Samuel Adams Super Bowl Commerical will Kick Off Widespread Launch of 'Remastered' Recipe

I know it's early, but I'm nominating "remastered for higher sessionability" as the best corporate beer jibberish of 2023

 

First Fat Tire now Sam Adams? I nominate the act of “remastering” as the latest trend in craft for 2023.

 

Sounds like another step towards mediocrity for these guys

 

Sounds like a Lunch Beer!

 

I am confident that there will be a number of posts 'questioning' this new beer from Boston Beer Company.

I discussed a bottle of the remastered Sam Adams Boston Lager in a past NBW thread:

"Overall:

I think this beer is good – very good.

If Boston Beer Company ever decides to distribute the Remastered Boston Lager to my area I will buy a six-pack (if I can find it fresh)."



https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-36.656784/#post-7216983

Yeah, it is by no means an 'earth shattering' new beer but I enjoyed drinking it for what it is and as I posted above, if I can find this beer fresh, and I should be able to with the initial introduction, I will indeed purchase a six-pack.

Maybe some of you will as well?

Cheers!

 

The remastered version of Winter Lager only succeeded in converting a once go-to seasonal lager into a bland and wimpy also-ran. I can't wait for the Boston Lager re-boot.

 

Well, it was close but eventually was chosen over:
"Now, filtered by a German Reinheitsgebot technique called
Biological Acidification!"

Nope, other way around.
Sep 12, 2020 - https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/boston-lager-remastered.646882/

 

What's next, a remastered SNPA? Allagash White?

Stop messing around with classic, style-defining beers. If you want to brew something new, do it. Some things are more important than next quarter's sales numbers. Preserving the heritage of craft beer is one.

 

Hmm, maybe re-label it to be part of the Little Thing series of beers?

Pale Little Thing Ale?

Cheers!

 

I've been enjoying the Sam Adams mix pack with the Alpine Lager and Golden Pilsner so I'm looking forward to the "remasterd" Boston Lager! Even though I originally liked the BL I find it too sweet and cloying! I hope they dropped the crystal malt! Take care!

 

2 questions after watching that video
1) Has Jim Koch honestly been trying for over 38 years to remaster and make the perfect Boston Lager? I find that statement very suspect.
2) is that Jim and his brewmaster drinking a NEIPA murk bomb at the end of the video? Please abandon the failed attempts at NEIPAs and make Noble Pils.

 

They spent a lot of money for some marketing team to make "watering our beer down" sound good.

 

Jim, from my NBW post:

Jim Koch recently participated in a Q & A session where he discussed Remastered Boston Lager:

“Brewing technology is another interesting place to play when tweaking recipes. In fact, we’re testing what we’re calling a “remastered” version of Boston Lager in New York this winter to match the modern drinker profile. The reformulated brew still uses the original 1984 recipe from my great-great-grandfather, but we’ve evolved our brewing technology and processes to improve the sessionability of this beloved beer. The remastered version is simply an enhanced, crisper version of the original – like hearing a classic song on new speakers.”

So, if you believe Jim Koch the ingredients haven't really changed but they did make some brewing process changes. My guess is that they 'tweaked' their mashing regime to create a more fermentable malt.

If you try this 'new and improved' Boston Lager let me know what you think of it.

Cheers!

Jack

 

Ever have it really fresh (less than a month old)?

The hops really pop and it isn’t as sweet and cloying.

 

Pretty soon, there'll be nothing left for @jonphisher's new thread

This post got me thinking about what is marketing and what is actually what one would call a significant change? I'm sure there's a line, but I wonder what different brewers would say crosses that line?

For example, a larger producer like SA is probably trying harder to be consistent for their consumers, so any change might "require" some marketing. On the other side, I seem to recall a video with Kimmich where he openly admits to not trying to produce Heady [to be] exactly the same each time. I also believe I read that Sierra has admitted that SNPA is not the same beer it was when they started brewing it.

Throw into the mix the truism that beer is an agricultural product, crop pricing and production cost, etc, etc, and I am of the opinion some sliding scale of "remastering" is happening all the time. Maybe I'm off base, though.

 

Unfortunate. I see packs of the "remastered" Boston Lager sitting on shelves here in NY for months and months. Its not bad, but its not as good as the original recipe.

 

I really wish I could've heard him describe the "modern drinker profile".

 

Sounds like they're watering it down for the masses. This should cater well to the Truly, Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard crowd.

 

How about you give it a try and report back.

When I drank my bottle of remastered Boston Lager it didn't taste "watered down" to me.

Cheers!

 

I plan to try it, I try everything once if I can. I'm assuming that this has to do with the decline in sales of Boston Lager, but I never thought I'd see the day that Jim changed it.

