Samuel Adams LongShot Grape Pale Ale

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

Pours a clear light amber with a smallish head. Aroma is caramel and grass. Tingles on the tounge, dry, light sweetness. Don’t really get any grape.

THOUGHTS: Nothing special. Sure it was a little grapey, but it’s not like that made it much better than other pale ales. And there really wasn’t enough grape flavor to make it much different than most pale ales. Very surprising that this was one of the two best beers submitted for this contest. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a light to medium orangy amber with a small, fizzy, slightly off-white head that mostly diminished but left fair to good lacing. The aroma was light to moderate grain, moderate grassy hops and Welch’s White Grape Juice. The initial flavor was lightly sweet and acidic; while the finish was moderately sweet and lightly bitter with a short duration. It tasted like Welch’s grape juice a little malt and maybe a touch of hops. The light to medium body was dry with soft carbonation and a light to moderate astringent finish.

Didn’t really notice the grape. Tasted like a normal pale ale with a little bit of crispness. I guess grapes should stay with wine.

12 oz. bottle courtesy of DYCSoccer17 - thanks. Fairly typical pale ale appearance with rather finely laced eggshell head. Cereally aroma with some light caramel and grape - less wine grape than standard Concord grapes here. Contrary to the description, I definitely get red grapes versus white grapes here. Flavor is rather dry, rich cereal malts prevail. Very low acidity here, surprisingly, contributing to a rather odd mouthfeel. The grape is rather light in the flavor, really just contributing a fruity penumbra to the decisive maltiness. Rather dry in the finish, low bitterness. An unusual but well-executed beer.

I’m not sure the grape quotient melds very well to the beer’s malty sweet qualities or the aromatic hops that appear. The sweetness of the grapes and malts equal too much sweetness. I read a forum post on not adding hops to cider and I see why. Some fruits don’t mix very well with beer. My blackberry wheat does kick this beer’s ass though IMHO. The body of this beer is decently carbonated and it has a nice feel which kind of makes up for its odd flavors. I hope this isn’t what the hop shortage will bring!

(bottle): Pours an amber color, smallish off-white head, somewhat lasting. Alcohol & grape aroma, some maltiness. Very light nutty taste. Good body. Sweet light taste.

Really torn on this drink - spome great aspects, some terrible - problem is they are inseperable. Great pale ale malt backbone, nice bready light malt character. The drink is dominated by cloying sweetness akin to high fructose corn syrup that is omnipresent. Grape is in there, hard to find, but the maple sweetness is very evident. A decent pale ale that is flawed with to many varied bits.

Medium brown with nice white head, a nice looking brew. Sweet nose. Flavor is convoluted with some cheap sweetness and mild hop bitterness and mild hop flavor.. a useless brew that doesn’t work