This
evening my shipment of Sam Adams Triple Bock arrived. It is an unhcarbonated,
well, beer according to Sam Adams.
Upon
first inspection it's dark color was reminiscent of raisin juice, and it
smelled of fermented raisins and maple syrup. Upon tasting, it had the
sweetness of barleywine, but the similarities to beer ended their. The
distinctive strong burnt raisin aftertaste is a bit much for me. The best part
was definitely the aroma, the taste left something to be desired approximately
$13.00 a bottle to be exact.
I would
have much rather had a six pack of
A little
bit about my palate. With all honesty the very first time I tried a stout I
thought it reminiscent of a naturopathic laxative and couldn't finish the
bottle. Incidentally it was a Sierra Nevada Stout, which is an excellent brew.
But I was simply not accustom to it. The first time I had a martini made with
Bombay Sapphire Gin I thought it tasted like pine trees. Now I enjoy both gin
and stout. In fact it's probably my favorite style of beer.
I am not
a port or sherry drinker so perhaps my palate is simply not trained to
appreciate the complex flavor of Sam's Triple Bock. Admittedly as I let it warm
up in the snifter it did begin to grow on me a bit.
In my
opinion this is not beer. Barleywine for me is the end of the line for beer.
According
to Sam Adams website Jim wanted to go to the extreme opposite end of watered
down pilsner beer. Well I guess he has definitely done that, perhaps he's gone
past beer altogether.
The next
day ...
One More
Taste
Ok, I just
have to come back with a couple more comments about the Samuel Adams Triple
Bock. It did grow on me. Will I ever buy another bottle, maybe. It is it's best
at room temperature. It has a real warming effect much like a glass of scotch
on a cold night. For some reason the first half of the bottle had the strongest
burnt raisin thing going on. After it sat half empty for a couple of days it
seemed to mellow, or perhaps I just knew now what to expect. It seems to me to
be more along the lines of a fortified wine than a beer. Anyone that says this
is beer smokes crack if you ask me. First beer and ale are carbonated, this is
not carbonated. Second if this were a bock it would have to be a lager, but
it's an 'ale'. Third a Tripel would indicate that it is a Trappist ale. We know
it's not. And who ever heard of a beer brewed without hops of any kind. I guess
I wasn't on the brewfloor when they brewed it. But if it has hops somebody
please let me know.
So my
suggestion is this, if you get a bottle don't sit down and drink it all in one
night. Save some, drink it a couple of days after opening it and just fill your
snifter about one third full. Maybe it will grow on you like it did me. So the
big question is where does this put Sam Adams on my list of breweries? Well I
am still thinking about that one.
The next
day... Final Comments
Regarding
Sam Adams Triple Bock here is what David Ziegler, a wine connoisseur and beer
drinker had to say:
"I concur
that I didn't think 'beer' as I was sipping this. I found myself thinking,
"What's the common denominator with this stuff, that makes it "beer" and not
something else?
I loved
the smell. But I was prepared for it by a product that is a dead match on
smell. It's called Marmite in
No matter
what my end opinion would have been, I was very glad to have had the
opportunity to try this. High marks to the Brewmaster for that.
I am a
big fan of both port and sherry (dry and dessert), and there's not a whole lot
of similarity. Maybe just in fullness of body and strength of the flavors.
Although - I once got a chance to try vintage port, and there was a strong
flavor of tobacco. This brew reminded me a little bit of chewing tobacco, so
there you go.
I found
myself wishing that the finish wasn't quite so bitter. If only the bitterness
was a little more balanced with the other flavors, I think I would like this
'beer' a lot. Even so, I enjoyed it, and I would have it again if I had the
chance or the money.
The
strength was nice, just because you can sip it, put it away, and sip more of it
later and still feel a little kick. I actually finished the brew while ice
fishing, which was a perfect setting for the stuff. Warmed me right up. I don't
know if the fish could smell it, but they were biting. "
