Patriot Brew Pack, Part 2

Before I go on with the rest, I'd like to point you to Robbie's Reviews on San Diego IPA's and also Speakeasy Prohibition Ale, as well as point out that it's American Beer Month with a good link Beer Town.
If you've been on the Sam Adams brewery tour, make sure you're using your free glass. If you haven't read the first installment of this review, it is two posts below this one.
So let's dig into the George Washington Porter. Mmmmmmmm, toasty! It has a nice roasted flavor that's not too much but with a nice full flavor that covers the whole mouth. In this one the licorice doesn't bother me. It blends in well with the malt. It's not the heaviest nor "harshest" porter I've had, which is great. Unless you absolutely love a strong, strong porter, you tend to have had enough before you're finished. So for me this is just right.
From the back label "George Washington's favorite brew was porter. In fact, he felt so strongly that there should be an American porter he adopted and encouraged a policy of buying only American-brewed beer rather than imported British beer. This policy was part of the Non-Importation Agreement of 1774 drafted by Samuel Adams (there's that name again). Washington signed the agreement at a meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia." One of my favorite things about Samuel Adams brews is the info on the neck, which is helpful to the newbie aficionado as to what's in it and what to taste for. "This dark unfiltered brew is medium-bodied with a deep roasted malt aroma. The molasses and licorice in this brew are authentic to American porters of the Colonial era, as is the more assertive hop finish." Careful pouring it, it's really frothy; and I can smell the molasses as much as anything.

Finally, we get to the fourth and final variety, James Madison Dark Wheat Ale. This is the "lighter" of the four but still very complex and flavorful. You can't come close to seeing through it and has a nice cloudiness when poured. If I have any complaint, it would be that it could be a tad stronger; but it's plenty strong enough for most. So while there's a hint of rye, I'd like a hint more. I saved this one for last thinking I'd like it most, when actually it's the Ginger Honey Ale I like the most and would love to see mass produced. But this dark wheat ale is second. Again, it's nice and flavorful and goes down smooth, no aftertaste that isn't welcomed.
From the back label we get "Many of our Founding Fathers were brewers. But it was James Madison who brewed at a large scale on his Virginia estate -- mostly for daily consumption using local grains such as wheat, barley and rye that were malted and then roasted over wood that was indigenous to the area. How important was beer to daily American life at this time? As president, Madison seriously considered a proposal for a National Brewery. The idea never came to pass. For, as Madison realized, local breweries were already springing up everywhere." And from the bottle neck, "The slight tartness of malted rye balances sweeter roasted malted barley notes of cocoa and toffee in this deep mahogany brew. Hand-smoked malted barley adds a subtle smokey finish common in colonial brewing." Hmmmmm? It's good but it doesn't taste as complicated as the ingredients would suggest because if there's toffee in there, I'd like to taste it. Maybe my smoker's tastebuds aren't differentiating well because it does have a full and complex flavor.

Overall I would highly recommend these, especially if you like trying different types of beer, as in ales and porters, and variations thereof. If you're of the Budweiser crowd, don't bother...we wouldn't want to wake up your tastebuds.

beer Samuel Adams porter brewer George Washington Brewer Patriot Collection Ginger Honey Ale James Madison wheat ale ale rye malt hops