Sam Adams 13th Hour Stout Pre-Release Party
Last Friday night, I ran into Rob Gotti, of Sam Adams fame. Rob asked me if we could invite some Boston-based Pintley users who loved Belgian-Style beers to an exclusive pre-release party for Sam Adams’ new Belgian-Style Stout. If I were clever, I would have responded by asking him if IPAs have hops. Alas, it took me at least 10 minutes to think that one up.
On Monday afternoon, we invited hundreds of Boston-based Pintley users to join us at Sam Adams on Tuesday to try the newest addition to their Barrel Room Collection—the 13th Hour Stout. I have to admit, there are only a few kinds of beers that really catch my attention and get me excited before I taste them. But when you combine the words “complex spicy Belgian character” with “aged in oak” and “dark, robust flavors,” you’ve got my attention. Add 9% ABV to that, and I’m there.
Apparently, you Boston Pintley members felt that way, too, because the event sold out in exactly 29 minutes! Rob was feeling generous, so he opened up another 20 tickets later in the evening, and those didn’t last long either.
The 13th Hour Stout is a 9% ABV combination of my two favorite styles: Belgian-style ale and Imperial Stout. The stout was aged for over six months in oak barrels and blended with Kosmic Mother Funk, a special house sour beer fermented with brettanomyces yeast. According to Andrew Lamont, staff brewer at Sam Adams, the blend includes about 15% KMF. So it should come as no surprise that the beer was an amalgamation of flavors, at once sweet, sour, and bitter. It was also delicious. Holy Mother Funk, indeed!
The Sam Adams staff were nice enough to open up the Barrel Room for the tasting, which apparently happens only on very rare occasions. They also treated us to some fantastic pairings, including chocolate, cheese, and some truly outstanding Belgian Waffles donated by Saus. Note to the Saus staff: Tim volunteered to be your official spokesperson in exchange for the occasional free waffle—they were that good.
All in all, it was a fantastic night! We got to share great beer and great food with great people. What more could we ask for?
