Samuel Adams LongShot Boysenberry Wheat

Formerly brewed at Boston Beer Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Boston, Massachusetts USA

I don’t know who picks this stuff from Sam Adams but I did not get this beer. I tend to enjoy fruit beers but this was just cloying.

Pours a hazy golden color. Aroma is of boysenberry and not much else. Taste is boysenberry, slight tartness from the wheat (I think) and again not much else. The beer is too one dimensional for me as the boysenberry pushes everything else to the side. This beer would be better served with some more carbonation as it would be what it’s trying to be...a wine cooler. All and all not bad but I wouldn?t buy it again.

I liked this beer more the first time I had it: In prison, where we clogged the sink and pour our breakfast carton of apple juice in there with some hot water and a mashed up hawaiian roll. We tore up pieces of fruit roll up to add some color and cover up the taste of the bottle of robatussin we added.

Slightly hazy straw body, just a tad off presumably because of the fruit’s presence. Nice creamy and well sustained head. The aroma is a fruity berry all the way, and I’ll take the brewer’s word that it’s boysen. The wheat comes through in the flavor adding a citric tartness, but the fruit carries the show. I’ll be boysen belching for a while, I think. Not too bad, but I guess I’ll never be a big fan of fruit flavored wheat beers.

<font size=-4>Single bottle purchase from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Party Supply, Dayton, OH<font size=-1>

Bottle drunk on 2/17/07
Chalky, purple-maroon-amber body is dark, unfiltered, and showing a medium clarity. Large, violet-tinged off-white head is large and fluffy, providing tons of lace and being retained nicely.
Tart, sharp, moderately acidic fruit notes in the nose are backed by medium-sweet vanillin notes (wheat I guess) and a dry black pepper and clove dose of phenols. Light pale malt sweetness sort of, but not really, develops in the nose. A bit of chalkiness from the fruit fermentation. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma, light alcohol noted, unfortunately.
Tastes like drinking the leftover milk in a bowl of fruit loops, but with a dose of acidity. The fruitiness is covering flaws and again this seems very underconditioned. Some wheat nuttiness is full on the palate, and that’s pretty pleasant, but the fruit flavor and acidity is unsettling. Similar carbonation issues as the dortmunder (too loose).
Sam Adams beers are always so much fun to drink and rate as they are always so transparent (and always have basic, easily identifiable flaws).

First off, hats off to Ken Smith for getting this beer into widespread distribution. Second, I thought this beer was light, fruity, and refreshing, yet unsuited to the February in Wisconsin in which I drank it. In total , it seemed to me to be between 21st Amendment’s Watermelon Wheat and Leinenkugel Berry Weiss and would be a great summer refresher. Appearance was a hazy amber with a slightly pinkish tinge and good head formation. Aroma was very fruity from the second I opened the bottle. Taste was very light and fruity. This beer is very light and sweet...I really think my wife would like it.

Pours a semi-cloudy pale gold color with a big fluffy white head. Has a sweet berry aroma reminisant of sweet tarts. Taste is more like a typical dry tart wheat maltiness with some sweetness. The berry is all in the smell, not in the taste. Not bad, but kind of bubblegummy with an aspirin aftertaste in the throat. Refreshing and interesting but not my type.

slightly hazy golden color,medium sized white head that had a good hang time and faded slowly to leave a slight lace behind.Nice berry aroma with a bit of a wheaty side coming through but mostly it’s all berry.The flavor was a bit of a let down,i was looking for a big berry blast and it came on kind of wimpy.Plenty of malty and wheat coming through but the berry manages to stay in the back ground a little to much for my taste.Over all it’s still not bad just needs a little more berry IMO.