Jim Koch, the maker of Sam Adams, and I used to get along so well. I’ve purchased and enjoyed a good number of the beers his company has to offer. Hell, I even plead his case when it comes to Sam Adams Light.
Earlier this month, my wife was kind enough to pick up the Samuel Adams Winter Classics 24 pack. Many of the beers included, especially the newly added Holiday Porter, were excellent. The Black Lager is always a fan favorite and the wife loves the Winter Lager.
After enjoying my first Old Fezziwig Ale, I had commented to my wife, who was enjoying her lager, that Sam Adams must love me. It felt as though that seasonal pack was created solely for me — I mean that porter was just that good.
All was well in the world until I went for the Cranberry Lambic. Now, I have had little success with Jim’s fruit beers. The Cheery Wheat and I were not on the best of terms. It was a decent beer, but left me with an odd after taste.
The Cranberry Lambic, on the other hand, never got that far. I poured a glass. It has a great color and is chock full of cranberry aroma. The goodness ends there, however. The first (and only) swallow left me with such a puckered mouth that my wife nearly lost her own glass in laughter.
“Maybe girls will like it since it’s fruity,” she said.
It’s not fruity. The Cranberry Lambic was beyond tart — so tart that it was hard to tell if it was even a lambic, or beer for that matter.
It fealt as if I had angered Jim in some way. Our relationship was going so well. I had done everything right. I had poured each beer into a clean glass, savored them for all they were worth. What did I do wrong Jim? What?
Alas, our perfect union was not meant to be. We would continue on as causual friends, raising a pint from across the room with a nod of the head.
Besides my poor experience with the Cranberry Lambic, the Samuel Adams Winter Classics 24 pack includes some of my favorite brews from the company. I’ve always loved the Black Lager, and now I will go out of my way to find the Holiday Porter and Old Fezziwig Ale. Kudos on those two, Jim. I’ll just pawn the lambic off to my neighbor. He’ll drink anything. Well, almost anything.
