Sam Adams Cherry Wheat

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, by the Boston Beer Company.  You don’t get a name that sounds more American than that.  Since America is GREATEST COUNTRY IN WORLD, you would expect this beer to be greatest beer in world.  You have Samuel Adams, one of the founding fathers whose name is etched in the pillars of American history.  Then there are the cherries.  I guess they have that in Europe….. so you are definitely wondering how the hell cherries are American.  Well, they aren’t… but we make a ton of them here in the states.  Also, George Washington is arguably the most American bastard there is, and he cut down cherry trees as a kid simply for shits and giggles.  Therefore, cherry = American.  Then he did the most non-American thing ever… he told the truth… BAD BEAT WASHINGTON! Lastly there’s wheat, and that’s one of America’s biggest products from the Mid-West. So that is by default ‘Merica. So let’s get ready for something awesome like a star spangled cherry rocket blazing across the sky with fruity patriotism.  Wrong.

Weighing in at a sessionable 5.30%, you can unquestionably taste the full burst of cherries, but it comes on a little strong.  It’s comparable to your job performance right before you ask for a raise.  VERY OBVIOUS.  Then immediately, almost too quickly, while you are still trying to savor that delectable cherriness you are hit by the  taste of cough syrup. Not an overwhelming flavor, and not in the same viscosity, but enough to make you start second guessing Sam Adams Cherry Wheat.  As the drinking progresses, you become immune to that cough syrup tinge; and the full bodied cherry flavor becomes more dominant as the brew starts to become somewhat enjoyable again. Not the best beer in the world, but you could certainly do much worse.  The problem is that this is an alleged craft brewery, pumping out gallons of this stuff a day for years and years.  You would expect them to nail it.  This beer might be the sole reason your typical beer snobs won’t even touch anything by the Boston Beer Company.

Sam Adams claims that there is a hint of honey and if I hadn’t read this I don’t think I would have known that honey was involved in this recipe at all. My recommendation to make this beer a home run would be to bring down the cherry flavor and increase the honey. That would lead to a nicer, more balanced beer that we, the people, would beg for more of.  Not that they asked.  Nonetheless, I still enjoy this beer enough to recommend a taste, but it is overly sweet and may not be for everyone.