# Samuel Adams has jumped the shark! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [December 5, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131 "2023-12-05T11:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/21 "2023-12-05T15:41:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > [@pulykamell](#): > > > > At any rate, I did find the glassware did affect my enjoyment and taste perception of various beers, much like, say, a wide wine glass with a lot of headspace will give much more “nose” to a red wine than, say, a narrow glass more suited to **white whines.** > > Like _I’d like to speak to your manager!_? - Karen Kölsch? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/22 "2023-12-05T16:04:24Z")
It’s well worth the trip the yearly meeting. Lots of fun, and yummy fresh beers. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/23 "2023-12-05T18:33:22Z")
I’m another person who likes many craft beers and imports, but never particularly cared for Sam Adams. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/24 "2023-12-05T18:44:03Z")
It’ll always be in my heart for introducing me in the early-90s to the fact that beer could actually taste good. I was pretty much a hard alcohol drinker until I discovered Sam Adams, as the usual macrobrews just turned me off so badly. My annual Christmas trips home from college and later abroad required my first meal home to be an Italian beef and first beer home was a Sam Adams Honey Porter. Beers all got a lot better very quickly in the mid-late-90s, but that was still my go-to and always felt like home. I don’t even know if Sam Adams makes the same honey porter they did back then, as I don’t think I’ve had it since the early 00s, nor do I even recall seeing it at the store in the 00s onward. I like the fact that most of their beers are not really hop bombs. (Don’t get me wrong–I loved IPAs and IIPAs, but there’s only so many I could take before my sense of taste was obliterated. But even their IPA wasn’t like crazy hoppy or anything, and that was a later addition to their-line up. They had something called a Boston Ale back then, which was not like today’s APAs or IPAs in terms of hops. Oh, I just remembered, I liked their black lager quite a bit, too.) Their light beer is also the only light beer I’ve ever really liked (and it’s a little bit heavier than most lights, so that’s to be expected), and I currently enjoy their Just the Haze non-alcoholic IPA. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/25 "2023-12-05T19:53:58Z")
Same thing happened to New Belgium Fat Tire. Was a nice drinkable amber. One of my go to beers. But they changed it. A few months ago I and my wife ordered it. The bartender asked if we had had it recently and we replied no. He brought us a couple of shot glasses of it to taste. Umm… No. Not sure what I got instead. But I’ll never go back. It was horrible. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/26 "2023-12-05T19:58:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > [Or those wine glasses that can hold an entire bottle of wine in them are not nearly as big as I think they would be.](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/08addfb7-8689-43a0-acf1-0eab2905c26e.a76a71ecc1e9fa5a1d9a53857fe51386.jpeg?odnHeight=640&odnWidth=640&odnBg=FFFFFF) Ah, the wine in the convenient single-serving glass. Much like 2# Cheetos bags and half-gallon Ben & Jerry’s containers. Single servings done right. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/27 "2023-12-05T23:08:02Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Even tho I haven’t drunk for 20 yrs > [@pulykamell](#): > > I stopped drinking, > [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m not a big beer drinker anymore _QUITERS!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/28 "2023-12-05T23:10:38Z")
_QUITE_ 😁 I still drink plenty thoroughly thank you. Just not (much) beer. Made up for by plenty of the other stuff. 🍾 🍷 🍸 🥃 Blame that pussy quitter pancreas I now have. My goal now is to send my liver to the same early grave. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/29 "2023-12-05T23:29:40Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > QUITERS!!! LOL! Funny to think that I’ve now been sober almost as long as I drank. It made it somewhat easier to stop when I concluded that in my 25-ish years of drinking, I consumed more than enough for a couple of lengthy lifetimes. 😃 Oh to have ever learned moderation! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/30 "2023-12-05T23:34:37Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Same thing happened to New Belgium Fat Tire. Was a nice drinkable amber. One of my go to beers. But they changed it. Newcastle Brown had the same fate fall upon it. There was a thread on the Dope about it, too. I managed to get a hold of the last of the original Newcastle and one of the new to try them side by side. To be fair, I did not like the original Newcastle Brown ale at all. I actually liked the new version better. But to those who had a lifelong relationship with Newcastle Brown, I can understand being quite upset. It really was a markedly different product. (I can’t remember the details anymore, but I imagine this was just a change for the American market. It’s brewed by Lagunitas here in Chicago for the US market, and you can tell with the recipe difference. I can’t believe Brits going along with the change.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/31 "2023-12-06T01:44:08Z")
