Style: Vienna Lager
Format: 473ml can
ABV: 4.8% IBU: 30
Date tasted: 06 Mar 2021

Final Rating: 46/50

• Appearance: 5/5
• Aroma: 10/10
• Taste: 20/20
• Mouthfeel: 3/5
• Overall: 8/10

Overview

From the can:

Every year, we seek out the highest ingredients for this beer and I personally sample every batch. All our hard work goes into brewing this beer for you. Cheers!

— Tim Koch

I’ve never tried any Samuel Adams offering before, so I figured this was as good a time as any to try. A good friend of mine has raved about it for years and we don’t have dissimilar tastes so I’ve been really looking forward to it.

It’s a relatively warm spring day and my city has not yet moved out of COVID lockdown, so I figure it’s as good a time as any to give it a taste.

Appearance

Straight from the fridge and into a clear mug, the first thing I notice is relatively small bubbles in the healthy head. Fairly strong carbonation generates a good amount of fine bubbles in the pale amber liquid. It looks crisp and clear with decent head retention. Overall strong score right off the bat.

Aroma

Malt and caramel dominate, with an undertone of honey and citrus. Very appealing on the nose, can’t wait to dive in.

Taste

Malt and honey hit me first, then the caramel flavours start to move in and the citrus really comes through in the finish. A slight bitter aftertaste in a very pleasing way with the citrus and honey flavours lingering. Fairly well balanced and slightly sweet, but as the IBU indicates, on the strong side for a lager, which I really enjoy and find crisp and refreshing. Excellent and not overpowering; a new favourite.

Mouthfeel

Medium carbonation and a moderately lingering aftertaste. This is the one category where I find this beer to be fairly average; I prefer a but more carbonation and a bit more on the back end.

Overall

This is one of my new favourite beers. I’ll certainly be adding it to my regular rotation and keeping some in the fridge going forward. I like the simple, crisp feeling and the balanced honey and caramel flavours, and it’s got an great amount of bitterness for any occasion.

References:

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