#7. Alpine Spring - Boston Beer Company

Today I am trying a new beer from the Sam Adams people, Alpine Spring. Now I have been a fan of Sam Adams for a long time. I feel that modern craft brewers owe some level of gratitude because Sam helped launch the microbrew craze. However, that was then and this is now. Based on their website they make over 40 different beers which makes me curious as to if the brewery can consistently crank out quality, tasty brews.

Since the label reads that it is an unfiltered beer, I immediately think that this is similar to a hefeweizen. I pour it into a wheat beer glass and take notice of the cloudy, but slightly darker than pale body. The head is very white, with dense bubbles.

On the nose there is citrus and some pineapple. A faint sourness is there too, almost like lemon. There is a subtle little hint of pine. As the beer continues to warm up I get Lavender coming through (which I love - my favorite scent).

The taste is a little malty with some hop bitterness on the back of the palate. I get a little citrus flavor , that of maybe lemon. But it isn't the tangy part of the lemon or the zest, but rather the pith. It is a little unpleasant and the bitterness lingers a bit.

This would be a good beach beer that you could pound all day, but so is Coors Light. I had higher expectations for this beer like I do with all the Sam Adams varieties, but this one is too light on flavor to really stand out. I don't quite get why this one was made with all the other varieties Sam makes. I give it an 80 out of 100.