Samuel Adams LongShot Old Ale

Formerly brewed at Boston Beer Company
Style: Old Ale
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Off notes 4/2007. Pours a darker ruby with a light tan head that sticks around. Nose is sticky sweet. Flavor is doughy and with a long sweet edge. Very firm caramel characters too. Feel is good. The feel has a talcy touch on the liquid and a low carbonation. Overall this is extremely drinkable. Definitely the winner out of the three beers in the LongShot series. Too bad it won’t be a permanent fixture on the lineup.

Pours a dark copper color with beige head.Big sweet malt aromas with hints of caramel and dark fruits. Huge sweet malt flavor with notes of caramel and plums. Slight alcohol flavor as well. Sweet finish.

Bottle, BB June ’07. Poured clear, deep coppery amber with a short cap of darker beige head. The aroma picked up deep, artificially-sweetened toasty caramel with some fusel and herbal notes.. rich, but un-balanced. Flavor was of toasty caramel, plums, and vinous notes at the core.. quite sweet with some herbal accents.. short, sweet finish. Lighter-bodied and grainy with some lingering fusel notes. Not bad.

Name: Longshot Old Ale
Date: 03/14/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

clear dark red, scant white head, big sweet caramel malt aroma with a rich fruity essence, big sticky body, rich dark caramel malt flavor, lots of fruity character, big but tempered sweetness,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Bottle drunk on 8/10/07
Dark mahogany brown colored beer with deep auburn highlights. Butter-beige colored head sits atop at one-finger in height, with moderate retention and minimal lacing. Clear, with very light sediment on the bottom.
Alcohol vapors and dry, burnt toffee roll out an unexpected dryness in the nose, with black licorice and bittersweet molasses bringing up the rear. That’s unique, at least, but I find it’s quite harsh, overly so, especially given that I’ve let this thing age for a while. So this must have been brutal fresh. Hops are a bit messy, adding bitter resins and phenols, with dry caramel and more toffee filling out the finish. Medium strength of aroma, not particularly complex or enjoyable. Alcohol and minor brewing flaws (phenols) present.
Butterscotch sweetness helps impede some of the harsh hop acids and heavily toasted/burnt toffee notes. Rather hard feeling on the palate, despite the fact that there are some syrupy sugars emerging on the end (caramel and butter toffee hard candy flavored). Low carbonation, concentrates the flavors and makes it quite powerful, while the alcohol isn’t fooling anyone (or at least me). Way too forceful/ambitious here, with an odd malt bill, it seems and too much hop bitterness/resin. I finally gave up and just poured it out; as Willblake says, "the more I drink it, the less interested I become". Some espresso and grappa suggestions linger on the end.....

Dark red color with an off-white head that leaves a nice sticky lacing. Aroma is vinous, bits of cherry, hint of nutmeg, brown sugar, and some alcohol is noticeable, too. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, some dark fruit, and a small amount of earthy hops. Soft carbonation and full bodied, some alcohol in the finish. A solid brew from the folks at BBC; I’d like to see this one find its way to regular rotation.

Poured dark brown with tan head. Aroma of caramel malt and some fruit. Nice sweet malt flavor with hints of fruit, molasses, and toffee. No way this is over 10%.

12 oz bottle. Clear, deep copper with a big beige head. Caramel, raisin and brown sugar dominate the nose, a bit of cinnamon and plum. Sweet, bold caramel and toffee flavors, brown sugary. Molasses and cinnamon emerge as it warms up. Full mouthfeel, a bit sticky. Mr. Oliver has done well with this one, and should be proud. The +10% is surprising - coulda fooled me...