This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Black and Brew Coffee Stout.
Every year, breweries use their winter boxes as a means to introduce beers which they have deemed experimental. Occasionally, breweries will use the winter mix boxes to gauge the public's interest in possibly having one of these new beers become a regular member of the breweries lineup.
This year, Samuel Adams mixed together some of their most loved winter classics including Old Fezziwig and Holiday Porter along with its trademark Boston Lager and the underrated Winter Lager. To this predictable mix, Samuel Adams added last year's newcomer - Chocolate Bock and this year's experimental beer - Black and Brew Coffee Stout.
[Ed. Note - Last year the CRC published on their website that the Chocolate Bock was kosher dairy - chalav stam. The Star-K did not include the Chocolate Bock on last year's LOC, but they did verify in an email that the 2010 Chocolate Bock was kosher and was in fact dairy. This years Star-K LOC does not list the Chocolate Bock as certified kosher. I have e-mailed the Star-K and am waiting to hear back from them. Obviously, once the issue has been clarified, I will post the resullts here].
Much like its name (aka k'shmo kein hu) the Black and Brew is a stout which has been infused with coffee. The resulting beer is not as heavy as Guinness, but the added coffee flavor is noticeable. In the past I have tried beer with coffee additive, specifically the Lakefront Fuel Cafe Stout and have not been impressed. However, the Samuel Adams Black and Brew has balanced the beer so that the coffee does not clash with the hops. The result is a beer that went exceptionally well with our turkey dinner. Here's to hoping that the Sam Adams people will someday give this beer its own run in six packs.
Samuel Adams Black and Brew is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K. Like many other Samuel Adams brews, this bottle does not have the Star-K certification mark on the label. The kashruth can be confirmed by clicking on the link to the Star-K LOC here -- http://www.star-k.org/loc/kosher_letter_6635_bostonbeercompany.pdf.
To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Black and Brew, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/74390.
As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.
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3 comments:
Thanks for the info on the Chocolate Bock - I was wondering why it was not listed in the hechsher certificate. Look forwarding to hear any new info.
I received an email from the Star-K and they have confirmed that the Chocolate Bock is kosher dairy - chalav stam.
The black and brew may be one of my new SA favorites. It has a really nice complex flavor to it, i think that the roasted maltiness and the roasted coffee flavor blend very nicely. This one inspired me to one day make a homebrewed coffee stout, perhaps on my next round of recipes.
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