[Robert]

Back from the market, $9.60 lighter in the pocket and with a six pack of 12 oz cans.  Beer pours light gold, quite hazy with a nice fluffy head.  Pronounced American hop aroma.  Highly carbonated, little discernable malt flavor (to the point where, like with "lite" beers, carbonic flavor is quite noticeable), flavor is citrusy/lemony (doesn't Boston Beer do a lot of business in shandy/hard lemonade type drinks?)

This presents me with a similar quandary to Victory Home Grown New American Lager.  I don't know who the target is.  The price isn't going to make it jump off the shelf.  It doesn't exactly  LOOK like a standard American Lager,  and even if the carbonation and level of malt flavor (and low apparent bitterness) wouldn't immediately put those customers off, the hoppiness probably would.  To a craft drinker, it's a really watery SIPA.  Who are they aiming for? Maybe the people who already buy their "malternatives" for cheaper? Hmm.

I still don't get it.  Maybe those food pairings bring out the magic...or at least they'd make me so happy I'd forget the beer!

[majorvices]

Sounds like none of has has actually tried it.  I went to the website too, and my local market supposedly has it.  I'm gonna make a beer run and report back!

I just tried it. Alestate, it tastes remarkably like Hops Fell! You nailed that! If it doesn't use Mandarina hops I'd be shocked.

[Robert]

Bacon cheeseburger, had that last night.  Maybe I bought the beer 18 hours late.

Majorvices, Mandarina yeah, and maybe Lemondrop? 

EDIT looked back at website, it's Cascade, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe.  Wouldn't have guessed.

[Robert]

Decided to see if recommended food pairing is the magic. (Because bacon cheeseburgers two nights running won't be the main thing that kills me, and it's still my b'day weekend.) So:
Bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions,  pickles and BBQ sauce,  and Tater Tots (what don't they go with?) with ranch dressing.

The beer really cut through the fatty richness, was refreshing enough, but now the hop bitterness really becomes apparent,  and the other main component is still the carbonic quality. (Kinda lost the citrus there.)  I can see the pairing, but I'd rather have gone with a Pilsner or an APA.   I still don't quite get this beer.  But I'm really happy about the burger!

[tommymorris]

Decided to see if recommended food pairing is the magic. (Because bacon cheeseburgers two nights running won't be the main thing that kills me, and it's still my b'day weekend.) So:
Bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions,  pickles and BBQ sauce,  and Tater Tots (what don't they go with?) with ranch dressing.

The beer really cut through the fatty richness, was refreshing enough, but now the hop bitterness really becomes apparent,  and the other main component is still the carbonic quality. (Kinda lost the citrus there.)  I can see the pairing, but I'd rather have gone with a Pilsner or an APA.   I still don't quite get this beer.  But I'm really happy about the burger!

Way to take one for the team!

Happy Birthday.

[klickitat jim]

Read the description again, and imagine you are one of the 200million Americans who believe Craft, Micro, and IPA are all synonymous. Suddenly it's sooooo inviting! Plus the marketing firm says the word "Revolutionary" polled very well, lol

[JT]

Read the description again, and imagine you are one of the 200million Americans who believe Craft, Micro, and IPA are all synonymous. Suddenly it's sooooo inviting! Plus the marketing firm says the word "Revolutionary" polled very well, lol

"Perfect union" and "revolutionary."


  "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

[ethinson]

You probably have to think about it from the perspective of a beer drinker or marketer (throw out all you know as a brewer.)

I have never seen that beer. So my guess is  just a guess. I bet it is  something along the lines of Hops Fell (hoppy lager).  Most consumers think a lager is a yellow lawn mower beer. This one is bigger and has lots of hop flavor. You know, “like an Ale.”

Yeah, Hops Fell was a marketing failure for us. Name sucked and the theme "Hop Lager" sucked too. Beer was well received by those that understood it. That was the first "Flagship" product we have ever pulled from the market. I might re-brand it this year.

So I get that it is marketing it's just really vague to me. It doesn't explain to the knowledgeable brewer or the passive consumer what it is.

That stinks, I got to try that beer at a competition and really enjoyed it.  Was able to snag a bottle of the leftovers.  Hopefully it comes back out and does better. 

