Samuel Adams LongShot Grape Pale Ale

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

This beer is an interesting Idea but just didn’t live up to the name. The bottle poured into a pint glass produce a good two finger worth of head that settles down to a film of lace. All this on top of a hazy golden body Smells like a pale ale poured into a glass that just had some white wine in it It’s sweet, extremely pale, pale ale I guess I was hoping for more of a grape presence here or something. I think the name did that along with the description on the bottle. It wasn’t a drain pour; its taste wasn’t all that memorable either Light bodied, with plenty of carbonation for your tongue I did finish the three I had but I wouldn’t buy it again there are better pale ales and better fruit beers out there ( I wish the Weizenbock was sold separately )

330ml rich amber with a slight haze and the best head i’ve seen in a long time. Poupori of aromas, fruitsalad, wafers and a malt sweetness. Not sure I get the grape thing - maybe grapes imported in to NZ are different? A rich fullness in the mouthfeel, sweet but other notes that defy description. Grapes & maple syrup - only in America huh?

To label this a pale ale is just a vast misrepresentation of beer in itself. I have a feeling the recent hop sweep kept this from tasting the way it did when it was presented in the competition. The first placing beer was a IIPA that SA couldn’t produce due to the hop constrictions of late. This beer is a wheat beer, unmistakable. Just like most companies use fruit in the brewing of their wheat beers, this is simply one that uses grape instead of cherry/raspberry.

Pours a clear copper with thin white head. Aroma is lightly sweet and reminiscent of white grape juice (don’t believe it’s the label talking here but I could be wrong) with little hops and a light maltiness. Flavor is lightly sweet, lightly acidic. Unique, not fruity by any sense nor is it defined by any maltiness nor hop quality. Overall I’d have to go with the term bland. In addition I’d add that it has a distinct lack of character, but hell, it’s not unpleasant to drink at all. Sitting back and finishing the 3rd bottle I can’t say I don’t like it and I can’t say I’d want a fourth. What I can say is that it did a good job of not letting me compare it to anything else I’ve had.

12 oz. bottle. The aroma is reminiscent of that of a German pilsner: Lightly fruity and dry. Green apple scent. I finally get the green grape smell after multiple sniffs and sips. The aroma is pleasant but not strong nor complex nor memorable. Pours a clear gold with some effervescence. Moderate amount of frothy, off-white head. Good lacing. I really don’t taste the grape, but it is generally fruity (light-colored fruit tastes). Not very flavorful. Dry finish and lightly dry aftertaste. Light to medium body. Soft in the palate. Easy to drink and refreshing. It’s a good thirst quencher. Sam Adams LongShot Grape Pale Ale is like the accessible golden ales or bitters that are pushed to the less adventurous customers at mediocre brewpubs. It is neither offensive nor interesting; it is boring but not bad. It would make a good beer for sipping cool outside by the lake on a warm summer day (unfortunately, that’s not the environment in which I sampled it). It’s really not good for much more than that, but it’s certainly far from a drain pour.

What in the hell were they thinking with this one. It reeks like a bottle of cheap white wine. The flavor is a too damned sweet white grape flavor. This beer barely manages to miss being repulsive, but that’s the best I can say for it.

Color is a clear caution-light yellow/orange. Thin 1/4 finger of head. No carbonation to be seen. The smell has hints of sweet and dark berry. Smooth honey. Darker notes of grape; sweet but rich. Aromatic berry wafting above the glass. No pale malt to speak of, per se. The taste is slightly sour grape, with a richer dark second wave. Hints of juicy grape, balanced by some dry pale and crystal malts. Medium bodied feel; leaves a juice-like coating on the tongue. Actually quite nice. It’s a highly drinkable, berry-laden brew. Not overly sweet. It’s just dark enough.

12oz bottle poured into a Sam Adams special glass. SALGPA pours copper and malty looking with a medium-sized head that settles quickly. The aroma is malty with hints of honey and grape. Maybe the grape aroma is self-inflicted because of anticipation. I taste a decent malty beginning. It is heavy on the honey. The swallow is dominated by a very nice biscuit flavor. If the biscuit flavor came in earlier this beer would be better. All in all this is a decent beer but I really don’t taste grape. This may be a fruit beer in name but not flavor.