On Monday, March 5th, 2012, I went to the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston, Massachusetts and took a tour throughout the brewery. After the tour we were able to sample some traditional Sam Adams beers and other beers that hadn't even made it into stores yet.
Front of the Sam Adams Brewery
The Sam Adams Brewery is located on 30 Germania Street in Boston, MA. It is conveniently located right off of the orange line on Boston's subway system. There are three Sam Adam's Brewery locations: Boston, MA, Pennsylvania and in Ohio. The brewery in Boston is the smallest of the three breweries. The beer brewed at this particular place brews the beer strictly for restaurants and bars, not for what is sold in stores. The whole tour of the brewery took about an hour where they first let us test taste hops, showed us where the beer is fermented and stored and then finally into the tasting room where we test tasted a few different types of Sam Adams beers.
Taste testing the hops
Our first stop on the tour was to test taste three different flavors of hops that are used in Sam Adams beers. The first type of hop tasted just like the grain in the Grape Nuts cereal. It had a wheat flavor. The next hop tasted like a mocha, coffee flavor that gives some beer the dark, rich flavor. The last hop tasted very bitter. When describing in the hops, they were green with very distinct aspects. Our tour guide told us to rub our hands together with the hops between our hands quickly. This movement allowed for the smell of the hops to be left on your hands. The scent left on your hands smelled like a grassy, strong scent and also turned your hands green.
Where the beer is made, the clear tubes are attached to these storage units
Our next stop on the brewery tour was to see where the beer was actually made and fermented in these massive storage units. There were clear tubes coming out from the storage bins so you could clearly see the color of the beer that was being made and the brewers are able to make sure that the beer is successfully being made. The clear tubes also told you how much beer was in the barrels and when the barrels would become full. A full unit can hold up to eight kegs of beer. Since this particular Sam Adams brewery is the smallest of the three, there were about eight storage units that I counted where the beer was being made and stored. The brewery in Boston makes all of their beer for local restaurants and bars, while the main Sam Adams brewery in Pennsylvania is where the beer is bottled and shipped to stores all across the country. The brewery in Boston also is a place where craftsman come up with new flavors of beer and discover new tastes that could eventually come out on the shelves in stores and in bars. The brass-colored storage units filter the beer to get the excess material out of the beer so help make a more clear beer.
Where the beer is strained to get the excess material out of the beer
The last stop of the tour was to go to the tasting room where we sampled four different beers that were brewed right in this brewery. Three of the beers are available in stores, while the fourth beer was "invented" and crafted by a craftsman who works in the brewery. This fourth beer was just being tested and is not sold in stores. The company has to decide whether or not they will sell the beer or tweak it a little bit before it is sold. People who went on the tour were able to taste this beer before it is sold!
The tasting room where we sampled the different types of beers
The first thing that our tour guide described once we got into the tasting room was the unique and useful design of the Sam Adams glasses that are made specifically for Sam Adams beer. The mugs are to help a consumer get the most out of their beer.
The Sam Adams glass invented by Jim Koch, the founder of Sam Adams
The greatness of this glass allows for the inside room at the top of the glass to help release flavor and aromas as the beer enters a consumer's mouth. The outward lip at the top helps to put the beer at the tip of a person's tongue where sweetness can be tasted more clearly. The narrowing of the glass at the top helps to keep the hop aromas in the beer. Making the way down the glass, the rounded shape helps to collect even more aromas. Underneath the rounded part of the glass, there are thinner walls on the glass to help keep the beer at a proper temperature for a longer time. Finally, the bottom of the glass has a thicker frame of glass. This is genius because this is where you hold the glass. A person's hand can raise the temperature of the beer through the glass and so this thicker part of the mug helps to keep the beer at a constant temperature.
The four beers that we tasted were:
1. Samuel Adams Boston Lager - had a rich flavor, but still was light when drinking it. It was very refreshing and had a bit of citrus flavor, with a hint of pine. I enjoyed this beer because it was crisp and refreshing, and easy to consume.
2. Samuel Adams Alpine Spring - Out of the four beers we taste tested, this was by far my favorite. It is Sam Adams' seasonal beer and comes out during the spring months. The flavor was even more citrusy than the lager we first tried and was even more so refreshing. This one had a little bit of a higher alcohol content but was also light. When the weather starts warming up, this beer is perfect for that.
3. Samuel Adams Cheery Wheat - I enjoyed the cherry aspect in this beer, but the background taste was a little too strong with the hops. It was a little heavier than the Alpine Spring and the Boston Lager.
4. New Beer - They had not named the last beer that we tried. This beer is the one that is not out in stores yet but they are still trying to perfect before it hits shelves. It almost reminded me of a Guinness beer. It was very heavy and had a strong, black coffee flavor. I didn't enjoy this beer, I think it was too dark and heavy for me. I'm also not much of a black coffee drinker and that's what I related the flavor to.
The Sam Adams Brewery was definitely a great experience and very interesting. Our tour guide was great who would crack jokes, was very informative and entertaining. Even though the brewery is small, there is still so much inside and there is still a great deal of beer that is made there. Once you leave the tour there is a gift shop in the foyer where they have glasses, keychains, t-shirts and plenty of other goodies to purchase. Overall, I was very impressed with the brewery and learned a great deal about the hops used and how the beer was actually brewed.
