Samuel Adams LongShot Cranberry Wit

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Boston, Massachusetts USA

12 oz. bottle purchased at Central Market in Mill Creek, WA. Pours a grapefruit juice color with a white head. Aroma: Smells like a typical wit beer, with hints of cranberry, coriander, and apples. Flavor: Once again, a typical wit beer, with just a slight hint of cranberry. Not bad.

THOUGHTS: Nothing super special, but just enough cranberry to make it different, if not all that interesting. It actually seemed more like a regular wheat beer, not a wit. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a cloudy, dark yellow to med to dark brownish orange. It was milky with a large to huge , white head that slowly diminished, keeping a thick sheet and leaving good lacing. The aroma was doughy yeast, slight pepper, wheat and a hint of cranberry. The initial flavor was lightly sweet, rather acidic and sour, while the finish was acidic and sour with an average duration. There was wheat, yeast and a decent, but not overpowering amount of cranberry. The light to medium body was fairly dry with fizzy carbonation and a dry and light to moderately astringent finish.

Pours a dirty hefe orange with decent frothy white head that leaves some decent lacing. Aroma is banana, clove, yeast, coriander, light citrus, and a touch of spices. Flavor is a sweet wheat with light banana, and tart fruit, and a lot of spices I would normally associate with a pumpkin beer. There is a touch of cranberry on the finish that is light and enjoyable. Smooth and sweet on the palate, with a tart tingle and a wet finish. Like a thin bodied hefe with a bunch of pumpkin spices.

In a mixed six. Pours a hazy gold with a hint of pink. Aroma is yeast and a bit of tart. Mouthful is crisp with an excellent cranberry feel that really makes me wish this was the entire six. Very enjoyable especially on a hot day.

12oz bottle. Poured a deepr and cloudy golden color with a smaller sized white head. Aromas of cranberries, wheat, grains, and some spices. Tastes of cranberries, grains, and fruity. Nothing too special, but did go down nicely after sitting on the beach for a few hours.

Hazy peach colored with tints of red. Large, frothy white head is quite long lasting. Odd, spicy nose (black pepper, what I swear is mustard seed, and an overabundance of cinnamon) with husky wheat and mild berry. Mildly sweet, very mildly sour flavor with some slight citric tartness. Finish is lightly sour and ends fairly grainy. Watery palate with very low carbonation. I’ve made better homebrew myself, which honestly isn’t saying much - I can’t figure out how this won the Sam Adams contest.

Bottle. Murky gold body with a short white head. Aroma is tart fruit and peppery spice with light yeast and grains. Taste is more peppery spice, tart cranberries, lemon, yeast big wheat/grains and sweet malt. Body is very light and very bubbly. Spritzy feel on the tongue. Finishes with more lingering spice, light cranberry, yeast notes, strong grains/wheat flavors and mild malt. Not too bad.

Pours a cloudy orange golden with a thin, wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet pale malt and a healthy dose of cranberry fruitiness. Starts with decent fullness and a mild coriander spice with good cranberry flavor before a slightly drier, thinner finish. Pretty well balanced and a unique take on the style.