Review: Samuel Adams Cream Stout

Style: Cream Stout
Brewer: Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MA
Web
Alcohol: 4.69%

The Samuel Adams Brewmaster's Collection is an interesting bunch. One of the five classifications of the Boston Beer Company's beers (along with Light, Seasonals, Extremes and the flagship Lager), the Brewmaster's Collection of beers seems to exist as an excuse to make the variety's of beer that the company normally wouldn't. More to the point, it allows the BBC to experiment with styles that aren't traditionally American, such as Scotch Ale, Hefeweizen, Porter, and this one, a slightly chocolaty brew that is too sweet and too bitter to play roles traditionally assigned to stouts.

Normally, I would order a pint of stout to accompany shellfish, particularly shellfish that is fried and served in a cardboard box. Or, instead of a coffee, I will order a stout along side my chocolate dessert. However, Sam Adams's version of the Irish staple is too sugary-sweet to work well alongside fish 'n chips, but it's also too bitter at the finish to really work well with a slice of chocolate cake. What's left is a drink that calls for an unconventional pairing. The Sam Adams website recommends a soft cheese, like a brie, which would probably play well off of the texture of the Cream Stout, a feel that mirrors the drink's name. Along with the traditional stout pairings, the site also recommends apple pie. I would suggest a light meat with a heavy spice, such as seasoned pork chops.

Rating: 6.8