Every years hordes of homebrewers take a long shot to become a sure shot by entering Samuel Adams home brew contest.

Long shot story made short: the competition starts out regionally and escalates through several rounds of tasting where winners are finally picked. The winners then go on to compete against top brews made by Samuel Adams employees. The top three winners are picked and are eventually mass produced for a six pack that hits store shelves in the spring.

I was fortunate enough to get my first taste of one of this year’s winners, the Traditional Bock, through a sample more than a month ago, but even though it was made available in April, I was unable to find the six pack in stores in this area until last week.

This years winners are the before mentioned Traditional Bock made by Alex Drobshoff of California. He is joined by a Double IPA made by another Californian Mike McDole and a Cranberry Wit made by Samuel Adams Employee Carissa Sweigart.

I didn’t get the chance to try the IPA before one of my friends swilled it down, but the other two are definitely beers worth buying.

The bock is dark, sweet and the perfect pairing for deserts or a more hearty meal. The second time I tried it, I decided to eat desert first and I wasn’t disappointed.

From the bottle: “Alex’s brew is a bright copper German inspired bock with a complex, full bodied mouthfeel. Hints of rich plum and cherry aroma paired with its toasty malt flavor make this the perfect beer to linger over on a cool evening.”

I agree.

Most of the time, when fruit meets dark beer, I feel disappointed. But this beer, while fruity, still kept a dark richness.

The Cranberry Wit also held true to form. I’m partial to wit beers, especially in the summer. While the cranberry was more of an afterthought than a stronger taste, this beer is still a great match for hot summer days.

So hit the stores and grab a six pack before they disappear. They are only available for a limited time.

Tags: Beer, bock, homebrewers, IPA, Samuel Adams, wit

This entry was posted on Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 9:10 pm and is filed under Beer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.