Sam Adams Octoberfest

[macjoe53]

Out running around again today and found myself buying more supplies for Octoberfest. This trip netted a couple of six packs of Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen Amber and Einebeker Ur-Bock Dunkel.

Now if they will just last until October...

[Bubba -NJ]

Originally Posted by beernut

Just finished a sixer of Hofbrau O-fest, tasty as always albeit on the very light range of the style. Haven't seen Victory's but now I'll have to go find it, Victory does good work.

By the way, what dunkel weizen was it? Iv'e been in the mood for some good dunkelweizen for a a while now, just never get around to picking any up.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel , not as bitter as Hefe weizzen but really good . Gonna pick up a couple more tomorrow if it's still in stock .

[MikeyC]

Originally Posted by BigCat

It is funny you should mention that. SA Boston Lager is my every day beer and I notice that its taste can vary from 12 pack to 12 pack. Sometimes I get one where the flavors are muted and other times it is more bold. I haven't had any Oktoberfest yet, but will pick some up soon.

If you're buying Boston Lager on regular basis, the variations in flavor likely are not from crop variation. It could be a number of things from varying storage/shipping conditions to varying age of the bottles. It also could be that you are tasting the slight variations in flavor that occur because not all bottles are produced at the same breweries. It says on the label somewhere which brewery the bottle came out of, but I can't recall exactly where.

[lenguamor]

Naturally-occurring ambient yeasts and microorganisms account for subtle variations in a naturally-produced beer.

In particular, those random microorganisms can account for fruity-type flavors in beer, the most common being a banana flavor or essence.

This is a result of the unpredictable nature of the esters produced by random organisms, as opposed to the more predictable esters produced by known quantities such as the yeasts added by brewers to their beers as part of their recipes.

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by MikeyC

If you're buying Boston Lager on regular basis, the variations in flavor likely are not from crop variation. It could be a number of things from varying storage/shipping conditions to varying age of the bottles. It also could be that you are tasting the slight variations in flavor that occur because not all bottles are produced at the same breweries. It says on the label somewhere which brewery the bottle came out of, but I can't recall exactly where.

I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the heads up!

[beernut]

Originally Posted by MikeyC

If you're buying Boston Lager on regular basis, the variations in flavor likely are not from crop variation. It could be a number of things from varying storage/shipping conditions to varying age of the bottles. It also could be that you are tasting the slight variations in flavor that occur because not all bottles are produced at the same breweries. It says on the label somewhere which brewery the bottle came out of, but I can't recall exactly where.

That would be worth taking note of. So will all Boston Lager in one given region have been produced by the same brewery?

Originally Posted by MikeyC

As a fun side gig, I work part time in the Boston Brewery giving tours

So... how much influence does a part time tour guide wield with the powers that be over at the Boston Brewery? Enough to say... convince them to start putting out six packs of their Scotch Ale?

What I said about Sam Adams and ales doesn't hold true when it comes to their Scotch ale. It’s one of the better American versions I've had, but buying a twelve pack to get two bottles of it is rough. Scotch ale ranks high on my list of favorite styles, but most of the Scottish imports, while delicious, cost a fortune. And most American offerings are not quite on par imho.

[wilblake]

I had some on draft over the weekend in VA, and I wasn't as impressed with it as I was last year. I happen to live about a mile from the brewery, so I will have to pick up a six pack locally.

[macjoe53]

Originally Posted by beernut

That would be worth taking note of. So will all Boston Lager in one given region have been produced by the same brewery?



So... how much influence does a part time tour guide wield with the powers that be over at the Boston Brewery? Enough to say... convince them to start putting out six packs of their Scotch Ale?

What I said about Sam Adams and ales doesn't hold true when it comes to their Scotch ale. It’s one of the better American versions I've had, but buying a twelve pack to get two bottles of it is rough. Scotch ale ranks high on my list of favorite styles, but most of the Scottish imports, while delicious, cost a fortune. And most American offerings are not quite on par imho.

Recently bought a bottle of Belhaven Scottish Ale and Belhaven Wee Heavy Scottish Ale. They were $4.88 each for 16.9 oz. bottles.

I didn't blink at the price.

[:eevis]

I bought my first 12'er of this last saturday, now I am on my 3rd 12'er already, not counting the ones that friends brought and left. Thinking it it time to take the minivan to Sam's club and stock up.
Anybody try the Lienenkugels Octoberfest yet? I haven't heard anything about it.

