Boston Lager

I am not sure of the Germany forum is the best place for this discussion.

I will first state that I am of the opinion that Boston Lager is an American Amber Lager. There is a great write-up in the book Microbrewed Adventures by Charlie Papazian where he details Jim Koch and his father Charles Joseph Koch Jr. going back to St. Louis to visit the former site of Louis Koch’s Brewery in St. Louis. The recipe for Boston Lager was based on a beer by Jim Kock’s great-great-great-grandfather from the 1870s.

Below is what Charlie Papazian wrote about this beer:

“Neither an American nor European –style Pilsner, Sam Adams Boston Lager is a recreation of a historical American-type golden, hinting-at-amber, lager beer. Full flavored with a delicate proportion of dark caramel malt complimented by the unique flavor and floral character of German grown hops, it’s every bit as refreshing as a classic pilsner. The Louis Koch Lager Brewery created a beer of its time, forgotten until Jim Koch resurrected it.”

I have a case of Boston Lager in my basement; a present from my neighbor Walt. It is not a beer I would normally chose to purchase but I do think it is an enjoyable beer to drink.

Cheers to Jim Koch and his great-great-great-grandfather!

P.S. My personal favorite Vienna Lager is brewed by Devil's Backbone Brewery (Virginia).

 

I've had it a few times during my last US trip in 2006 and I found it rather wanting compared to what I usually drink.

 

I'm not really good in explaining taste (Hence there's no reviews from me...) nor is my memory all that clear after all those years but from what I recall I found it not "sharp" enough. It was all sweet and had no edges whatsoever. During that trip I tried various reginal and small brewers takes on German styles and I found most of them wanting. I always ended up drinking one Lager and then switching to Red or Amber Ale. I distinctly remember the Red Ale of Cape Cod brewery as rather yummy and I also really like the Hurricane Amber Ale from Newport Storm. Whenever we are in New England our session beer is Moosehead Lager

 

Boston Lager is at 30 IBUs which is above the range for a Vienna Lager in the Brewers Associate style guidelines.

Boston Lager is consistent with the American Amber Lager style.

Cheers!

 

I really like Boston Lager a lot. To me it's not really comparable to most German lagers, but it feels closer to an Amber Ale...even if it is using German hops and a lager yeast.
The one beer in Germany I've had that reminds me of it is the Klosterbrau Braunbier. To me that beer had a similar rounded malt profile with the hops taking over in the middle in a similar way. This past time I was there it tasted a little sweeter, but 2 years ago I thought it was spot-on for Boston and Brooklyn lagers.

 

Like both beers, but would have never thought of this comparison. I guess if SA can claim Noble Pils is German-style, then why not

 

Do you know what is the hopping level of Klosterbräu Braunbier? Do you think it is comparable to the 30 IBUs of Boston Lager?

Cheers!

 

Of all things, I thought you'd be most upset with them calling their Kölsch-style beer a Kölsch. Unless I'm mistaken and it was actually brewed in Köln....

 

That comparison -- both in name and in taste -- is so bad as to be easily forgettable.

 

To my uninformed and very amateur opinion, that Braunbier tasted a lot like a classic dopplebock but without the alcohol presence. What are the IBU's of a traditional dopplebock, like, say Kloster Andechs?

 

There is a chart that lists Andechs Doppelbock as being 30 IBUs.

From a perceived bitterness aspect I am unsure that comparing a Doppelbock to an American Amber Lager or Marzen/Dunkel is appropriate. There is a lot of ‘extra’ maltiness in a Doppelbock that will have a tendency to ‘mitigate’ the hoppiness from a bitterness perception point of view. In other words, 30 IBUs will taste less in a Doppelbock than it would in a lower gravity beer like an American Amber Lager or Marzen/Dunkel.

Cheers!

 

So basically I can mix Boston Lager and Andechser Doppelbock to get my Klosterbrau Braunbier fix?

 

The question being where to buy both!

 

One thing about the Braunbier is that on this trip, it was much sweeter. On our last trip both of us noted that it was pils-level hoppy. We even went back a second time the next day just to get it again. My notes described it as reminding me of Boston Lager or even a very dry altbier.
This time I wrote down the word "cookie-like" which doesn't fit that mold.
I know recipes change (Spezial U apparently did) so maybe that one did?

 

Couple of things:

1. Glad you're OK out there in CO. Hope all your friends and family are as well.

2. I, too, really noticed how most Bamberg beers tend toward a dry, hoppier-than-average finish on my last trip. Braunbier falls into this category as well. I can see a possible comparison with a "very dry Altbier," but SABL for me falls very much in -- or better yet, kind of sets the bar for -- the hoppy American Amber Lager "category" and tastes very different in its maltiness and hoppiness from the Klosterbrau IMO.

3. Klosterbrau's beers have been undergoing some very noticable variations recently. Matthias Trum mentioned this when I talked with him, and I noticed it myself when I visited. Apparently they have a new brewmaster and have been having some problems dialing in their processes. I heard something about their filtering system breaking down; perhaps with the EU guidelines for upgrading equipment they are facing some difficulties and QC is suffering (last part is pure speculation).