Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Boston Brewing Company
Boston, Massachusetts

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Dark gold color, clear. Thin, white head that rings the glass.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Sweet, clean nose. Slightly corny. No hop aroma, smells like a lager.

TASTE: 4.5/10

Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Caramel, candy corn, nutty-almond. Flavor fades quickly.
Aftertaste: 1/3: Metallic, bitter aftertaste. Astringent, perhaps chemical. Weird.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Thin, watery, coats the tongue.

OVERALL: 1/3: Why in the world would anybody buy this? BBC is a large scale brewer masquerading as a craft brewer. We would sooner drink any of the 100+ beers we've reviewed—even the abyssmal Walgreens Big Flats—than this (mostly on principle alone, but at least in part because it's a crummy beer).

TOTAL: 9.75/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Craft beer? I don't think so. Macro-brew, but also terrible. Nobody should pay money for this.
Ben: I didn't like this before we reviewed this, and I don't like it now. There are many, many, MANY better beers out there.

Sam Adams Black Lager

Boston Brewing Company
Boston, Massachusetts

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Big, espresso-colored head. Lots of bubbles. Dark brown, almost opaque.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Subtle roasted chocolate aroma, subtle sweetness. Clean, little hop aroma.

TASTE: 5.5/10

Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: Very sweet, all malt with no hop. Roasted character with sweet overtones.
Aftertaste: 1.5/3: Very subtle hop bitterness, slight sweet-cream aftertaste, both fade quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Weak, light-bodied, a bit watery (even so, the best aspect of this beer, for what it's worth).

OVERALL: 1.5/3: Unremarkable. Slightly better than the Boston Lager, but there are a million better beers out there. This large "craft brewer" has lost sight of its roots.

TOTAL: 12/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Did they put black food coloring in their Boston Lager? This is a half-hearted attempt to capitalize on the popularity of craft beers.
Ben: A gateway beer for Bud Light drinkers who think they are cool by drinking a supposed craft beer. Little do they know…

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Boston Brewing Company
Boston, Massachusetts

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Orange-copper color. Crisp and clean. Decent white head with fine bubbles. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Clean, crisp, fruity nose. Slight citrus and pineapple. Apple juice notes. Sweet and malty. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 6.75/10

Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: No hop, very malty. Sweet. Did they go with only one hop pellet?
Aftertaste: 2/3: Citrus sour, slightly nutty/woody. Slight bubble gum at close. Maybe pineapple.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Slightly bitter notes at end-very bright. Malty. A clean lager.

OVERALL: 2/3: A clean, bright, malty, crisp Fall beer. Like a bright Fall day.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: The best thing on tap at Houlihan's for what it's worth. Lacks the signature "Sam Adams spice" I hate so much. Not bad, but not great.
Ben: A "craft" beer for the masses. But for a Sam Adam's product, one of their better offerings.