I thought I read recently that someone was releasing a beer that blended ale and lager yeast? I don't remember if it was SA or someone "adventurous" like Dogfish Head, but this sounds like that kind of concept.. a mixed beer.  But unlike a steam beer or kolsch, a true "hybrid" beer of blended yeast? Don't know if that is what the '76 is or not but that's what it made me think of.

[Wilbur]

I went to San Adams’s website.

I think Sam ‘76 is two beers blended. Result: 12 IBU with lots of hop flavor and aroma.

Here are the food pairings from their site. Who would not want to try this beer after seeing these food pairings?! I could live on this and beer...Maybe Sam ‘76 is for me!

SMALL PLATES:
Pigs in a blanket, shrimp spring rolls

ENTREES:
Grilled pork chop, bacon cheeseburger, grilled hot dog/brats

DESSERTS:
Strawberry shortcake, snickerdoodle cookies

https://www.samueladams.com/craft-beers/sam-76

It sounds like they're marketing it to TGIF and Applebees.

In terms of style, maybe it's kind of like an american kolsch?

Edit: Tried to find it in the grocery store on the way home, but no sign of it. They usually have a lot of craft too.

[majorvices]

I went to San Adams’s website.

I think Sam ‘76 is two beers blended. Result: 12 IBU with lots of hop flavor and aroma.

Here are the food pairings from their site. Who would not want to try this beer after seeing these food pairings?! I could live on this and beer...Maybe Sam ‘76 is for me!

SMALL PLATES:
Pigs in a blanket, shrimp spring rolls

ENTREES:
Grilled pork chop, bacon cheeseburger, grilled hot dog/brats

DESSERTS:
Strawberry shortcake, snickerdoodle cookies

https://www.samueladams.com/craft-beers/sam-76

It sounds like they're marketing it to TGIF and Applebees.

In terms of style, maybe it's kind of like an american kolsch?

Edit: Tried to find it in the grocery store on the way home, but no sign of it. They usually have a lot of craft too.

Definitely not a Kolsch. It's a hoppy lager but with low BU bittering. I drank one again tonight. Not a bad beer but not a session drinker either. You get tired of it after one (or at least I did).

[Robert]

^^^^
Yep. Tried the one, didn't get it, tried the second with the food pairing, disappointed,  four more a write off in the trash.  Maybe the raccoons will figure out how to open them and have a party.

[majorvices]

Really? Not bad enough to throw away just not good enough to have several. Kinda reminds me of a session IPA which I do not enjoy as a session beer.

Still reminds me of our Hops Fell but the first one I drank I drank out of the can, the second one last night I drank out of a glass and the Citra was more prevalent (I am not a huge fan of Citra).

Be better on a hot day around the grill.

[Robert]

Really? Not bad enough to throw away just not good enough to have several. Kinda reminds me of a session IPA which I do not enjoy as a session beer.

Still reminds me of our Hops Fell but the first one I drank I drank out of the can, the second one last night I drank out of a glass and the Citra was more prevalent (I am not a huge fan of Citra).

Be better on a hot day around the grill.

Sorry, I know it's sad to waste beer, but once in a while, when I've got a bunch of stuff on tap and in the fridge I really like, and even more on my list to try, and I'm just not in love with something, I don't feel so bad not having it take up space forever.... Last time I almost did that, I realized I could keep the stuff (a Craft attempt at a macro lager) for liquid for my New Year's pork and sauerkraut.  But I'm not even sure what cooking purpose Sam 76 might serve. (Anything  >~15 IBU can reduce into a real tongue scraper of a sauce!) I am curious to see if there's some group of people who do embrace this, or if it doesn't find it's niche and disappears.

[majorvices]

You need to get more friends if you are just throwing out beer!

[Robert]

You need to get more friends if you are just throwing out beer!

It is a rare thing, but I think it's good not to feel compelled to drink beer just because. (And why do that to friends?) Kind of like I have in the past dumped a batch even of my own, thinking, hey free up a keg and brew something else if it just wasn't satisfying. (Fortunately can't remember the last time that happened!) The only point of beer is to make you happy!😁