Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye Ale
After the sweeping success of the Noble Pils, no surprise that Samuel Adams looks to repeat it with another spring introduction, this time a rye ale. (A) Pours an orange/red gold with a fat, two-finger+ head of foamy cream. The beer itself is VERY clear. I almost wish it were somewhat cloudy, as it would suit a rye beer. (S) Plenty of rye with pleasing grains and bready notes. This is a better, more aggressive aroma than most beers in the Samuel Adams lineup. (T) The aroma seems to suggest more taste than this beer delivers. It's a pleasant, mild ale with noticeable rye throughout -- it's aptly named -- but it's far more tame than I'd like. A touch watery but better than usual for the Boston Beer Company's standard beers (their specialty brews and imperial beers are much better). Not a lot of nuance here. As already stated, this is a mild ale with an overt rye taste. Good, but it could certainly be more aggressive. I wish it was. It suggests such potential but doesn't quite deliver. That said, it's good. (M) Little different than any other beer in the Sam's lineup. Moderate carbonation, a touch watery and not very full-bodied, but pleasant in the mouth. (D) Also little different than usual. The Boston Beer Company doesn't make Best In Class beers, at least not anymore, but they DO make highly drinkable, very tasty beers that drink well and have enough flavor to make them enjoyable. This one is no different. Bottom line is, this is a good, tasty beer that COULD be outstanding but is instead "merely" a very tasty, drinkable beer. (I've had it on tap; it's far better that way.)