I can’t figure out there angle here… a lager that tastes like an ale??? I’m not following.
Yeah, I don’t get it, either. Normally an ale-like lager would be a failure. Except for maybe a Cal Common I guess. I’ll pass.
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.”
Marketing
It’s not new. Boston Lager is easily confused as a Pale Ale. Pour one blind for your BJCP buddies and ask them to declare what style it is.
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.
Haven’t seen the beer, just the advertising. But it puts me in mind of the “specially brewed to combine the qualities of a lager and an ale” slogans attached to Molson Golden and other Cream Ale-type old timers.
Ahhh … maybe it is a cream ale. I didn’t think of that. I used to love to drink my dad’s Genny Cream Ale growing up in PA as a teenager.
Genny “pounders” – the 16 oz stubby bottles! The go-to of my youth.
I think Hops Fell was good and I wasn’t trying to rag on it. I will admit, not being from Alabama, “Hops Fell on Alabama” and its similarity to “Stars fell on Alabama” went right over my head.
Haha! Yeah I still have a soft spot for that beer
I didn’t think you were and, yeah, dumb name I never liked
If it tastes good, I’ll drink it.
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
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.