Samuel Adams (Barrel Room Collection) Stony Brook Red

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle. Was caught a bit off-guard at first because I thought this was a red ale until my first sip. Still, a very nice sour with some nice oak notes. Sam Adams impresses, never count them out of the craft beer conversation.

Poured into a snifter. Color is sort of a cherry/mahogany with little head. Aroma is sweet toasty malt with some tart sour cherry type fruit notes. Flavor is rich and fruity, quite wine-like. Has some sweet malty underpinnings. Reads like a barley wine. Full bodied with a slightly sticky mouthfeel. Overall a very twist on a red ale.

Aroma of tart red fruit and Brett. Pours a cherry brown with a thin guickly diminishing off-white head and no lacing. The taste is slightly tart/sour. Sweet tart cherries and some woodiness noted. Medium body with medium carbonation. Overall, enjoyable, but not as sour as some others examples in this style.

750mL bottle split 3 ways in stemless wine glasses at my wedding with close friends. Pours a murky red color. Generally, the beer is very surprising. First of all, Sam doesn’t make a sweet and cloying mess of a beer. Secondly, unnecessary hoppiness is left out. What is left? Well, a rounded light to moderate lactic beer. Not sour but definitely lactic with a light malt sweetness and light cherry character. Comes off similar to a lot of the commercial examples that come out of Belgium. More interestingly, why is this call Stony Brook... my alma mater?

Bottle at Bruce’s, London - thanks to Jack! Pours hazy red with a creamy, yellow-beige head. Nose has yeast, Belgian candi sugar, some bread, hints of tang. Light to medium sweet flavor, some tangy berries, bread, mild yeast, toasty sugars. Light bodied with lively carbonation. Mild dry wood to finish, further tangy berries, some yeasty toasty bread, vinous texture, Belgian yeast. Very nice beer overall. Well done, Sam.

Fruity. Amber pour with white head. Aroma is sweet raspberry and sour note. Taste is sweet and sour. Nice balance. Tastes like a Belgian framboise lambic mix, not really a red.

Not really a sour, it does have good almost spice that works with the woody oak tones.

The aroma from this thing is deceiving to say the least. Great aroma, very vibrant belgian style. What you actually get is closer to a cheap sparkling wine. They say this was aged in a barrel but it left me wondering "for how long, five minutes?". Not worth the price, there’s so many better beers in the same style for less money.

25.4 fl oz / 750mL corked and caged large bottle into a tulip glass. Served cool. Aroma: Berries. Dark red fruits, but mostly raspberry. Slight alcoholic smell. Jam. Appearance: Dark, translucent ruby. No real head on it, but it is quite handsome. Taste: Exceptionally fruity. Tart and jammy. Mild boozy flavor. This one is all jam, with a hint of spice throughout. Palate: Full bodied, but doesn’t feel heavy. Rich. Flavors linger a bit. Overall: More jammy than what I was expecting. Quite a unique beer. I don’t know that it’s one of my all-time favorites, but I appreciate its uniqueness. Delightful treat.

Sampled from a 750 ml corked brown bottle this beer poured a medium brown color with a medium sized soapy beige head that left a bit of lacing. The aroma was tartish and savory with a vague odd spices, an herbal presence and was a touch medicinal. The flavor was tartish and fruity with notes of caramel, a hint of vinegar, toasted nut, vague herbal notes and almost a medicinal element. Medium length finish of fruit and herbs. Medium body. Interesting.