Samuel Adams LongShot Lemon Pepper Saison

Formerly brewed at Boston Beer Company
Style: Saison
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Tulip

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UPDATED: DEC 16, 2010 The head is lsight, thin and white. Lacing cacades and lasts. Appearance is an opaque yellow - Bud masked. The nose is slightly citrus and pepper. The palate is medium with a lively carbonation. Taste is lemon and pepper - slight - but the malty sweetness is immediately overcome by the lemon and pepper, which are not overwhelming. Overall, Wow! Very interesting brew. It is a great example of what home brewers are doing to expand the boundaries of brewing, which is a driving force of Sam Adams. There is a regret in the Longshot Series and it is that the incredible brews that Sam Adams discovers are only for a short time. This is one of them. As I have evaluated brews, my concern is not how they match a supposed standard while at the same time realizing that there are specificities for a particular brew but how they impact my palate when drunk (not the condition of inebriation but the act of drinking - although :>)). And the time of impact is imporant - a cookout, a brew tasting, after mowing the lawn. This brew is an example. Is there a standrard for a Lemon Pepper Saison? Imagine what it would look like if there were standards for all the variations. Who would determine what the variations are? Creativity would indeed be stiffled even eliminated. So, enjoy whatever you drink and remember that if you like it, that is all that matters. End of sermon.

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a stemmed glass. The color is a clear gold with about two to three fingers of thick foamy head and some nice lacing. The smell is pretty peppery right up front. It fells like I just used a pepper grinder to sprinkle some onto my beer. Has some nice citrus flavor and it is a bit lemon but also so slight tangerine as well. The taste is also a bit peppery with some nice bitter hop flavor mixed with a pepper flavor that has a slight clove flavor as well. There is a nice subtle citrus flavor that comes on in the background and pushes the flavor on till the end of the sip The feel of this beer is pretty light and is an easy drinking brew with light carbonation. It is pretty crisp and has a peppery kick but doesn’t hit too hard, smooth.

For appearance, this beer is very clear and pale golden. The first thing I taste is bubblegum and it lingers for a long time afterwards.

THOUGHTS: Very Belgian. Would have liked to see this one bottle conditioned. The pepper was way more noticeable in the flavor than in the aroma. A nice, refreshing beer for summer. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a sparkling, medium golden with a large, white head that mostly diminished and left good to excellent lacing. The aroma was light to moderate light bread; moderate spicy yeast; light pepper, lemon and citrus. The initial flavor was sweet and lightly acidic; while the finish was moderate to heavily sweet and slightly sour with and average to long duration. There was lemon, malt, pepper, spicy yeast, honey, sugar water and floral hops. The light to medium body was a bit syrupy and then dry with fairly fizzy carbonation and a slightly chalky finish.

Pours cloudy amber with a whte head. Smells of lemon, dry pilsner malt, some peppery splashes. Tastes dry and citrussy with some mellow lemony notes on the finish.

Pours a hazy golden color with thin off-white head with gobs of lace clinging to the glass. Aroma is of light yeast, lemon notes, and a bit of spiciness. Taste is yeast, lemongrass, light fruity notes, and a bit of peppery spice that shows up in the end. Delish!

Bottle from Midtown. Pours a dark straw golden with a nice dense white head that diminishes to a ring. Aroma smells like a good Hefeweizen. Light bodied with fine carbonation. Flavor of pale wheat malts, clove phenols, and peppercorns. The lemon pepper note is very subtle, but becomes more pronounced as it warms. Dry and slightly yeasty finish. Lacks some of the funkiness of a traditional Saison, but this is a great attempt at tweaking the style outside the box. I suppose if Cigar City brewed this and had a limit of 100 bottles, this would get the score it deserves. Oh well, the only opinion that matters to me is mine.

Bottle. Lemony nose, a little cleaner but more natural citrus, with spicy, dry herbal tones that remind of a perfectly made Hefeweizen, and some marginal wheat. Beautiful golden pour, clear and sparkling, with a large, loud, lacing, rocky white head. Taste is dry, very crisp, sunshine golden pils and pale malts, lemon in droves and hints of prickly pepper at the back. Alcohol very well integrated! Lightly grainy/grassy with vanilla, sort of like the Sam’s summer offering but without the sharp grains of paradise. Full, creamy body, and this is a success in every way. I am stunned.

Pours dark golden with a mostly receding off-white head. Notes of aromatic yeasty esters, pear, champagne, pale malt, honey, and light citrus. Medium to full bodied with lively carbonation. Very nice.

12oz bottle. Pours deep gold with a long-lasting mousse-like white head. Bubbles stream up from the bottom of the glass without end. Aroma is complex with with lemon oil, subtle spice, vanilla, banana, doughy yeast, and subtle alcohol. Flavor is sweet a very reminiscent of banana bread with soft clove and peppery spice. Full up front, but dry in the finish. Bready and yeast aftertaste with banana and clove. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with somewhat muted CO2. Overall, a very pleasant beer.