Samuel Adams LongShot Old Ben Ale

Formerly brewed at Boston Beer Company
Style: Old Ale
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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A - Pours a crimson mahogany. Small off-white head that melt quickly into a single bubble island. S - Dried figs, simple sugar caramel, alcohol vapors, Christmas spices, T - Brown sugared cherries, fig, candied marshmallow, Brown sugar. A light smokiness resides in the background. Toasted candy malt. M - Syrupy and sharp. The beer has a candied simple syrup character. One is enough for a setting. Serving type: bottle 09-02-2010

19th February 2012
Hazy brown beer, small pale tan head. Smooth palate, semi dry and with a little fine carbonation. Malt, bubblegum. Trace of citrus. Semi dry finish. Fine.

Bottle from Total Wine, Sacramento. Pours cloudy amber with a thick beige head and a strong treacle aroma. There is a fruity dark molasses with a tastefully bitter finish. Nice job, Michael.

12 oz bottle. Tasted at Casey’s , did not take notes. Pretty good Old Ale. A little harsh with the alcohol finish.

12oz bottle, 2.5yrs old, bb 09/10. Spent a fair amount of that time in the fridge. Aroma is fruity; pears & dates, dark caramel, a touch of pleasant oxidation. Tasty is dulce de leche, dark fruits, black pepper and a bit more of that oxidation, still a complementary amount, although showing a bit of cardboard. Thick bodied, but not flabby. When the LongShot beers are good, they are typically very good.

I’ve been sitting on this for a while, I’m surprised I haven’t already reviewed it. Served at room temperature it pours a medium copper color with a huge milky white head that takes forever to retreat and sticks lots of lace on the way down. Lots of dark sugar and sweet dark fruits fill the aroma. There’s a hint of sherry and a touch of alcohol, but they meld nicely. The flavor is sweet and malty with a solid warming alcohol that I can trace as it flows southward. Lots of sweet dark sugars with light citrus and darker dried fruits in the flavor. Almost like a marmalade thing going on too. Medium to thick body with a moderate to high level of carbonation and a sweet almost syrupy mouthfeel. Nice beer, but a bit sweet and still a bit hot which is odd.

Best by date of September 2010; Sampled April 2012 & stored in my fridge the whole time
A steady pour into my tulip glass produces a four finger thic, lightly amber tinged, dark tan colored head that leaves an expansive, though light, layer of lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a concentrated amber color that shows a lightly hazed, golden red-amber hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of savory malt (that is boosted by age / oxidation), lots of caramelized malt character, some slightly nutty toasted whole grain character, and an interesting bright cherry character that comes out as you take a deep draught of the nose. The cherry / fruit note adds an unexpected, though still balanced, dimension that I wasn’t expecting.

Fairly thick and viscous feeling as it first hits my palate, but it isn’t really all that sweet. The malt has a richness to it more than a sweetness, there is a significant toasted brown grain character, complex caramelized notes that are significantly rounded by a light oxidation (this is purely positive at this point as it helps cut the percieved sweetness). There is something like a light tartness here that doesn’t seem out of place. The fruit character seems to have more of a prune like leaning to it rather than the cherry note that was in the aroma. The oxidation also boosts a rich nuttiness in this beer, though the oxidation itself remains well in check.

The age on this beer seems to fit it quite well at this point; I can’t say for sure that it will improve any more after this, and if you have been storing this warmer than at 50°F it might be over-the-hill, though I would expect this particular bottle to be quite drinkable for at least a couple more years if I had not opened it.

Originally reviewed: 6/11/10. 12oz bottle, poured into a goblet. Pours a dark mahogany with a thin tan head on top. Decent lacing; some rings are present. Scents of figs, raisins, molasses, syrup, alcohol. Nice mix. The mouth is crisp with a moderate amount of carbonation. Full-body. Flavors of raisins, some plum, booze, and a bit of caramel on the backend. This was a decent Old Ale. I’ve got the other bottle in the cellar. I imagine this will only get better with age.

(bottle - 12 oz) Copper pour with a fluffy white head. Very mild and earthy aroma. Some malts and dark fruits as well. Very sweet and malty flavor at the start with a rather harsh and metallic finish. Sweetness is overpowering on the finish.

caramel, bread, cereal, toast, all cam through color red, brown, clear, tan foam, frothy, taste medium sweetness, very malty old malt funk too, some carmel toffee notes overall, was impressed somewhat, nice homebrew!