#178 Sam Adams - Cranberry Lambic

Another Sam Adam's beer. This beer was originally distributed as a Christmas seasonal. I found it as a single bottle at a local store a while ago. I normally don't write glowing reviews of Sam Adams but I would like to point out their recent Hop Sharing Program. Boston Beer Company the brewery that brews Sam Adams is selling (sharing) 20,000 pounds of hops to other microbrewerys at cost. This is a very generous action during the current hop shortage.

This beer has a light fruit juice aroma, but it is not over powering. The color has a light red hue, but is mainly brown. The foam starts mild but quickly fizzes away to almost nothing.

The beer has a fruity taste, mixed with a little grain flavor. The taste is slightly sour, but not near as sour as a true lambic. The mouthfeel is thin. And the finish is lightly fruity.

This is an ok beer. Again Sam Adam's plays it safe and uses yeast with lambic characteristics instead of true open fermentation, and keeps the over all sourness very low. This is a drinkable beer with some fruity taste. Sam Adams does a good job making a craft beer for the non-craft beer drinker.