Lager in my experience. I get the same thing with Honker's Ale for what it's worth.

 

I already don't care for Rebel. Rebel with all cascade? No thanks.

 

This is being released in a new "Pack of Rebels" with regular Rebel, Rebel Rouser, and Grapefruit. And on a positive note, it's in cans!

 

I actually saw it in a store yesterday. I was contemplating picking it up. I ultimately passed, but I'd be ok with trying these beers. Maybe I'll find a shop that breaks up the pack and I can grab a cascade and grapefruit.

 

Wegmans has Rebel Grapefruit in their mix six selection, but you are forced to buy an entire 6 at a cost of $12. For a dollar more, they have the Pack of Rebels, so I'm personally leaning towards that. I always have trouble finding a shop that sells singles of SA and SN and just as much trouble finding one that sells individual cans, so I guess my mind is made up for me. Would like to know others' impressions though.

 

Nice pack for comparing the beers and their grapefruit notes. 3 of each is probably all I need too, if it's a 12 pack which I'm assuming.

 

I would definitely pick this up.

 

dude...Mt. Hood hops :-)