Our second Jingle Beer is Samuel Adams' Winter Lager. Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale was a great way to start the holiday ale season but how will Sam Adams' offering stack up? I'll preface this by saying that I'm not a big fan of Sam Adams most of the time... That's not to say I hate their beer, they make a fine product. It's just not my favorite beer... that being said, I do enjoy their Oktoberfest seasonal quite a bit. The Sam Adams Oktoberfest has a warm and mild flavor, just like this Winter Lager. Sounds like we're off to a good start, but I expect a little more out of a good christmas beer... Sam Adams' Winter Lager isn't quite as dark as the Boulevard Nutcracker Ale. This beer is a dark amber lager which is spiced with cinnamon. I didn't really taste much cinnamon but the caramel malt is pretty prominent. Not overpowering, but it is the strongest flavor in this beer. The Winter Lager is pretty mild, a little bitter but still smooth. The Sam Adams is easier to drink than the Boulevard, but I happen to like the Nutcracker Ale a bit more, it just tastes more... Christmassy. This may be because we ate some deliciously nonholiday baked ravioli with the Winter Lagers.
So there you have it, two Jingle Beers down, twenty three to go. We've been off to great start with two great beers. So far the Boulevard is my favorite but we've got over three weeks to go before all of the results are in.
Up Next: Breckenridge's Christmas Ale