Samuel Adams (beer)
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Samuel Adams is the brand name of American beers produced by the Boston Beer Company and named after brewer and patriot Samuel Adams.
History of the brand
The Samuel Adams brand originated with only one variety, Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The recipe for this beer was originally developed in 1860 in Saint Louis, Missouri by Louis Koch. It was sold under the name Louis Koch Lager until Prohibition, and again until the early 1950s.
In 1985, Louis Koch's great-great grandson, Jim Koch, with the help of Dr. Joseph Owades (the man credited with the invention of light beer in the 1970s), reformulated the recipe, and in April of that year re-introduced the beer under the Samuel Adams name. Initially, the brand was produced under contract by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company (best known for their Iron City brand of beer). Over the years, the brand has been produced under contract at various brewing facilities with excess capacity, ranging from Stroh breweries, Portland's original Blitz-Weinhard brewery (shuttered in 1999), Cincinnati's Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery (eventually purchased by the Boston Beer Company in early 1997), and industry giant SABMiller. According to the Boston Beer Company's 2003 Annual Report, the company currently has greater than 50% of its brands produced under contract by other breweries. The Boston Beer Company also has a small pilot R&D brewery located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Samuel Adams Boston Lager was voted "Best Beer in America" by fest-goers at the Association of Brewers' "Great American Beer Festival" several times in the mid to late 1980s, although that award was mired in controversies surrounding accusations of ballot-stuffing. The award was later cut from the Great American Beer Festival as a result of the controversy.
Other Boston Beer Company brands
As of 2003, the company produces eight varieties of beer year-round: Boston Lager, Boston Ale, Pale Ale, Cherry Wheat, Cream Stout, Triple Bock, Vienna Style, and Sam Adams Light. Additionally, the company brews five seasonal beers per year, as follows:
- Double Bock (January - March)
- White Ale (January - March)
- Summer Ale (May - August)
- Octoberfest (August - October)
- Winter Lager (October - February)
Another winter seasonal offering is Old Fezziwig Ale, a spiced ale introduced at the end of 1995. The company also produced a 3,000-bottle limited run dubbed "Millennium." In January 2005, the brewery introduced a seasonal schwarzbier under the "Black Lager" label.
External links
- Sam Adams Beer (http://www.samadams.com/)
- company website (http://www.bostonbeer.com/)
- Boston Beer Co. Reviews @ My Life s Beer! (http://www.mylifeisbeer.com/beer/bottles/list/Boston+Beer+Co./brewery/)