Comments on: Sam Adams Cherry Wheat

By: dale

dale — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:09:20 +0000

I love Sam Adams, and I own a few shares of Boston Beer Company, but I hate Cherry Wheat. It reminds me of cough syrup. I tried it in 2007 when I first started getting into craft beer and didn’t like it. I tried it a couple of times in 2010 to see if my palate had come around to appreciate it, and I still hated it.

To each their own, but I’ll pass on Cherry Wheat in the future.

By: Tyronicus

Tyronicus — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:13:28 +0000

Another thot maybe-and i am no real brewer–if they upped the hops for bitterness where the cherry comes through as a hint it might work

By: Tyronicus

Tyronicus — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:10:02 +0000

this beer tastes like what I imagine reindeer piss would. I live for sammy oktoberfest…winter lager pretty good but prefer chicago goose island…Pretty much loathe all the fruity (cherry wheat, cranberry lambic, blueberry whatever) from Sammy. Have really been enjoying the Sammy Black Lager. Not that my opinion matters cuz we all gotem

By: John

John — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:15:17 +0000

Hi Brady – Glad to find someone with a similar beer taste! I appreciate you taking some time to read the site.

To that end I kicked back with a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale tonight – along with Sam Adams Octoberfest that you mention it gives me another reason to look forward to fall.

Cheers,

-John

By: Brady

Brady — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:59:06 +0000

This is the 4th beer I have read from your reviews John and you have been spot on thus far. I happened to pick a few of my fav such as Amber Bock, Sam Adam’s Octoberfest, and Red Stripe. I found them honest and helpful. I am sure I am in no way going to agree with you on all of your reviews but they have been graded fairly. Now I figured I’d look up a beer I find quite disgusting…Cherry Wheat. It tasted like a Cherry Tire. Keep up the good work and I will make sure to point this page out to some friends.

Go raibh maith agat.

By: John

John — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:27:42 +0000

Hi Alex -

Don’t let it ruin you on Sam Adams – they’ve got some gems in their line up. Grab the Sam Adams Octoberfest this fall and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Thanks for the comment!

Cheers,

-John

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 01:03:46 +0000

i agree with every point of this review. the cherry was overwhelming and tasted exactly like cough syrup. luckily my friend Sylvia and I had bought some blue moon that night just in case this beer we were testing turned out to be a stinker. sadly, it also ruined sam adams for me since this was my first beer from them. not that they dont make a good brew, but the memory remains.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:53:10 +0000

Let’s face it guys all those lime, cherry and other bullshit beers are just that bullshit. They are for teenagers and other babies that cannot drink real beer.

By: Amar

Amar — Mon, 30 May 2011 04:52:54 +0000

A terrible mistake by SA. Totally agree with the reviewer. The cherry flavour was so artificial nd medicinal tht I just left the glass after two sips. Have tasted many types of beers but its the first one which i didnt dare to complete . Hav to drink two more guiness after rinse and flush tht cherry taste .

By: John

John — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:53:46 +0000

Nick – thanks for the comments. So much of tasting a beer is the nose, it’s almost impossible to separate the smelling and the tasting. I say if you have to try it with your nose pinched, then they did something wrong (gueze lambics aside). You’re right as well – chilling kills the taste in beers, which is why American beers market themselves on “cold” as if it was a feature of the beer itself.

We know from experience though it’s possible to do cherry very well in a beer – one that warms well even. Look no further than Founders Cerise – this beer blew our minds and was everything a cherry beer should be. Try that if you haven’t – you’ll like it way more than a Purple Haze. Same key though – background flavor – not foreground flavor.

Luckily we all know Sam Adams is capable of some magnificent brews, so nobody should be deterred from anything Sam Adams based on this review.

You obviously know your stuff, Nick, so cheers to you!

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:43:37 +0000

I’m definitely in the “I hate the sam adams cherry wheat” camp. That being said, I think that there are merits to both sides of the argument.

The vast majority of the robitussin experience is in the nose. Drinking it with my nose pinched, the cherry-like flavor was significantly less, but it still wasn’t a pleasant flavor.

Insofar as the temperature taste is concerned, definitely agree it becomes a less pleasant beer as it warms up. That being said, I’m not sure what temperature is designed to be optimal at. Beers that are slightly on the warmer side do much better by me — I find that excessive chilling kills most of the taste — reason why I drink my scotch/whisk(e)y with just a splash of water, instead of adding rocks.

Adding fruit (or other stuff) to a beer is always a highly subjective thing. Some people love, others hate. Sweet and fruity aren’t automatic disqualifiers for me — there are some great lambics out there that successfully manage to make the marriage work.

