Name: Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.samueladams.com
Type: Production brewery
Available in DC Market: Yes
What you need to know: What do you need to know that you don’t know already about the Boston Beer Company? Well, their Boston Lager is one of the most successful and widely available craft beers available nationwide. The Boston Beer Co. is the largest craft brewer in the United States with over 2 million barrels produced annually. They produce a huge variety of beers (well over 70 at current count on their website) in a number of different families (they produce seasonal variety packs, the Imperial series, etc.) One of their most famous beers is the Utopia series, which is a massively high-gravity beer that is not made via the eising process. This is a brewery that knows how to do both quantity and quality well, and has been doing both for a long time.
Beer #1: Kosmic Mother Funk (KMF) Grand Cru
In Their Own Words: "Kosmic Mother Funk is a one-of-a-kind Belgian ale fermented with multiple micro-organisms including Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and other wild critters found in the environment of our 150 year old brewery. KMF is aged in large oak barrels which impart unique flavors into the KMF as it develops its flavors for over a year. Wild yeast and different bacteria in the tuns impart unique spicy, fruity, and bright tart characters to the beer. The porous character of the oak also allows air to slowly seep into the beer during aging and this long slow micro-oxidation through the wood smooths out harsh flavors. KMF is the backbone of all of our Barrel Room Collection beers and is blended, at varying amounts, into each of the five Belgian inspired brews that make up this collection. Its wild, funky character creates a new depth and spectrum of complex flavors from earthy and spicy to floral and sweet. To showcase the unique character of this brew, we’re introducing Kosmic Mother Funk Grand Cru this year for the first time. On its own, KMF is tart, funky, and complex with notes of dark fruits, cherry, cocoa & vanilla. To bring together these flavors we’ve added a small amount of Belgian candi sugar to add a bit of smoothness and hint of sweetness to this vintage."
Food Pairing: Venison sausage with blackberry compote.
Our Thoughts: This seems like a pairing that will work out nicely. The dark, tart fruit in the KMF will play with the sweeter dark fruit of the compote. Venison sausage isn't liable to be particularly rich or fatty (at least relative to pork sausage), so the tartness in the KMF should be more than enough to cut through this and clean your palate. A nice pairing hear from Chef Adam Dulye.
Beer #2: Rebel IPA (India pale ale / 6.5%)
In Their Own Words: "Unlike some West Coast style IPAs that overpower with hops, Samuel Adams Rebel IPA features citrus and grapefruit highlights. These bright flavors are balanced by subtle pine notes, allowing for an exceptionally smooth pour, without sacrificing any of the character you'd expect from a West Coast style IPA."
Food Pairing: Smoked mackerel and caviar (Thin slices of smoked mackerel served on hearts of palm with lemon, dill and caviar crème fraiche.)
Our Thoughts: Rebel IPA is the newest hoppy addition to Sam Adams' extensive portfolio. It's a very tasty take on a west coast IPA. Not entirely sure how this is going to work with the food pairing. The hops and bitterness will cut through the smoke and fat of the mackerel and the creaminess of the creme fraiche. But the dill and the pine in the IPA could clash, as could the saltiness of the caviar. You're going to get the KMF Mother Funk anyway though, so take a chance on a new beer.
This profile is a part of the DCBeer.com SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2014 SAVOR participants.
