Jim comes from a long line of brewers. His family brewery, the Louis Koch brewery, closed its doors around the Prohibition period. Charles Koch, Jim’s father who was the fifth generation of brewers had kept the archives in tact upstairs in the attic, and when Jim became interested his father selected one of the best recipes from the old family beer archives that hadn’t been used since the closing of the brewery.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager was in 25 bars and restaurants in April of 1985.  At that time, the was strictly a bottle of beer with no office or headquarters, no computers and no distributors.  The power behind the brew was simply Jim and his partner, Rhonda Kallman.  

In 1988 Jim was able to build a small brewery in Boston and sold 36,000 beers from coast to coast.

The Boston Beer Company is now the biggest brewery in America. Although Samuel Adams beer is brewed in Pennsylvania, Boston remains it’s home – all brews are inspired and conceptualized at their experimental and public facing brewery in Jamacia Plains, Boston, MA.

The Boston Beer Company
Boston, MA

THE POUR:
Smooth and dark in color, rich roast coffee aroma.

THE TASTE:
Nice roasted coffee flavor with hints of cocoa, faint hoppy notes. Not to bitter or burnt tasting like other stouts I have had. Smooth finish.

THE DECISION:
Not a bad beer! Not the best I have had. Over all it is a good brew from Sam Adams whom over time have morphed into a more then mainstream brewer rather than stay a craft brewery. But on the other hand really paved the way for today’s smaller brewers. Cheers!

THE GRADE: B+