If this beer were a bit more like the abita purple haze in that the presence of raspberry is more of a subtle flavor on the palate that lingers a bit, rather than a huge up-front note in the nose, Sam Adams might have made a better beer. IMO, that is.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:52:38 +0000

Well Deryck, all I can say is different tastes for difference people. It all depends on who’s doing the tasting. I guess that’s why they make so many varieties, so they can please a wider group of beer lovers.

By: Deryck

Deryck — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 01:40:32 +0000

I am sorry but this beer is great. The lowest I can see this beer being rated is a 7. Combine it with Guiness and its an 8 or 9!!

By: mitch

mitch — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:02:40 +0000

i just drank a cherry wheat sam adams with a chicken ceasar salad, and liked it enough to have a second for dessert. i agree that the cherry flavor is pretty artificial, but not unpleasant to the appropriate pallate. i am looking forward to finding it bottled and trying it colder.

i am probably not your average beer drinker, as i dont enjoy simple beers and will always pick strongbow or scrumpyjack cider over any beer offered.. just noticing how buzzed i am after 44 oz as well haha.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:47:28 +0000

I agree with those who think it has a cough syrup after taste. I tried it on two different ocassions and didn’t like it either one. The Blackberry Wit has a much better, fresher taste. Thankfully enough Samuel Adams makes plenty other flavors to make up for this one. One everyone likes everything, that’s there is a variety and S.A. has the best. Obsolutely the best American brewer.

By: Jeff W.

Jeff W. — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:39:50 +0000

Wow, came to this site for the first time and was a little shocked at the review on this one. I too, can’t stand beers with too much fruit in them. I have always shyed away from the beers with Orange, Lemon, etc. in them. To me a great “fruit” beer just needs to have a slight hint of the fruit flavor and not overpower the beer. I think Sam Adams’ Cherry Wheat does that. I love it. Drink it all the time. Maybe the reason is I am a fan of the Dopplebocks? Not sure. Granted…and a warning…you need to drink this beer very cold…and keep it cold. If you drink it too warm the cherry flavor will be stonger and you will get some bitterness. I’ve had this beer from a tap at Flying Saucer and it was downright amazing…especially after a long hot Southern day outside. If drinking from a bottle, try pouring it into one of those frozen mugs from your freezer. Enjoyed reading all the comments.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:56:57 +0000

I’m one of the ones in the “love it” camp. I always buy a 6 of this and a 6 of one variety of my local microbrew’s stuff (usually an IPA or an amber ale). It’s a better change of pace than almost anything else I’ve tried. I’ve don’t ever drink two of these in a row, so that might be part of it, but I think it’s a great change of pace beer.

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:53:34 +0000

I just tried this beer, and can honestly say it is the most unpleasant brew I’ve ever downed, with the exception of a dirty martini. And the Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat is as diametrically to a dirty martini as possible. Both, however, I find undrinkable and try desperately to foist off on other people.
I agree that it tastes like cough syrup. I got it on draft, and maybe if it had been super-chilled, it would be palatable, but that’s always a bad sign.

By: Darth Miniscus

Darth Miniscus — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:22:27 +0000

Well, I have tried this beer and amazingly enough , I am drinking one as I write this. I am amazed at how you first taste all cherry notes through the palate and the nose, then the cherry flavor dissapears, revealing a very hoppy, almost english beer flavor. Both flavors are quite robust in nature. The cherry side tends to be a bit acidic, where the malty side almost balances it out with a heavy , hoppy frothy note. I found this experience interesting and it kept me intrigued enough to continue enjoying it. I will probably not get it again as this really is something you will either like or completely dislike. I find it heavy and complex, and yes it needs to be absolutly ice cold to enjoy in my opinion. Pairing this beer with a dish will prove to be a challenge due to it’s two – fold nature. This beer is a real work of art for tasters, but only if you tend to enjoy the more fruit styled beers, would I reccomend it.

By: John

John — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:44:51 +0000

JennO – A Shirley Temple mixed with beer? I don’t know what to do with that! Although I do enjoy a good radler (beer with sprite or lemonade).

However you’re completely wrong if you think all beer tastes bad warm. We used to think the same thing and now we have something called the “60 degree test” – if a beer tastes good when the beer temperature gets above 60 degrees it’s a well crafted beer. A lot of darker beers – porters and stouts – will meet this criteria. Dad and I have even had some beers pass the 70 degree test. Usually the higher the alcohol content the warmer the beer can be and still taste great. You’ll also find as beers warm you pick up way more flavors. Most American mass market beers won’t pass the 60 test as they’re marketed on “cold” because that’s the only thing that can stun the taste.