Would you like some fresh ground lemon pepper in your beer?

I would wager that the guy who made the Lemon Pepper Saison that won the Sam Adams Longshot competition didn't just toss some lemon pepper into a summer ale. I certainly hope not at least - that would really destroy the mystique of it all. This is the 3rd of the Longshot series that I had - the others being the Mile High Barleywine and the Old Ben Ale.

Appearance - Spring-y golden lemon color, light head with very little carbonation. - 3.5/5.0

Smell - Coriander, spice, pepper, lemon - definitely what you would expect out of a saison style beer. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Crispy, very refreshing, with the spicy picking up late in each taste. The carbonation enhances the malt flavor. Very enjoyable and fitting for the style. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Mellow and refreshing! Aftertaste is spicy and crisp. -4.0/5.0

Drinkability - Excellent summertime beer, too bad it's a special deal. I would buy this for a summer BBQ. 3.5/5.0

Part Deux - LongShot Series

So, there was big news a while back when Ben Miller from Rio Rancho won the Long Shot competition that Samuel Adams does annually where they will mass produce your recipe if it's up to snuff. Well, Mr. Miller did a fine job and likely received a copious amount of Samuel Adams attire, glasswear, coasters, beer, etc.... I did see him at a Dukes of Ale meeting with the Sammy shirt on. I think that if I were to win it, I'd be wearing those shirts daily. Anyway, as a fan of barley wine, I was interested to see what Ben did with his Mile High Barley Wine and I gotta say that I'm impressed.

Appearance - rosy red, clear, light tan head, - 3.5

Smell - mid, almost strong hop aroma, some citrus and pine, - not as strong as aroma as I would have thought - 3.0

Taste - wow, really delicious, hops blend well with the sweet malt, sweetness that you would expect out of a barleywine, well aged, piney and citrus (I get more of the pine) hops are excellent. - 4.5

Feel - remarkably smooth, way better than a number of barleywines (probably equal to hopsquatch) - bit of fruity hop aftertaste - 4.5

Drinkability - A great example of the style...too bad it's not more regularly available! - 4.5

Old Ben - first of the Longshots

This is the first of the 3 Samuel Adams Longshot Beers that came in the 2010 pack. The other two, the Lemon Pepper Saison and the Mile High Barleywine (from a local brewer, no less!), are pretty good and we'll get to them soon. Tonight's brew is the Old Ben Ale, which is the product of one of Sam Adams' employees who won the best brew for this year.

Appearance - Slightly translucent golden color. Really spotty, light tan head, almost filmy. - 3.0/5.0

Smell - Sharp malt scent, with a hint of hops to it. Some fruit - tartness, plum, cherry. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Pine, sweet malt, caramel, tart cherry. There's some alcohol burn at the end of each taste, which is very enjoyable. There's a maturity to this beer is evident - makes sense for an old ale style. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Medium bodied, somewhat thick. Carbonation is light. - 3.5/5.0

Drinkability - Good, not sure I would get it again - I preferred the Lemon Pepper Saison and Mile High Barleywine. 3.0/5.0

Finally...Utopias!!

You are probably going - "Hey, Deshayes - did you forget about this little beer blog of yours?" Nope - I have been busy making sure that we had an awesome Active 20/30 event. Yup, we had an adult kickball charity tournament. Kickball, you ask? We had 450 ADULTS playing kickball at the same time. We had a blast and made some money for charity, so I can't complain. Congrats to Team Whatevzies who ended up being the top of 27 teams and winning $2,000 for being just dominant kickballers.

Anyway, it's on to the main event. At Christmas, I received a beer snob's dream - a bottle of Samuel Adams Utopias. Only four bottles of this made it to the Land of Enchantment - specifically, one went to the Triangle Grocery in the east mountains. If you haven't been to the Triangle, I'd suggest making a trip out there. They have an amazing beer, wine and spirits selection and the gentleman who runs it is really in the know.

I finally tapped the bottle of Utopias. That means, I held it from December 2009 to late April 2010...ridiculous. But it was well worth the wait.

Appearance - Coloring is consistent with iced tea and burnt brown sugar, obviously no carbonation, coats the glass lightly. Not opaque, but foreshadows some of the smells and flavors being a clearer beer. - 5.0/5.0

Smell - Sweet brown sugar, smells like a port or sherrie, alcohol, fruity, caramel, reminds me of a fine liquor. Sweetness is definitely the key smell, but not overpowering due to the presense of alcohol. Would have preferred less sweetness. 4.0/5.0

Taste - Smoke, tart fruit (plum and apple), vanilla, caramel, raisin. Excellent taste - I can imagine this would pair well with a lighter sweetdessert. Beer advocate says cheese - which I could maybe see. 5.0/5.0

Feel - Warms your throat and extremely smooth, with a different type of aftertaste. Doesn't finish sweet, but almost like a fine brandy with a tart plum. You can hold it in your mouth to extract the flavor, but it doesn't burn like you had a shot of vodka. Excellent mouth coverage. 5.0/5.0

Drinkability - Would definitely have it again. The small quantity is perfect and would be amazing after a fine dinner. The price is a bit daunting ($150 a bottle), which is the biggest thing against it. A small glass (say $15) would be great for a special occasion. - 4.0/5.0

Imperial Series - Bring You Beers That Will Knock You Into Next Week

The Imperial Series from Samuel Adams came out a while ago and I've watched them from afar. 4 beers for $10 is daunting to me - so, haven't really jumped on board. However, this past weekend was a special occasion, so decided to splurge for the Imperial Stout. They also offered a Double White and a Double Bock.