I always enjoyed Newcastle, but that was back in the ~1980s-90s, so probably pre-change. The standard affectionate nickname then was “Newkie brown”. When I traveled to England I heard them derisively refer to it as “Pukie brown”. Apparently for as much as the Americans thought it was fine authentic imported English ale, the English thought it was local swill. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/32 "2023-12-06T01:49:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I always enjoyed Newcastle, but that was back in the ~1980s-90s, so probably pre-change. Yes, well pre-change. This happened within the last five years…2019 according to Google. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/33 "2023-12-06T02:36:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The standard affectionate nickname then was “Newkie brown”. We called it _‘Nuke-Sul’_. Learned it from a Brit. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/34 "2023-12-06T02:38:25Z")
All the different beers y’all are talking about cracks me up. If I started going into my favorites nobody would recognize them. ConnyCreek Pat Hazy anyone? How’s about Allusion One Inning More, or Leaning Cask Zoomies? 🍻 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/35 "2023-12-06T02:44:16Z")
I Homebrew something I call simply _Snapper._ It’s an over-hopped Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Yes. Over-hopped. Wrap your head around that, then wrap your fist around the Liter sized mugs I serve it from. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/36 "2023-12-06T04:12:20Z")
Samuel Adams? Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/37 "2023-12-06T04:16:58Z")
I’m a hophead, so I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/38 "2023-12-06T04:37:14Z")
The original Sam Adams was a gateway from traditional American lagers like Bud, and really played up the Reinheitsgebot marketing angle. From a marketing point of view, it was genius. Contract brew to gain market share when craft beers first started. For those of you that didn’t come of beer drinking age in the 70’s and 80’s, there was fuck all choice. Sam Adams was definitely much better that Michelob (the premium beer), but considered weak sauce at best compared with Anchor Steam or Sierra Nevada. And, Sam Adams was East Coast, versus the West Coast innovative beers. In the early 80’s, I would have ranked Sam Adams on par with Henry Wienhard’s. Again, much preferred over Lucky Lager, but not in the same category as the premium craft beers. I remember when the expat grocery store in Shanghai got in a shipment of Sam Adams around 1999, and sold it for cheap, my palate used to Chinese light lagers thought it was pretty awesome for the first case or two. But when put up against any decent micro brewery beer, Sam Adams is lacking. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/39 "2023-12-06T04:46:47Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Apparently for as much as the Americans thought it was fine authentic imported English ale, the English thought it was local swill. Heheh, over the years I have enjoyed Rolling Rock as a light, inoffensive non-sweet beer with a dry-ish finish. I had a girlfriend who’s dad was from Pennsylvania who thought I was a total cretin for drinking it. He might still be right, but it wasn’t because of the beer I drank. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > It’s an over-hopped Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Yes. Over-hopped. Gimme. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131/40 "2023-12-06T04:50:28Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Samuel Adams? Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!! Meh. I prefer Heineken. If I do have to drink a Sam Adams, it’s gotta be their pumpkin ale. > **[Sam Adams - SNL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1NIf8GeeY%2F)** > > A commercial advertises Sam Adams' new pumpkin beer.Saturday Night Live. Stream now on Peacock: https://bit.ly/3j1IRUkSubscribe to SNL: https://goo.gl/tUsXw... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samuel-adams-has-jumped-the-shark/994131.md?page=3)