(Boston, MA) – Boston Beer Co. is holding the 5th Annual Samuel Adams Beer Lovers’ Choice competition this summer with tastings happening in multiple states. Two beers are pitted against each other at these events, votes are taken, and a new beer is born into the Sam Adams family. This year’s face-off is between a Czech-style Pilsner and an IPA.
Two years ago, an Irish Red Ale took on a Dunkelweizen. The Irish Red won, and at least one blogger who goes by the name of Lew Bryson was pissed. Real Beer’s Stan Hieronymus, wrote of the Irish Red, “The Irish Red styles is said to have originated in 1710 in the Irish town of Kilkenny. The beer is brewed with traditional two-row Harrington and Metcalfe malts and a solid does of Caramel, and the beer is balanced toward those malts. It is hopped with East Kent Goldings that add an earthy note and some lingering spiciness.”
Now, Dunkelweizen is about to finally have its time in the spotlight, joining the Brewmaster’s Collection. Todd Alstrom reported in the Beer Advocate forums yesterday that the new Harvest Collection (I presume 12-pack) coming out this fall will include the following beers:
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Samuel Adams OctoberFest
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
Samuel Adams Brown Ale
Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale
And…Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen
It is possible that the beer recipe has been tweaked from two years ago but here is the beer description from the 2007 competition:
“Dunkelweizen translates to ‘dark wheat’ and is a darker version of the traditional Bavarian wheat beers from the 15th century. Our Samuel Adams brew is authentic with its combination of slight tartness from the wheat and full flavor from its dark malts. Dark amber-brown in color, this unfiltered ale is brewed with traditional Bavarian yeast, which imparts a wide spectrum of flavors and aromas from spicy clove and nutmeg to tropical fruits and banana. The malted wheat in the beer adds a bright cereal note. The result is a beer that is complex and flavorful, medium-bodied, with a crisp finish.”
Too bad that the beer will be part of a mixed pack but you take what you can get. Stay tuned for release date and more details of the new package. Also, look out for another new addition to the Brewmaster’s Collection, Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat.
Now that is good news. I am a fan of SA Dunkelweizen and I will be on the look out for some really great limited beer.
Drinking a pint of this beer right now with lunch. I picked up the mix pack at PathMark yesterday. Thought I’d get online and read about it while I drink it. I like it a lot. The color of the beer is just like some fresh soft caramel. I can detect a bit of that nutmeg smell and some tropical fruit. It doesn’t have as strong a citrus flavor as many wheat beers, though you can taste the fruit flavors. It has a very nice mouth feel, starts off a little tangy and finishes very smooth. I’m a fan.
Just tried this in the sampler pack and am ultra-pissed that I can’t buy six-packs of this. This Dunkelweizen is probably the best SA beer I’ve ever had. How the mediocre Irish Red best this in a contest is beyond me. Stunning, simply stunning.
Magic Hat does the same thing. Sticks a tasty seasonal in a mixed pack with some other “okay” beers. If you put a beer in a mixed pack, you should be able to buy it standalone. Just my opinion.
I just bought the harvest collection this morning and the Cherry Wheat was replaced by the Black Lager which is great because I am not fond of fruit flavored beers. So far I have only sampled the Dunkelweizen and it is certainly very drinkable on a HOT summer afternoon in Chicago.