Tasting History - New Albion Ale

Jack McAuliffe started New Albion Brewing Co. in 1976 and while the brewery only survived a few years, brewing its final batch in 1982, McAuliffe and New Albion made brewing history as one of breweries that started craft brewing in the U.S.  New Albion has been described as, “the most important failed brewery in the industry’s history” (Ogle, Maureen).  It was important for serving as an example to other brewers who were getting started in that time period, brewing beers that were not like the large marco-breweries, using hops differently and in larger volumes, and a number of other reasons.  Flash forward to 2012 and Jim Koch of Boston Beer Co. announces that New Albion Ale (6% ABV and 30 IBU) would be brewed under the Samuel Adams brand and available in January 2012. 

American Pale Ale – http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/97 - BeerAdvocate

Appearance – Straw gold with a one-finger head that quickly dissipates.  The beer is very clear with good carbonation – a steady stream of bubbles from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma – Grain, floral, citrus and pine / resin.  I picked up the grain the most.

Taste – A solid APA that starts with a sweetness, bread from the malt then a bit of citrus, grass from the hops and then a clean finish with little aftertastes

Overall – B – New Albion Ale is very easy to drink and I really appreciate Boston Beer Co. brewing a bit of history.  We have a plethora of choices in beer today and we are in the middle of a craft beer renaissance.  I am happy to have the opportunity to try a bit of history.  It will be here for only a limited time – pick some up and taste a bit of history.

Website description – “Brewed solely with American Cascade hops (why? Because that was all that was available to Jack at the time), New Albion Ale is a golden American Pale Ale that holds a distinct citrus hop note and subtle piney character. A delicious brew, it’s no wonder New Albion Ale inspired so many of the Pale Ales we drink today.”

Wikipedia – New Albion Brewing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Albion_Brewing_Company

New Albion Ale - http://blog.samueladams.com/2013/01/14/new-albion-arrives/

Latitude 48 IPA - Deconstructed

Sam Adams Latitude 48 (6.0% ABV) is an IPA brewed by Boston Beer Company and they recently began offering an interesting 12 pack called Sam Adams Latitude 48 Deconstructed.  This 12 pack offers 6 different blends of Latitude 48 – one is the original and the 5 others use only one of the five hops used in brewing this IPA.  For Latitude 48, the five hop varieties used in the brewing process are: 1) Ahtanum (U.S.), 2) East Kent Goldings (U.K.), 3) Hallertau Mittelfrueh (Germany), 4) Simcoe (U.S.), and 5) Zuess (U.S.).  Lattitude 48 is named because all these hops grow along the 48^th line of latitude.  Hops serve as a natural preservative, provide aroma, and provide bitterness to balance the sweetness from the malts used in the brewing process.  This will provide the drinker with an interesting tasting experience to sample how each hop variety tastes and what it contributes to the overall aroma, taste and bitterness to Latitude 48.  I liked the Simcoe version the best.

From the Samuel Adams web site - Latitude 48 IPA – Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48^th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere.  The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character.  The beer is dry hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe®*, and East Kent Goldings hops for a powerful citrus and earthy aroma.  The hop character is balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.  The Hop blend is described as, “The unique blend of hops in this beer creates a complex and distinctive hop character and aroma without being overpowering.  The Bavarian Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops add a floral note to the beer, the American Simcoe®, Zeus, and Ahtanum contribute a citrusy and piney hop flavor, and the English Goldings add an earthy character.  These flavors are balanced with the body from our proprietary pale malt blend and slight sweetness from Gambrinus Honey Malt.” 

The descriptions on each bottle with pictures are as follows:

Latitude 48 Ahtanum™ IPA– Ahtanum™ hops [Yakima Valley, WA] contribute a very balanced and typically “American” orange peel, piney and floral flavor and aroma to this brew, tempered by a slight sweetness and full body.

Latitude 48 East Kent Goldings IPA– East Kent Goldings [East Kent, UK] add a mellow bitterness with earthy, floral and apricot notes, offset by a slight sweetness and full body.

Latitude 48 Hallertau Mittelfrueh IPA – Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops [Hallertau, Germany] create soft bitterness along with delicate lemony citrus and resinous pine notes, balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.

Latitude 48 Simcoe® IPA– Simcoe® hops [Yakima Valley, WA] add bitterness and dramatic grapefruit peel and pine resin notes, with the slight sweetness and full malt body to round out the concentrated hop character.

Latitude 48 Zeus IPA– Zeus hops [Yakima Valley, WA] contribute bitterness and an intense, pungent resinous pine flavor.  The balance of the brew leans strongly toward the hop character, but is softened by the malt sweetness and body.

Samuel Adams – Noble Pils and Latitude 48 IPA

Samuel Adams beers are actually produced by the Boston Beer Co., which is one of the biggest craft brewers in America.  The Homebrewer’s Association changed the definition of a craft brewer by increasing the number of barrels produced so the Boston Beer Co. would not lose the classification of craft brewer. 

Samuel Adam’s Latitude 48 IPA has 6% ABV and pours nice golden amber with two finger head that fits perfectly in a shaker pint glass.  The website describes Latitude 48 IPA as “Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48^th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere.  The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character.  The beer is dry hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe®*, and East Kent Goldings hops for a powerful citrus and earthy aroma.  The hop character is balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.”  This is not a bad beer, not my favorite IPA, as I prefer the hoppier West Coast styles.

Nobel Pils has a 4.9% ABV and pours gold with a nice billowy head in a Pilsner glass.  The name comes from the use of the 5 Noble hops (Hallertau, Mittelfrueh, Tettnang Tettnanger, Spalt Spalter, Saaz, and Hersbrucker Noble hops) used to brew this lager.  The website description of Noble Pils is “Noble Pils is brewed with all 5 Noble hops for a distinct hop character and fresh taste.  Deep golden in color with a citrusy hop aroma, Samuel Adams Noble Pils is a traditional Bohemian Pilsner.  The honeyed malt character from traditional Bohemian malt is balanced by delicate yet pronounced citrus, floral, and piney notes from the Noble hops.”  This is a good Pilsner, but again, my preference is from Colorado with Avery’s Joe’s Pilsner, Left Hand's Polestar Pilsner, and Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yellow Pils.

I appreciate what the Boston Beer Co. has done for craft beer, but I am not a big fan of Samuel Adams beers.  I know Boston Beer Co. is the biggest craft brewer in America, but there is just something in the taste that does not resonate with my palette (yeast, water, hops??)  I think their specialty beers are the best and I recently tried New World Tripel, which is excellent.