 

I don't have specific sales numbers but given the competitive craft beer scene nowadays I suspect that sales for Sam Adams beers including Boston Lager have been declining recently ergo the perceived business decision to 'shake things up' a bit here.

Will this remastered Boston Lager just be a 'quick hit' thing? Or will it have some 'staying power' for increased revenue for a sustained period of time? If I was a betting man I would bet on the former but let's see how things go.

Cheers!

 

They could solve all of their problems if they would just sell freakin' Fezziwig in 6 packs!

 

I've actually never been a huge fan.of the original recipe so just looking forward to trying this new one.

 

Quoting Good Beer Hunting's editor Byran Roth's Tweet on 1/30 re: the Remastered SABL:

 

SA makes good lagers and not sure I’ve had an IPA attempt from them I’d say is even slightly above average compared to other regional and nation competition brewers on shelves (not even counting locals). As long as they focus on lagers I’ll occasionally buy.

 

I want to give this a try as I was intrigued when it first came out to the limited market...I still occasionally do drink BL when I can find it fresh

 

If you get a chance give Golden Pilsner a try. Was thoroughly impressed with that beer.

Also, looking forward to trying the new BL. I enjoy the original and consider a good, reliable “airport” beer when other options aren’t there. Hope they don’t sway from it too far.

 

I thought I’ve had that beer but have not (think I confused it with Yuengling), is it currently out in a seasonal mix pack? If it’s anything like Noble or Bohemian I’m sure I’ll like it.

 

Problem: "we cannibalized sales of our flagship brand by flooding the market with all manner alternative beverages ranging from hard iced tea to hard seltzer to a million different low quality IPAs and 'easy drinking' beers! We put out so much other junk that nobody wants to buy our core product anymore!"

Solution: "Let's water down our core product to make it more like all the crap we used to drive it out of the market!"

 

Well, not sure I'd call this "cannibalization" but it's sure financial success - even as their flagship and their other "beer" brands in general shrink, especially as a percentage of total production:

2017 BBC Total Barrelage - 3,775,000 bbl. / (Beer only) 2,050,000 bbl.
2021 BBC Total Barrelage - 8,504,000 bbl. / (Beer only) 1,800,000 bbl.
(Beer Marketers Insights & Brewers Association estimates.)

 

After getting unmistakable diacetyl in bottles both Boston Lager and Golden Pilsner, I hope this is a shift in the opposite direction and not doubling down on whatever they're doing now.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like BL but about 1/2 as much as I used to. The grocery store I buy most of my beer from has a high turnover rate so pretty sure it's fresh. Take care!

 

Was coming here to write this. The last time I spoke about Boston lager it was with a friend who’s a professional brewer. I told him I just register Boston lager. He said “same here, hopefully yours didn’t have diacetyl like mine did.
I’m not very sensitive to diacetyl, but told the reason I brought it up was because the bottles I had weren’t very good and I used the rest for cooking

hopefully this “Clean” version is related to this

 

I've been drinking beers from Boston Beer for roughly 25 years and I don't recall ever getting diacetyl from their bottled beers prior to last month. I'm fairly sensitive to diacetyl, and so, I found it very odd considering the sheer number of beers I've had from them. Occasionally the draft Oktoberfest would have it, although I haven't experienced that in quite a while. For what it's worth, their "house flavor" has decreased quite a bit, too. At one time I could easily pick anything they brewed out of a lineup blind. I reported it to them and they at least feigned concern, so I'll hope whatever is going on is temporary until they move on to this new recipe. The fact that Golden Pils had it, too, scares me, though. Guranteed, they have the resources to prevent it.

 

Dear Jim Koch,

Cut your losses.
Nobody cares about Remastered Sam Adams.
Enjoy retirement on your private island.


Thank You,
American Beer Consumers

 

I am very sensitive to diacetyl and I too have on occasion perceived some diacetyl in draft Oktoberfest. I had a draft pint of Sam Adams Winter Lager about a month ago and that beer had perceptible diacetyl (low level).

My most recent packaged (bottled) Sam Adams beers were the two versions (remastered and regular) Boston Lager beers and I commented as regards the remastered bottle: "As the beer warms/opens up there is a tiny hint of diacetyl." FWIW even though I am not a fan of perceptible diacetyl I did not dislike this beer since the level was very low.

Maybe you are super-duper sensitive to diacetyl in beer? If so, I would very strongly recommend that you should avoid Pilsner Urquell at Tankovna Pubs in the Czech Republic.

Cheers!

 

False.

 

Just looked at my Sam Adams reviews and I stand corrected, I actually really liked their Cold IPA they put in the Christmas variety pack. I’m sure I’m the outlier there but I thought it was quite good. Rest of their IPAs over the years haven’t worked for me.