Feedback for Samuel Adams (Fall Variety Pack)...

I thought they brought back the old general image of Sam hoisting a tankard, rather than the statue, but he’s still obscure and in the background. I guess the statue of Sam didn’t work for their marketing either...

 

Haven't seen this one yet...still lacking but I like it a lot better than the statue version.

Thanks for sharing that.

 

Maybe if we tell them Boston Lager and Sam ‘76 are pretty good they’ll take them out of the variety packs?

@tzieser it appears Summer Ale’s new recipe is doing just fine. And @oldbean it appears Sam Adams’ other offerings (and their beer brand in general from what I’ve heard) is still not doing well.

See @Crusader’s post below:

“Sales for Samuel Adams Boston Lager (-11.2 percent), seasonal products (-1.5 percent) and Sam ‘76 lager (-17.2 percent) have lagged in 2019, according to IRI. However, over the last four weeks, Sam Adams’ reformulated Summer Ale has helped the company’s seasonal program rebound, increasing sales 6 percent.”

Oh man I miss that Summer Ale label!

I also dug that 25th Anniversary label. I think I may have bought some Boston Lager just because of it.

 

Boston Ale is a terrible beer and I hope to never see it again!

 

Honestly most SA beers are just ok anyway, but the seasonal packs are supposed to be about getting seasonal beers I don’t want to buy a full 6 pack of. I’m not going to pick up a pack that is half Boston lager and 76, both are good beers, but it’s just not what I’m looking for. I would’ve done Boston lager, it’s in every pack whether or not you like it, Octoberfest, some kind of pumpkin beer, than got creative with the 4th. There’s just nothing here worth picking up.

 

I have very a fond memory of Black Lager and will purchase a 6 pack the first chance I get. Until then, I can't imagine buying any Sam Adams outside of a best thing on tap situation.

 

I've complained over and over about BBC and Sierra Nevada getting rid of seasonal packs. The Sam 76 push needs to stop. It does not appear profitable, so why keep going? Bring back some quality seasonal packs and I will buy a few versus the ZERO I bought of the Summer and Spring packs. This "Fall" pack is a hard pass as well.

As for the idea that they don't market towards BAs, maybe they should lean a bit more that direction. I bet some of the masses have seen these packs they occasionally used to pick up and said PASS. My brother is more a BMC guy and he also stopped buying seasonal packs. He hated the Sam 76 and said the only beer he liked in there was the Oktoberfest. It's not just BAs that are uninterested in this Sam 76 push. I've heard plenty say the beer is not for them and it appears the sales data shows exactly that.

 

That's the spirit!

And Old Fezziwig sucks too!

And I'm really happy they haven't brought back Black Lager, Hallertau Imperial Pilsner, Alpine Spring, Scotch Ale, and the old Double Bock recipe!

 

Of topic but I’m just throwing this out there. A lot of ppl shit on 76 or at the very least consider it mediocre but I find it to be pretty enjoyable and one of BBC’s best newer offerings in a while. The brewery as a whole gets a lot of crap but they still make solid beer. Don’t recall having ever had a flawed beer and rarely have one from them that is all around just bad. Most of their beer is very approachable and a lot of it is pretty good. A fresh bottle or pint of SABL is still a thing of beauty that I look forward to a few times a year and is still, IMO, one of the best and most consistently brewed beers in America along side SNPA.

 

I don’t think most of us believe 76 is bad, we just don’t like it being forced into every pack in lieu of some of the classic seasonals they used to bring these packs out for.

 

I enjoy Sam 76, but I don't want an American Light Lager in my Fall pack.

 

You're not wrong - Whole point of the exercise is to drive sampling, which market research tells you that's what mix packs are for. I feel like we should start a new thread with a poll: "Why do you buy mix packs?" Get some BA research done here!

 

I suspect multiple of thousands.

 

Agreed.

 

Agreed. Just don’t want Jim to see these posts, get the wrong idea and do away with 76

 

I agree with what you are stating here but there is a lot of history with Sam Adams and producing seasonal packs.

If Sam Adams decided to just create a 'generic' mix pack where they push the beers they want to push that would be one thing. To co-opt their Fall Seasonal Pack for this purpose is inappropriate in my opinion especially considering their long history of this specific variety pack.

Cheers!

 

If you want ‘76 to stick around I strongly suggest you buy more (e.g., go to your local beer retailer today and purchase a couple of cases).

“Sales for Samuel Adams Boston Lager (-11.2 percent), seasonal products (-1.5 percent) and Sam ‘76 lager (-17.2 percent) have lagged in 2019, according to IRI.”

If sales continue to lag by double digits it will be difficult for BBC to make the business decision to continue producing this product.

Cheers!

 

Is there an actual link between the historical Samuel Adams and the Boston Beer Company? I ask because I haven't found one and the only connection appears to be BBC appropriating the name and image of a famous historical figure for marketing purposes to launch their new beer.

Truth is Samuel Adams never actually made beer. After a few false starts as a young man his father gave young Sam a job at the family owned malt house where he stayed until his political career took off. The historical record shows Samuel Adams the Patriot did some work in a malt house but never a brewery. So, no beer though he was noted as being an avid consumer of the product.

 

Man, this thread makes nostalgic for the days when I actually enjoyed Sam Adams. I tried the Octoberfest again this year after several years, and simply lackluster in every way imaginable now that I have so many good US and German choices.

The brewery did so much to introduce me to beer styles back in the late 90s (shh, underage) and early 2000s. And yeah, the old winter pack with Winter Lager, Holiday Porter, Cream Stout and Old Fezziwig was better than any Christmas gift back in the day.

 

In Colonial America most of the beer was produced in the home. While Samuel Adams may never have worked in a commercial brewery that does not necessarily mean that he didn't brew beer (homebrew beer that is).

Cheers!