Beer of the Weekend #414: Samuel Adams White Christmas

For New Year’s, J-Rod bought a Samuel Adams seasonal sampler and left me a bottle of each beer. Though the folks at Samuel Adams brew many different beers, I have tried very few of them. Tonight I thought I would begin to amend that.

The beer tonight is Samuel Adams White Christmas, brewed by the Boston Beer Company of Boston, Massachusetts.


Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The label recommends enjoying before the month notched, which is “APR.”

Appearance: Poured into a 300 ml weizen glass. The color is hazy straw. Two fingers of dense, off-white head dissipated slowly.

Smell: Just what I would expect from a festive witbier. White bread, cinnamon, ginger, lemon, and herbal hops. It has a light nuttiness, as well, so I suppose there is a little nutmeg in there. It gets pushed to the back by the spice, though.

Taste: Very nice, full-bodied mouthfeel for a witbier, which is a surprise. (I thought that kind of body was reserved for real wheat beer.) The white bread dominates but is well-spiced by cinnamon, ginger, and clove. At the end if offers some lemon and orange citrus, but nothing too substantial.

Drinkability: It is decent and there is nothing wrong with it. However, there are a lot better winter seasonals out there — some of which I am sure are brewed by Samuel Adams.

Fun facts about SAWC:

-Style: Witbier.

-Price: No clue.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 5.8 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: Here are some suggestions from the beer’s webpage:

The balance of crisp wheat and warming spice make this brew pair perfectly for lighter fair like salad with cranberries and goat cheese while also complimenting sweeter desserts like fruit tart or cheesecake.

-IBU: 8.

-Calories: 190 per 12-ounce bottle.

-SAWC was first brewed in 2012 and was only available in November and December. I am not sure if it will be released this year or not. We shall wait and see.


The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.

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