[beernut]

Originally Posted by macjoe53

Recently bought a bottle of Belhaven Scottish Ale and Belhaven Wee Heavy Scottish Ale. They were $4.88 each for 16.9 oz. bottles.

I didn't blink at the price.

That's a $20.79 six pack my friend. That qualifies as a fortune in my book.

Belhaven Scottish and St. Andrews Ales can also be had in sixers for around $10. But those aren't Scotch ales, they're Scottish ales, there is a difference. Wee heavy on the other hand is Scotch ale, but I dont think Belhaven's comes in a six pack, not that I can find it in any size here.

I actually used to dismiss Belhaven's Scottish ale, because I'd only had it in nitro-can form, in which in my opinion it's awful. But when I eventually tried them in bottles, I found both the Scottish, and St. Andrews to be quite nice.

[macjoe53]

Originally Posted by beernut

That's a $20.79 six pack my friend. That qualifies as a fortune in my book.

Belhaven Scottish and St. Andrews Ales can also be had in sixers for around $10. But those aren't Scotch ales, they're Scottish ales, there is a difference. Wee heavy on the other hand is Scotch ale, but I dont think Belhaven's comes in a six pack, not that I can find it in any size here.

I actually used to dismiss Belhaven's Scottish ale, because I'd only had it in nitro-can form, in which in my opinion it's awful. But when I eventually tried them in bottles, I found both the Scottish, and St. Andrews to be quite nice.

Your math is a little off. It would be $29 and change for a six-pack. Still that is less per bottle then a lot of BOTL spends on decent cigars.

But I don't buy it by a six pack and I don't drink it as an every day brew. I'll spend the money and buy it for special occasions/events and I generally pair it with a cigar which cost more than that.

[MikeyC]

Originally Posted by beernut

That would be worth taking note of. So will all Boston Lager in one given region have been produced by the same brewery?

I'm not entirely privy to the distribution system of the company, but my understanding is that any market may get a mix of supply from different breweries.

Originally Posted by beernut

So... how much influence does a part time tour guide wield with the powers that be over at the Boston Brewery? Enough to say... convince them to start putting out six packs of their Scotch Ale?

What I said about Sam Adams and ales doesn't hold true when it comes to their Scotch ale. It’s one of the better American versions I've had, but buying a twelve pack to get two bottles of it is rough. Scotch ale ranks high on my list of favorite styles, but most of the Scottish imports, while delicious, cost a fortune. And most American offerings are not quite on par imho.

Well . . . I have roughly no influence on anything. The only exception to that rule is I do have control over what gets said on my tour of the brewery. Every guide gives the tour differently. However, I did think there were six packs of Scotch Ale. If your liquor store can get cases then they should be able to break the cases up into 6 packs. I haven't seen any cases of it at the brewery lately, but I know it's currently available in the "Brewmaster's Mix Pack" which is filled with a bunch of other great beer styles like Black Lager.

Originally Posted by wilblake

I had some on draft over the weekend in VA, and I wasn't as impressed with it as I was last year. I happen to live about a mile from the brewery, so I will have to pick up a six pack locally.

What brewery do you live near?

Also, keg beer as a general rule has more flavor than bottled beer. When you're talking about domestic beer, bottles are typically pasteurized whereas kegs are not. So, kegs have a significantly shorter shelf life but the pasteurization process typically mutes some of the flavor.

[Buddha024]

Originally Posted by :eevis

Anybody try the Lienenkugels Octoberfest yet? I haven't heard anything about it.

I haven't seen this yet. I'm a big Lienenkugel fan, so I'll have to keep my eyes open.

[beernut]

Originally Posted by macjoe53

Your math is a little off. It would be $29 and change for a six-pack. Still that is less per bottle then a lot of BOTL spends on decent cigars.

But I don't buy it by a six pack and I don't drink it as an every day brew. I'll spend the money and buy it for special occasions/events and I generally pair it with a cigar which cost more than that.

I was figuring for six 12oz bottles. $4.88/16.9oz*12oz*6=$20.79

You're right of course that it's less than we might pay for a cigar, and I too buy single bottles of fine beer at such prices, and higher. I guess my point was that there's not much good Scotch ale priced reasonably enough for everyday consumption.