E-Malt.com News article: USA: Holiday spirit from Samuel Adams® collection of 6 winter beers

The brewers at Samuel Adams offer a wintry collection of six handcrafted and distinct, flavourful beers in the Samuel Adams® Winter Classics Pack, Business Wire published December 6.

With so much variety and flavour, this craft beer tasting-in-a-box is a collection of brews sure to please discerning beer drinkers and complement every holiday celebration. It’s also a great gift alternative to wine for holiday dinners or festivities.

The Samuel Adams® Winter Classics Pack includes three beers available exclusively in this pack: Samuel Adams® Cranberry Lambic, Samuel Adams® Holiday Porter, and Samuel Adams® Old Fezziwig® Ale. Each offers its own robust holiday flavor. Also included in the collection are the company’s flagship style, Samuel Adams Boston Lager®; the spicy yet sweet taste of Samuel Adams® Winter Lager; and the smooth-bodied Samuel Adams® Black Lager.

“This mix pack showcases a variety of full-flavoured, complex craft brews, ranging from the hearty, yet smooth Samuel Adams Holiday Porter, to the sweet toffee and caramel notes of Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale,” says Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams beer. “Our full-bodied winter beers are brewed to be robust and warming, a wonderful way to enjoy the cold evenings that come with this season.”

The beers in the Winter Classics Pack collection are varied enough to pair with a six-course holiday feast and can also be used in preparing a great meal by adding them as a flavourful ingredient to a holiday recipe.

Chef David Burke of New York City’s davidburke & donatella restaurant created innovative holiday recipes using beers from the Winter Classics Pack. Recipes include Roast Half Turkey with Samuel Adams® Old Fezziwig® Ale Bread Pudding, Samuel Adams® Winter Lager Glazed Fresh Ham with Pineapple Tarte Tatin and Sweet Potato Turkey Chowder with Samuel Adams® Cranberry Lambic Mousse.

The 2006 Winter Classics Pack includes the following six styles:

Samuel Adams Boston Lager® led a beer renaissance in America by reviving a passion for full-bodied brews that are robust and rich in character. This beautiful, deep amber colour lager is brewed using only the four classic ingredients and traditional brewing methods. It is both flavourful and complex, and is a perfect match for holiday meats such as prime rib, pork loin, and spice-rubbed brisket.

Samuel Adams® Winter Lager is a seasonal beer, brewed to be robust to warm drinkers on cold winter evenings. Brewed with winter spices such as orange zest, cinnamon, and fresh ginger for spicy complexity, Winter Lager has a robust, malty finish from wheat malt and earthiness from East Kent Goldings. It is a rich and hearty brew that pairs well with baked ham.

Samuel Adams® Black Lager is a Schwarzbier, a traditional style from Eastern Germany with two-row Munich, Harrington, and deep-roasted Carafa malts, which create the layers of roasted, malty flavours in this beer. The brew has a full-roast character, but with a smoother finish. Hand-selected Noble hops from the Spalt region of Bavaria give this brew its crisp finish. Although the deep, ruby color of the Black Lager is similar to traditional porters and stouts, the longer, cooler fermentation makes this beer surprisingly smooth. Pairs deliciously with a hearty beef stew.

Samuel Adams® Cranberry Lambic is a Belgian-style fruit beer that draws its flavour not just from the cranberries it is brewed with, but also from the unique fermentation character imparted by a rare, wild yeast strain. The result is a flavour rich in fruitiness and reminiscent of cranberries, bananas, cloves, and nutmeg. A subtle cereal note from the malted wheat reminds the drinker that, as fruity a beer as this is, it is still very much a beer. It is made with native cranberries and tastes delicious with traditional holiday favourites such as roasted turkey.

Samuel Adams® Holiday Porter with its rich malt complexity and robust finish has become a favourite among the Samuel Adams winter seasonal brews. In total, five varieties of malted barley are used in the brewing process including a variety of German malt called Carafa®. The Carafa® gives Holiday Porter its smooth, roasted malt character. Add generous portions of imported hops to the mix and one has a brew that is robust in flavour and complexity. Full-flavoured porter styles were first brewed in England to give workers refreshment and sustenance during physically demanding workdays. The Samuel Adams® Holiday Porter brings a flavourful brew to beer lovers in the tradition of the porter style. The rich flavour complements traditional fare such as baked ham and pairs well with extra-sharp cheddar or stilton cheese.

Samuel Adams® Old Fezziwig® Ale is the Christmas cookie of beers. Bursting with spices of the season with a remarkably full body, it helps beer lovers pass those long winter nights. The full flavour first hits the palate with a deep malt character ranging from sweet toffee and caramel notes to the darker, roasty chocolate notes. Then the spices arrive in full force. Cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel dance on the tongue, bringing with them the celebratory feeling that goes hand in hand with the season. This special ale pairs nicely with desserts such as rich cakes, puddings, and fruit pies.

The Samuel Adams Winter Classics® is available in 12-packs and cases nationwide now through January 2007, while supplies last, with a suggested retail price from $12.99 to $13.99. A 24-pack is also available for a suggested retail price of $24.99-25.99.

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:

The Boston Beer Company is America’s leading brewer of handcrafted, full-flavoured beer. Founder and brewer Jim Koch brews Samuel Adams® beers using the time-honoured, traditional four-vessel brewing process and the world’s finest, all-natural ingredients. With over 18 distinctive, award-winning styles of beer, Samuel Adams offers discerning beer drinkers a variety of brews. The brewery has won more awards in international beer-tasting competitions in the last five years than any other brewery in the world. Samuel Adams is an independent brewery and has half a percent of the domestic beer market. Forbes magazine named The Boston Beer Company to its annual list of America’s 200 Best Small Companies in 2006. The company’s flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, is brewed using the same recipe and processes that Jim Koch’s great-great grandfather used in the mid-1800s. The result is a beer renowned by drinkers for its full flavour, balance, complexity, and consistent quality.


08 December, 2006