Samuel Adams LongShot Old Ale

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

This offering from the SA longshot series pours a dark ruby brown leaving a thin quarter inch frothy tan head. The aroma is cooked sugar, dark caramel, coffee, vanilla, earthy hop aroma. The taste starts super sweet upfront caramel, toffee, bready, syrupy mouthfeel sweetness followed by just enough spicy hops to take back some of the sweetness but this is def a brew on the sweet side. The finish is deep toffee like in the end with just a kiss of heat from that 10% abv fantastic!

I ruined the aroma because I tasted it too soon, after tasting it I couldn’t smell anything. Very Strong malty flavor, caramel and maybe vanilla(?). The alcohol is not overpowering, which is nice but dangerous. Good beer, congrats to Don Oliver.

xxx eh, it was alright, but the alcohol was definitely quite prevalent at 10.5%, a bit too much

Bottle. Pours a deep copper color with a small whitish disappearing head. The aroma mainly consists of caramel malts with some light fruitiness. The initial taste is full bodied with sweet caramel malt flavor. Enough bitterness to balance the beer quickly follows. I don’t notice the alcohol (10.6%) in the flavor. This is a solid old ale.

Let’s get one thing straight, folks, I am a Dortmunder Export Snob. Its a bold statement, I know, but I just want everyone to know I won’t be pulling any punches on this review. Appearance: Pours a bright, sparkling golden body topped by a fluffy white head. Smell: Pleasing aroma of biscuits, with a drizzle of honey and fresh-cut flowers. and a gentle hoppiness. Maybe even a pat or two or butter! Taste: Light malty sweetness with hints of bread and honey. A fruity/floral twang develops just as the hops pop. Hey, is anyone else picking up a pinch of sea salt? Huh. Plenty of residuel yeast flavors in the lightly bitter, lightly sweet finish. Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied, with a sticky mouthfeel. Lightly carbonated. Drinkability: A easy-drinking, splendid little lager! I quite enjoyed it.

12oz bottle, courtesy of argo0. Thanks, Aaron! Pours a clear, reddish-amber color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Dense, sugary and maple syrup aroma; very chewy. Lively carbonation. Medium-to-full, sugary mouthfeel: plenty of dried red fruits and raisins; dense malt character with a hint of balancing citrus hops; chewy, dense, quite drinkable old ale. Medium, candy sugar finish.

Rated 2/16/07: Murky amber pour with an initial 1" head that dwindled to an eighth of that size, lots of foamy thick lacing and a strong carbonation. Aroma of sweet malts, dark fruits, and alcohol. Mouthfeel is on the harsh side, but I like that. Creamy and filling with a major alcohol kick, reminds me of sipping on whiskey. Sugary flavor with caramel malts, toffee, black licorice, and some 89 octane. Don’t know if some time in the cellar would tame this one enough to be worth it, but fresh it’s a decent strong ale.

Bottle. Nice malty nose with some caramel and Twizzlers. Plum and raisin with bit of balsamic and oak. Mild fruity hops with a bit of butterscotch. Dark ruby brown clear with thin off-white lacing head. Heavy watery body with medium-silky carbonation and a good hit of alcoholic warming. Starts sweet with carbonic tang. Balsamic hit on top of caramel and Twizzlers. Neutral fruit, plum. A little rough on the finish, with quite a bit of alcohol presence. Touch of diacetyl in there but faint. Malty with light fruity hops bitterness in the finish with medium sweet after. Good stuff, and might do better with a bit of aging.