Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
Brewed By: Samuel Adams
Brewed In: Boston, MA/Cincinnati, OH
ABV: 5.9%
Type: Wheat Ale
What they say: Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic is a fruit beer that draws its flavor not just from the cranberries it is brewed with, but also from the unique fermentation character imparted by the rare wild yeast strain. The result is a flavor rich in fruitiness and reminiscent of cranberries and bananas, cloves and nutmeg. The yeast fermentation also will create a slight sourness on the sides of the palate, a signature of the original Lambic style which, with the subtle cereal note from the wheat malt, remind its drinker that, as fruity a beer as this is, it is still a beer.
Why I picked it: Beer three of six in the 2009 Samuel Adams Winter Classics. One of the beers that’s included, it seems, almost yearly in Sam’s Holiday Pack.
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Presentation (5): The one thing I appreciate about the old beers offered in the Winter Classics is that they use the older-style labels with Mr. Adams raising a glass instead of the current rigoursly diminished version. I’m a sucker for throwbacks. You should see my Michael Jordan Washington Bullets jersey. 4
Originality (5): Tough to rate because it was first brewed in 1990. This is one of those “grandfather of craft brewing” ratings because they were experimenting with this stuff before anyone else. I’m sure Jim Koch did something along the lines of “hey, let’s take the ale recipe, dump some cranberries in to it, and see what happens.” Original idea with a grade retroactive to 1990. Twenty years ago. 5
Body (10): As people on The Site That Shall Not Be Named are quick to point out, this is not actually a lambic but a wheat ale. Whatever it is, it’s tough to rate the body because it’s really hard to notice anything other than the knock-your-socks-off cranberry flavor. It’s a muddy red with minimal head and crisp carbonation. There’s also an unpleasant, syrupy consistency that coats your tongue and just won’t go away. Very dry, syrupy, and just not that great. 3
Taste (10): Full disclosure here: I don’t like lambics. I don’t get them, I never have. I’ve tried different varieties of them and I find them just too sweet regardless if they’re peach or cranberry or whatever. This one is no different. All I can taste in this beer is cranberry and nutmeg. That’s a delicious flavor profile… for cranberry sauce. I just don’t get it in beer. Cranberry Lambic is frequently included in the holiday pack and I truly wish that this and Cherry Wheat would just go somewhere together in never come back… like Vermont. Don’t fruit the beer. 2
Efficiency (10): The 5.9% ABV is about the only efficient part of this beer. The flavor is too intense with cranberry tartness which makes consumption slow-going. The ABV could be 25.5% but if the flavor sucks then it’s no fun. 3
Versatility (10): There are only two uses for this I can think of. First — a party in which the goal is to bring the worst beer and second — giving someone who hates beer a beer they might like. 2
The Snob Sez: Clearly not my fave.
Final Score: 19 (of 50) – bad beer
Related posts:
- Friday Beer Snob: Samuel Adams Winter Classics 2009 – Winter Lager
- Friday Beer Snob: Samuel Adams Holiday Pack 2009 — Coastal Wheat
- Friday Beer Snob: Saranac 12 Beers Of Winter 2009 – Maple Porter
- Friday Beer Snob: Saranac 12 Beers Of Winter 2009 – Winter Lager
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[...] Cranberry Lambic: There are only two uses for this I can think of. First — a party in which the goal is to bring the worst beer and second — giving someone who hates beer a beer they might like. 19 [...]
[...] Cranberry Lambic: There are only two uses for this I can think of. First — a party in which the goal is to bring the worst beer and second — giving someone who hates beer a beer they might like. 19 [...]