15 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I know we've touched on this before... both good and bad. I have mentioned that SABL might be my fallback if I find myself at a place with a short beer list. I've also mentioned that SABL has been very inconsistent, IME. On Friday night I was at dinner and there was a Sam Adams seasonal on tap. I asked the server what it was and she nodded and said, "It's seasonal" and I said, "Yes, but what is it?" and she couldn't remember. She brought me a sample and it was very fizzy, pale-colored and seemed like it might have some funk or maybe slight hefeweizen flavor to it. I ordered SABL instead. She brought a bottle. I asked for a glass. It was horrendous. It tasted stale or mishandled somehow. It was loaded with diacetyl which I'm not sure I've noticed about SABL before. I feel like I've had it more pale, more dark, less hoppy, more hoppy, fresh and very "not fresh". I realize it's a natural product but damn... this was a very bad example of it.

[neddles]

My guess is that it was horribly mishandled and who knows how old. I hate ordering beer at most restaurants because of what you experienced. 

[MakeMeHoppy]

A place where the server cannot even tell you the style of the seasonal (which is sadly all too common) likely does not handle the beer properly. Did you check to make sure your bottle wasn't old? I'll bet you'll find they store it in the basement next to the furnace.

 

My old local beer store was terrible. All of the bud and miller products were stored in the cooler, all of the craft beer was in the first aisle along the windows with the summer sun beaming in on it all day long.

[Poptop]

Sorry to hear about your experience Ken. I agree that any bartender or server should know what they're talking about. When I was in the business I make it my business to know all the nuances of anything I poured you.

I've never seen the fascination with SABL. However they make a Summer Beer, very light and very tasty that I try and find on tap each year.

[Hines]

I've ran into the same thing regarding Sam Adams.   If i think it might be oktoberfest time or the winter seasonal, I'll ask.  99 times out of a hundred their answer is always "oh, it's the seasonal."   At that point, I don't bother asking any more questions.

 

FWIW, i've found that most of their brews seem to be old.  Maybe because it's a very common "craft beer" that is kept on tap at various restaurants that push people to buy it.   no idea.

[Big Nake]

I remember getting it years ago where it was fresh, hoppy and good. It may have been in a bottle or on draft but I just remember it being better. Maybe my tastebuds have changed.

[Hines]

i think the quality of their product has been on a gradual decline for almost 6 years.   The fact that they are selling more seasonal beers has hurt my impression of them.  Each seasonal beer seems to have more and more of an artificial flavor.

 

*from this point on, you can discount everything that I've said*

 

15 years ago, Cherry Wheat was my go to beer to drink after a mountain bike session.   It had a hint of cherry.   Fast forward 5 years and they must have changed their recipe because it went from having a hint of cherry to a blast of synthetic cherry flavor.   I'm tempted to go home today and buy a 6 pack to see if it has the same taste.

[positiveContact]

i think the quality of their product has been on a gradual decline for almost 6 years. The fact that they are selling more seasonal beers has hurt my impression of them. Each seasonal beer seems to have more and more of an artificial flavor.

*from this point on, you can discount everything that I've said*

15 years ago, Cherry Wheat was my go to beer to drink after a mountain bike session. It had a hint of cherry. Fast forward 5 years and they must have changed their recipe because it went from having a hint of cherry to a blast of synthetic cherry flavor. I'm tempted to go home today and buy a 6 pack to see if it has the same taste.

I always thought that beer was awful.

[cavman]

The seasonal was probably Cold Snap, somehow SA thinks a wit is good for winter. SA overall is mediocre, too many good beers nowadays even at the non beer places they almost always have something good nowadays.

[Big Nake]

The seasonal was probably Cold Snap, somehow SA thinks a wit is good for winter. SA overall is mediocre, too many good beers nowadays even at the non beer places they almost always have something good nowadays.

Yeah, it could have been a wit for sure. They have come out with so many different beers I can't keep them straight anymore. There was the Noble Pils which I thought was okay and there was some sort of spring beer (Alpine Spring?) that was pale, cloudy and hoppy. I dunno... the Oktoberfest has been good and bad, the Winter Lager is usually good and the Boston Lager seemed to have its day and then something happened. A very long time ago we used to drink the Cranberry Lambic which was pretty good. But I tend to bypass most SA beers these days because I either don't have any experience with the seasonal or I've just had bad examples of their beers.

[positiveContact]

Yeah, it could have been a wit for sure. They have come out with so many different beers I can't keep them straight anymore. There was the Noble Pils which I thought was okay and there was some sort of spring beer (Alpine Spring?) that was pale, cloudy and hoppy. I dunno... the Oktoberfest has been good and bad, the Winter Lager is usually good and the Boston Lager seemed to have its day and then something happened. A very long time ago we used to drink the Cranberry Lambic which was pretty good. But I tend to bypass most SA beers these days because I either don't have any experience with the seasonal or I've just had bad examples of their beers.

 

the noble pils was probably one of the better beers they made in my opinion.

[cavman]

the noble pils was probably one of the better beers they made in my opinion.

They still make it in mix packs, someone brought a mixed case over for a party last weekend. I tried a Noble Pils and it was nice.

[Bklmt2000]

We have a SA brewery here in Cincy, in the old Huedepohl-Schoenling building.

 

You'd think being made locally, that the SA beer here would be at least halfway-decent, right?

 

Wrong.

 

Consistently crappy; used to like the Boston Lager many moons ago, but in recent years, it's a consistent disappointment.

[MakeMeHoppy]

The honey porter and whatever the stout was years ago is what I cut my craft brew teeth on.

[SchwanzBrewer]

If you aren't drinking beer at a beer bar then chances are they don't know how to actually maintain a cellar and the lines properly. They probably rely on the distributors for line cleaning, education, and tap rotation and they only do enough to make it look like they are doing their jobs. So, if a beer sucks on tap and you've had it better elsewhere before, and it's a reputable brand like Sam Adams or any of the other big craft brewers, then more than likely the problem is the bar and you're drinking contaminated beer from disgusting trunk lines. I would trust SA to have really good if not impeccable quality control over some bar or restaurant staffed by high college kids (most likely scenario). 

the noble pils was probably one of the better beers they made in my opinion.

 

I tried one a couple weeks ago and I nearly spit it out. No idea how old it was though. I used to love that beer.

[Big Nake]

If you aren't drinking beer at a beer bar then chances are they don't know how to actually maintain a cellar and the lines properly. They probably rely on the distributors for line cleaning, education, and tap rotation and they only do enough to make it look like they are doing their jobs. So, if a beer sucks on tap and you've had it better elsewhere before, and it's a reputable brand like Sam Adams or any of the other big craft brewers, then more than likely the problem is the bar and you're drinking contaminated beer from disgusting trunk lines. I would trust SA to have really good if not impeccable quality control over some bar or restaurant staffed by high college kids (most likely scenario).

Yep, true. This was a trendy restaurant about 15 minutes from our house that is always packed. I seem to remember getting some nice pale ales here before but when I looked at the beer list this time it was SABL, SA seasonal and then it dropped off sharply... Blue Moon, Stella, Corona, Miller, Bud, Coors, etc. Quite disappointing considering that a number of places have opened up all around me and there are so many good craft beers on the [big] beer menu that I have a hard time deciding what to get. I have started to expect a deep choice of craft beers. Maybe I should scratch that place off the list... but the food is quite good.