Drinking It At Work: Samuel Adams Winter Lager

By Mike December 7, 2012 5:30 pm Posted in Drink, Lifestyle Mike g+ page

December 21st, 2012: a number of people have predicted that this date may be the end of the world. If so, Earth will probably be similar to the beer selection you can find near our offices: a barren wasteland. Not that I’m not a fan of Sam Adams Winter Lager, but I was hoping to bring you something more exotic. In the future, I’ll have to make sure I stock up on the Friday beers before I come into work.

But the beer at hand is fitting: winter is upon us and winter beer seasonal releases are in full swing. Plus, once again, the good news is that you should have no trouble finding a Winter Lager near you, so why not grab one and drink with me?

But first, a lesson… What makes a winter beer a winter beer? Well, “winter” beers are not a specifically defined style. Technically, anything can be a winter beer if the brewer feels it fits the season. But most winters have a few things in common. They’re typically brewed with darker malts which have a flavor profile that better fits cold weather. Also, they almost inevitably are brewed with winter spices like nutmeg or cinnamon.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager is sweet and spicy on the nose, biscuity, almost like a tray of hot cookies. The mouthfeel is full, a thick taste of brown sugary sweetness and a bit of dried fruit blended with winter spices (Sam boasts “cinnamon, ginger, and hint of citrus from the orange peel” of which the cinnamon is most apparent). But those flavors are quickly cut by the brew’s crisp lagering and a solid hop backbone that leaves a light dryness on the tongue, along with lingering notes of husky grain.

Overall, I’m not a huge winter beer drinker, but Samuel Adams once again does what they do best: delivering quaffable beers of consistent quality. Regardless of your style of choice, a Winter Lager is a brew that won’t overwhelm your palate or knock you on your ass alcohol-wise. A great change of pace.

Find out more about Winter Lager on the Samuel Adams website.