Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Samuel Adams never met a season it couldn’t match to a limited run beer. Since the original Boston Lager hit the market in 1985, the popular brewery has produced Holiday Porter, Summer Ale, Oktoberfest and so on.
The most recent addition to their regular line up, Alpine Spring, combines the crisp breeziness of a lager with the richness and heft of a cool weather beer.
It approaches with creamy malt sweetness, dry orange peel, other citrus notes and a touch of honeyed spice on the nose—an aroma profile very similar to summer wheats, without the roughhewn edge of coriander.
There’s a warming appeal, like a hint of May sunlight. But the poetic imagery has its limits.
Instead of adding flavorful hues to the initial impression, Alpine Spring backtracks and follows along the same trodden path. There are sensations of orange zest, some lemon, sweet grain and a touch of dusty spice, rounded by a pleasantly bitter finish.
Mind you, a bit of redundancy can be a welcome thing—like watching a “Hogan’s Heroes” marathon on some retro TV channel.
Yeah, you can substitute a different show, if you must. It’s just a literary device.
This Samuel Adams seasonal carries itself with a demure assuredness. It is crisp, but not necessarily light, inviting without much complexity.
Alpine Spring is just a kick back casual beer.
