This is a beer I’ve been drinking my entire adult life; Leinie’s and Sam Adams sampler packs were where I learned what craft beer was roughly 15 years ago. I saw it at the store today with a “Remastered: finished with local Wisconsin hops!” label on the box and bought it mostly for the nostalgia, but also to compare to the last time I reviewed this beer.
Pours a clear mahogany hue with solid head retention, smells of caramel, toffee, and toasted grains. The taste is crisp and smooth with strong flavors of toasted biscuits and hazelnut with with subtle hints of caramel and toffee underneath the creamy medium body. The finish is long and moderately low in bitterness, featuring notes of classic spicy, herbal hops and a hint of pine and smoked vanilla underneath. Overall it still has impeccable balance and is smooth in both body and flavor. Hard to tell how much the new hops change the experience, but they certainly don’t degrade the beer in any way and it’s still that dependable, quintessentially sessionable beer that I know and love.
Best by: 1/8/24