Appearance - Mocha head - foamy at first, then fades out and spotty at the end. Not all that carbonated, and the beer itself is really black. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Alcoholic malt, roasted coffee, dark chocolate. However, not all that potent, which I would have expected more of in this type of beer. 3.0/5.0

Taste - Molasses, malt, tart fruit, alcohol near the middle of each taste, bitter coffee. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Remarkably smooth, leaves very little aftertaste. Thicker, fuller body. 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - Glad I tried it - for the price, I'd probably look at a different imperial stout, only since $10/4 pack is a bit on the steep end. 3.5/5.0

Dear Noble sir, I have a beer for you

I was a bit disappointed when I heard from the Albuquerque Beer Geek that the White Ale had been replaced as Samuel Adams' spring offering. It has a special place in my heart, as I remember a very relaxing St. Patrick's Day in Phoenix a few years ago where I enjoyed some Sammy White Ale in between tax deadlines (yes...I live my life in terms of tax deadlines...and yes, I realize I need help for it, but I haven't found some Tax Guy Anonymous group yet.) Anyway, the White Ale's replacement is the Noble Pils...does it measure up? It does keep the color scheme of its predecessor if anything.


This Pilsner is a bubbly light pale color with a iffy white head. I don't know why, but carbonation bubbles really draw me into a beer. The beer smells hoppy - not IPA hoppy, but crispy hoppy. The flavor is sharp like you'd expect from a good pilsner, which is further enhanced by the five hops...(and as the ABQ Beer Geek mentioned, there are only 4 noble hops...which now I wonder where the 5th came from). I like the hint of bitterness that you get, but it's quick if you're not a fan of bitterness. There's a real cleaniness to the beer, which is reflected by its crispness. Smooth going down too and I think it would work with a mixed crowd. This brew is a good replacement for the White Ale, and definitely a beer I'll be picking up again.


Appearance - 4.0/5.0 - A sexy bubbly pale yellow, lots of bubbles and a light white head.
Smell - 3.0/5.0 - There's some hops, but not IPA level of hops.
Taste - 4.0/5.0 - Crisp hops, some bitterness, but just enough to add some flavor
Feel -4.0/5.0 - Clean, smooth and refreshing
Drinkability - 4.5/5.0 - Certainly would have again. Will miss the White Ale, but this is a fine substitute

Christmas Bounty

This was a bountiful beer Christmas this year. Ended up getting each of family members in Albuquerque a bomber of something...

Tina - Steamworks Spruce Goose

Marie - Ska Brewing Blonde Dubbel

Connie - Moylan's Kiltlifter

Mike - Marble Double White

John - Rogue Dad's Little Helper

me - Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

Made for a fun tasting as we worked our way though them as we opened gifts. Definitely will need to do again next year, probably with some different beers.

The Triangle Grocery had some of these cool Samuel Smith's gift packs - you got 3 Victorian pints (Oatmeal Stout, Pale Ale and Nut Brown Ale), a Samuel Smith's pint glass and some coasters. A pretty sweet deal for only $10.99. The Victorian pints usually go for $3.50-$4.00 anyway, so you're coming out ahead on this one. The pint glass is really nice quality too. Definitely looking forward to trying out the Pale Ale, which is the only one of the three I haven't had yet.

A surprise visit from Santa Beer around 7pm-ish on Christmas Day was probably the most memorable moment of this Christmas. Ol' Saint Nick came with a box containing what seems like the Holy Grail of beers - Sam Adams' Utopias. This very beautiful ceramic brew kettle contains an 27% ABV elixir that is illegal in 13 states (no, really...there are 13 states you can't get this beer in). Apparently, there were 4 available in the state and Triangle Grocery got one. I'm a bit scared to try this, so trying to figure out what to do with it still. Once I have a taste, we'll get it up here. Fortunately, this thing is resealable, so you don't have to drink it all at once.

Call in the Substitute - Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier

The Sam Adams Summer Pack is a summer staple at the Deshayes household. It has enough of a variety that if I buy it, nearly anyone who comes over will find something they will drink. However, I always had a beef with one "beer" that was in the pack - the Cherry Wheat. I can't think of a more disgusting concoction that was forced down your throat with every purchase. I think the Cherry Wheats of Summer Packs Past (say that three times fast) have gone to the back of the fridge never to be seen again or passed on to some idiot who was too drunk to notice what they were drinking.

Imagine my joy when Sam Adams dumped the Cherry Wheat and called in the rookie Blackberry Witbier to fill the vacancy in the summer pack! Now, given it's a blackberry beer, there is some blackberry in it, but it's subtle enough where it's not overwhelming. The blackberries offer some tartness to the beer - definitely not fruity or sweetesy. There's some great malt in there too. The Witbier is a great summer beer as it's light and refreshing, especially on a hot day. Definitely an excellent substitute for the crap beer that was in there before....

Samuel Adams White Ale

To be green or not to be green, that is the question. If you read the review of the New Belgium Mothership Wit, you'll remember that I didn't think that the beer was all that for the whole organic thing. You'll also remember that I preferred this brew, the Samuel Adams White Ale. It's not organic (or at least, not to my knowledge) and it's WAY less expensive. In fact, I got a 12 pack from Quarters last week for $7.99 because the Summer Ale is coming in as the current seasonal beer and the White Ale had to go!

Like most Belgium white ales, the Sam Adams White Ale has that cripsy, light taste with the flavors of coriander, spice and orange. The citrus taste is a bit more subdued in this one, leaning more to the malt than the Mothership Wit. There is a hint of bitterness at the tailend, but not much. It's got a really light body but really good flavor and it's very refreshing, especially on a hot day. The beer is at 5.4% ABV, so it is a pretty strudy brew.

While Sam Adams is not a microbrew by any means, it's a good solid beer for a good price. If given the choice between the Mothership Wit and the Sammy White Ale, I'm going to go with the patriot, not the hippie.