WILK Friday BeerBuzz–18 Nov 2011 (Sam Adams Tasman Red w/Jim Koch)

It’s not often that we get a chance to do a show like today’s Friday BeerBuzz.  Not only were were sampling some pretty interesting new beers, BUT we were joined by perhaps one of the most famous names in the craft beer industry, Jim Koch from Boston Beer Co.  It’s a special occasion for sure, and we chose some special brews to go with it.  Samuel Adams has just released a new series of beers they are calling Single Batch.  This new limited-edition series will start with four new beers, and as the series progresses the specialty beers will only be brewed & released one time.  The series includes Griffin’s Bow (Oak Blonde Barleywine), Third Voyage (Double IPA), The Vixen (Chocolate Chili Bock) & Tasman Red (Red IPA).

These new single-batch beers continue the tradition at Samuel Adams of brewing big & extreme beers, started with their original 17.5% ABV Triple Bock back in 1994.  With the growth and expansion of the craft beer market, Jim has taken this opportunity to not only release some new and unusual brews, but also do it knowing that he can get them on the shelves and into the hands of the craft beer lovers.

It was a real blast having Jim join us on the show to help us sample the Tasman Red.  Tasman is a brew that uses Topaz & Galaxy hops grown near the Tasmanian Sea off the coast of Australia.  This big brew falls somewhere between an Amber ale & red IPA for my taste buds, and it was loaded with citrusy & toffee flavors.  This is perhaps my favorite of the new series.

We also talked about Third Voyage, and Jim filled us in on some great details about how Cascade hops grown in three regions of the world were exclusively used to flavor this brew, and flavor it they did.  The brew was inspired by Capt James Cook’s 3rd Voyage from England to New Zealand and on to the Pacific Northwest (the 3 regions where the Cascade hops were grown).  This beer is subtle for a double IPA, but a few sips in, there can be no doubt that it is big. 

While we didn’t feature them on the show today, I can tell you I’ve also sampled Griffin’s Bow & The Vixen and they are very unique beers.  Be sure to try these beers for yourself, before they are gone.  In theory (and based on sales) each of these beers will be brewed only once and new styles and varieties will be rotated into the single-batch series in their place.

On a personal note, it was wonderful to have Jim Koch on the show.  I consider Jim to be the face and voice of craft brewing.  His presence in the market and his drive to get people to reach beyond typical beers and try something better defines his passion for craft beer and it was an honor to speak to him.

Thanks

to Jim Koch from Samuel Adams, Nancy, John, Joe, & Bosco for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE