Try?
Fresh beer? Don’t you love fresh beer? I know I do. Sometimes, though, I like old beer. It all depends on the style, of course, and the way you store it as to whether a beer can stand the tests of time. Still, why would you want to age a beer? Hopefully to improve it, or maybe because it’s a seasonal and you want to enjoy it year-round. In the case of Samuel Adams Double Black Lager, I just happened to have a bottle in the back of my garage beer refrigerator that I forgot about. And so it goes.
The irony, of course, is that Boston Beer, makers of the Samuel Adams brand, were pioneers in beer freshness dating. It’s a common practice today, though still not everyone does it, and even then it’s not always clearly marked. When Samuel Adams Boston Lager started showing up on store shelves in Rhode Island (where I lived at the time) in the mid-1980s, freshness dating was novel indeed. Who knew how long those imports had been sitting on the shelf before you bought them?
Back to Samuel Adams Double Black. This is a bigger, bolder version of their lovely Samuel Adams Black Lager. It’s an over-strengthed Schwarzbier, you see, and was part of the 2016 Adventures in Lager collection. I never saw the 12-packs here, though Costco had them in case lots. That was more beer than I wanted to buy (I was overloaded with beer as always, I know, a terrible problem) but got a bottle of this beer from good old Scott White. Thanks Scott! You also got these in the sampler:
Samuel Adams Double Pilsner
From the neck label:
Cloaked in mystery and darkness, this style was originally stored in deep caves in the shadowy forests of Eastern Germany. Our dark, rich, roasty brew is full-bodied with subtle notes of caramel & chocolate sweetness and an unexpected fresh & crisp finish. Dark in color but smooth in flavor, this beer shows that looks can be deceiving.
From the back label:
WITH LAGERS, IT’S ALL ABOUT TIME & TEMPERATURE
Lager yeast works at cooler temperatures and takes almost twice as long as ale yeast to ferment. Since lagers need to be stored at 40-55 degrees during fermentation they were historically brewed during the winter and stored in deep cool caves. Just one more reason to be thankful for modern refrigeration…Delicious lagers all year round.
Samuel Adams Double Black has an alcohol content of 7% by volume. The Adventures in Lager pack was running $25.49 a case at Costco when I saw it. My bottle is notched as best before end of July 2016; I drank it about a year late in August of 2017.
Samuel Adams Double Black pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a rich roasty nose laced with subtle caramel. Taking a sip, the beer is big and full in mouthfeel and body with rich dark chocolate, a hint of licorice, and a strong clean roastiness in the finish. Coffee and Heath bars and cocoa here folks, the beer is heath bar and a shot of espresso with All Sorts licorice and a dark chocolate Lindt bar with a handful of Saaz all smashed up in a blender. I just love those subtle but earthy grassy hops in the finish.
Time has been kind to Samuel Adams Double Black. I lifted a glass in memory of the tenth anniversary of the passing of the great Beer Hunter Michael Jackson. Could there have been some magic at work here? Who knows. I do hope Boston Beer brings this one back so I, and you, can enjoy it in the future.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
