Sam Adams Winter Classics '18...

I still have my winter warmers from last year. I like the style but found theirs to be too dry. I want a little bit sweetness

 

For me, Samuel Adams jumped the shark when they went through the whole brand re-design a few years ago (and you could argue it was way before then). Hideous new labels (no more smiling Sam Adams!) and mediocre beer...The killing of double bock, noble pils, etc hurt a lot but the whole new brand re-design thing was the last straw.

@davedog_7 you pretty much hit the nail on the head. They are completely tone-deaf as a company.

 

That's how I feel about all of the so-called variety packs. SweetWater, Sierra Nevada and others do the same crap. And they do it on purpose. That's why I never understood why and how people can get excited over them.

 

The beer industry at large has jumped the shark, but I don't think you understand what "jump the shark" means

 

You know its jumped the shark when they are making "Mango Lime Pilsners."

 

I was going to link to an article, but honestly, just google, "Sam Adams losing money" and a bunch of articles come up. They've been losing money for years now. In fact, their Twisted Tea/Cider brands have been their best sellers for years, not the beer.

Wow, those do look hideous side by side.

 

Ugh what abominations, the both of them. I wonder what the thought process was on that big wig marketing meeting..."For Old Fezziwig let's get rid of the dancing eponymous Charles Dickens character and replace it with a top hat and holly leaf. The simplicity will really make it sell"

"Yeah, and for Holiday Porter let's replace the jolly Londoner carrying a cask of ale in a winter street setting with just a big image of a luggage cart. That will really speak to the consumer"

 

Their decision-making process never ceases to amaze me....spending tons of money on a terrible brand re-design or wasting a million dollar investment on researching a special can design comes to mind.

 

They're probably just trying to give Sam '76 some additional exposure. A decent number of people will likely never try it outside of packs like this.
Thing is, I'd rather have Sam '76 than something like Cold Snap. Boston Beer keeps trying to make a spiced wheat beer for every season and most aren't good.
The rest of their line-up doesn't really fit. Black Lager and Scotch Ale both seem to be gone and other options aren't different enough from Fezzi and Holiday Porter.
I'd love to see the return of Cranberry Lambic (under a better name), but I'll still probably buy this pack at least once.

 

I just Googled that exact phrase and got only one hit --- on a Bass Guitar forum.

BBC's "beer" barrelage has gone down every year since 2014 (when they peaked at 2.55M bbl) but I can't find any source that they're "losing money".

MORNINGSTAR - Boston Beer Co.

Still not the case, but it's been projected that it will eventually happen. That will complicate their "Craft" status in the B.A. since it states "...A brewer which has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavors derive from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored Malt Beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers."

2017
3.75M bbl - Total barrelage (BMI)
2 Million bbl. - "Beer only" (Brewers Assoc. figure)

2016
4 Million bbl.- Total barrelage (BMI)
2.315 Million bbl. - "Beer only" (Brewers Assoc. figure)

Beer Marketing Insights reports that they lost 0.1% of market share:

2016-1.8%
2017- 1.7%

 

Sam '76 is a very odd choice for a winter pack.

On the bright side, they now sell the NEIPA as a six pack of 16 ounce cans for a very reasonable price, which I think is a pretty good deal.

 

Preach!

Overall, I have no problem with this 12 pack, even if Sam '76 is a bit of an odd fit for a winter pack. I'll be picking up a 12 for sure. For me, the only one I'll have any trouble drinking is the Chocolate Bock, which is a bit too fake-tasting to me sometimes. I don't drink a lot of Sam Adams, so it's nice to have a couple of Boston Lagers in there (and the Sam '76 for this one).

 

For as long as this forum has been in existence BAs have been asking for Old Fezziwig in sixers/twelves. I'm sure BBC has its reasons, but it beats the fuck out of me what that reason is. If I were heading to a X-mas party I would not think twice about bringing it - but I would not bring this year's mixer.

 

If they really want to push the Sam76, why not put that in there INSTEAD of the Boston Lager to free up a spot for a more "winter" type. . .

 

I wish they would bring back their imperial series as a pack:

3x Imperial Stout
3x Imperial White
3x Double Bock
3x Wee Heavy

Try and keep that one on the shelves...

 

I'm just glad to see Old Fezziwig and the return of Holiday Porter

 

I had the Imperial White on a hot humid day at Epcot in Disney. I will never forget that beer...in a bad way

 

This is a really good point. '76 is MUCH better than their spiced wheat ales.

Below are the third and fourth hits when I googled that phrase, with a few more after that that I didn't post.

I was under the impression that they were not doing well the last few years (among other larger craft breweries not doing well), and that the only growth was from Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard.

https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/27/investing/sam-adams-boston-beer-ab-inbev-budweiser/index.html

Overall revenue for Boston Beer was up, but that was more due to the success of the company's non-beer brands, such as the Truly Spiked & Sparkling seltzer, Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard cider.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...-beer-stock/RN6di1uND0a1cYPgO2Oz9H/story.html

Boston Beer Co. stock slumped more than 11 percent in after-hours trading Wednesday evening following the release of an earnings report that detailed the company’s poor performance in 2016.

An early pioneer of the craft beer industry, Boston Beer reported an operating profit of $137.7 million for the year — down 12 percent from $156.2 million in 2015. Meanwhile, depletions — sales of Boston Beer products from distributors to retailers — fell five percent in 2016.

The company’s flagship Sam Adams brand family fared particularly poorly, with sales to consumers falling nine percent and revenues falling seven percent, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm.