Samuel Adams / Boston Beer Company Samuel Adams Boston Lager

**Aroma:** “Classic British fruity esters. Stone fruit, hints of banana, oral, light toffee. Rich bready and biscuit up front. As it warms, a toasted crust character emerges. Light nutty, moderate earthy, light earthy hops, very slight oxidation, light date. Pine and mild citrus notes.” **Flavor:** “British pale ale character: toffee, biscuits, and graham crackers. An underlying rich maltiness is perfectly contrasted with a prominent bitterness that makes for a dangerously easy drink- ing beer. A subtle oral hops works well, but clashes slightly with the bread malt character. Slight warming. Moderate earthy avor hops with mild pine hops. Finishes with slight bitterness on the tongue.” **Overall:** “Fans of classic English pub ales will really enjoy this. Good easy drinking ale with a decent earthy hoppi- ness and good balance. Classic British pale ale attributes. Would love to taste this from a beer engine.”

**Aroma:** “A smooth blend of pumpkin-pie spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) and a rich, bready sweet caramel malt character (bordering on toffee) compete for dominance, with a pleasant note of fresh-baked pumpkins.” **Flavor:** “Deep malt sweetness comes through as caramelized brown sugar and toffee, supported by a very nice spice character with notes of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Surprisingly balanced, considering the sweetness, thanks in part to the spice profile. Clean, crisp, warm finish with a slight lingering sweetness, but far from cloying. Definitely a big beer.” **Overall:** “This beer has a lot to offer—full-bodied, rich, and complex, with a very well designed spice profile that’s not too spiced nor too sweet. It all comes together well, and the warmth of the beer makes it bigger than most pumpkins. Big yet approachable.”

**Aroma:** Big citrus and pine American hop aroma. Malt is in the background, caramelly and toasty. Some toffee and ethanol. **Flavor:** Big hop flavor follows the aroma: grapefruit, pine, and cedar. Bitterness is assertive but enjoyable. It coats the tongue well past the aftertaste. Malt sweetness rounds out the flavor, but since it wasn’t invited to this party, it leaves early. **Overall:** An aggressively hoppy beer with the softening of esters. The hops may seem excessive because of the clean fermentation. Lots of hop heads will enjoy this showcase of Pacific Northwestern hop varieties.