Wild Sam Adams Beers?!

"Wild", these are not.....nice PR spin, though.

 

I don't know that there's a consensus as to whether or not you can still refer to beer brewed with intentional inoculation "wild."

The traditional lambic brewers are basically using intentional innoculation, just not under laboratory conditions.

 

I'm mostly speaking to the actual aroma/flavors that you would typically find in a "wild" ale. These beers (which they've been releasing for a while now) possess almost none of those expected characteristics in even the slightest bit.

I certainly agree that it's a lofty claim to refer to these as "wild".

 

Well, based on the article AND my personal experience with each....I would probably term them as:

New World Tripel: Tripel
Stony Brook Red: Red Ale (barely even a Flanders...EDIT)
Thirteenth Hour Stout: Stout
American Kriek: Fruit Beer

Just don't fool yourself into thinking that these are anything like what you've been lead to believe would be properly termed as a "wild ale". That's just not what these are.

 

Had the Thirteenth Hour and New World Tripel. Overpriced and unremarkable.

Also, after the total abortion that is Cranberry Lambic -- I'll never trust Sam Adams again to make a competent sour, fruit or wild ale. It genuinely pisses me off that they call that piece of shit a lambic.

 

No surprise there, just like their cranberry lambic is not a lambic.

I like Sam Adams, but they do occasionally dabble in label deception.

 

It may not be a lambic but it is one of the most vile liquids ever bottled...so at least it has that going for it

 

almost all "wild" ales are not actually "wild". nice sam adams bashing spin though.

site description of American Wild Ale:
Sometimes Belgian influenced, American Wild Ales are beers that are introduced to "wild" yeast or bacteria, such as: Brettanomyces (Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, Brettanomyces Lambicus or Brettanomyces Anomolus), Pediococcus or Lactobacillus. This introduction may occur from oak barrels that have been previously inoculated, pitched into the beer, or gained from various "sour mash" techniques. Regardless of which and how, these little creatures often leave a funky calling card that can be quite strange, interesting, pleasing to many, but also often deemed as undesirable by many.

 

Try the Stony Brook Red. It uses the highest percentage of the Kosmic Mother Funk in the blend (50% iirc) and results in a flavor profile similar to Rodenbach Grand Cru, but a bit fruitier.[/quote]

 

yeah, but people aren't as quick to jump on Founders for labeling it a Cerise.

 

Thanks for telling me what I already know.

I personally don't enjoyed being mislead when it comes to descriptors and that's exactly the deal with these beers. I think that it's pretty obvious what they're attempting to do.

Would you also defend Samuel Adams' use of the word "lambic" with regard to their Cranberry Lambic? If so, I'll be avoiding any information that is regurgitated by you in the future.

 

All I'll say is that I wish they would just bottle Kosmic Mother Funk on its own.

 

did you even read my post? I just gave CONCRETE, INDISPUTABLE reasons why these beers CAN be called wild ales, even though Sam Adams actually doesn't label them as wild ales.

You obviously do NOT know what you are talking about, I was just setting things straight. they use the strains of yeast that are used to consider something a "wild" ale.

You seem to think that Sam Adams is marketing them as wild ales, though, the OP was the one to call them that, NOT Sam Adams.

try not to go straight into conspiracy theory mode when there is NO basis for it besides your fallacies.

and the Lambic is a whole different story for a different post.

 

You forgot to answer my question regarding the Cranberry Lambic.

 

Not trying to definitely take a side here as I've never tried these beers, but isn't calling a beer a "Kriek" advertising it as a wild ale? Kriek = lambic. Lambic = wild.

 

I edited it to say that its a completely different story, this discussion is about these barrel room beers... I could bring up many other beers from other breweries that do the same thing, such as Founder's Cerise like was brought up earlier.