Spring Break
The 'Long Shot' delivers
Tom Goodwin
Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: Focus
May is slowly turning into craft beer month in America. It started with "National Teach a Friend to Brew Day," which is always the first Saturday in May. Then, in 2006, American Craft Beer Week was officially recognized by Congress (it's May 11 to May 17 this year). Also in 2006, Samuel Adams started its Long Shot competition in May. That means the Long Shot six-pack, which features winners from previous years, is currently in stores.
Every year Sam Adams hosts its Long Shot competition, where they ask for homebrewers to ship their best brews in and have them judged. Last year they received 1,367 entries.
Originally they picked two winners from the homebrew crowd and one winner from their own staff. Sam Adams really, really likes homebrewing and they encourage practically every employee to try it out. In 2007, one of the winning beers wasn't able to make it onto shelves, due to a terrible hop shortage. That beer got bumped into the 2008 six pack (the one on shelves now). Let's just say, it was worth the wait.
I'm not exactly sure why, but every winning beer created by an employee has been some type of fruit beer. In 2006, it was the Boysenberry Wheat. For 2007, it was the Grape Ale, and in 2008, the Cranberry Wit was picked. All snickering aside, these are good beers. They had to be; the staff picked champion had to stand up to over 1,400 votes from beer lovers at the Great American Beer Festival.
So what do the winners get-other than having their beer produced by the biggest craft brewer in the country? A check for $5,000, which I'm sure made their hobby look a whole lot more legitimate to their significant others.
I may not love every Sam Adams beer (I'm looking at you Cherry Wheat), but you have to give Sam Adams credit for boosting the beer culture in this country. They brew over 20 styles of beer and every year come out with new things that are consistently good. They just started a new imperial series as well, full of big beers with extreme flavors (well, extreme for Sam Adams, which takes more of a classic approach to beer).
Every year Sam Adams hosts its Long Shot competition, where they ask for homebrewers to ship their best brews in and have them judged. Last year they received 1,367 entries.
Originally they picked two winners from the homebrew crowd and one winner from their own staff. Sam Adams really, really likes homebrewing and they encourage practically every employee to try it out. In 2007, one of the winning beers wasn't able to make it onto shelves, due to a terrible hop shortage. That beer got bumped into the 2008 six pack (the one on shelves now). Let's just say, it was worth the wait.
I'm not exactly sure why, but every winning beer created by an employee has been some type of fruit beer. In 2006, it was the Boysenberry Wheat. For 2007, it was the Grape Ale, and in 2008, the Cranberry Wit was picked. All snickering aside, these are good beers. They had to be; the staff picked champion had to stand up to over 1,400 votes from beer lovers at the Great American Beer Festival.
So what do the winners get-other than having their beer produced by the biggest craft brewer in the country? A check for $5,000, which I'm sure made their hobby look a whole lot more legitimate to their significant others.
I may not love every Sam Adams beer (I'm looking at you Cherry Wheat), but you have to give Sam Adams credit for boosting the beer culture in this country. They brew over 20 styles of beer and every year come out with new things that are consistently good. They just started a new imperial series as well, full of big beers with extreme flavors (well, extreme for Sam Adams, which takes more of a classic approach to beer).
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
brewmaster j
posted 4/27/09 @ 7:31 PM EST
I heard good things about all the beers, and except for the cranberry wit, I agree. I thought the cranberry wit was just awful. I like the wit style and I think fruit beers can be done well, but this one was not. (Continued…)
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