Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier

I want a job with Samuel Adams... Everybody at the company loves beer. I'm an IT guy and I love beer... I can't think of a better place to work!

But I digress...

Tonight, I'm enjoying some Blackberry Witbier with my homemade chili. I'll probably mix in a few food-related entries from time to time, because I really like to cook and eat good food. All things considered, my chili kicks ass. I know -- everyone who makes chili says the same thing -- and they're probably right. Just like beer -- food is a completely subjective topic.

Blackberry Witbier is a wheat ale with blackberries and spices added. It stands as another fine product from the Samuel Adams brewing company.

I was introduced to this beer by my co-worker, K-Os. On my failed trip to find Buckeye, I spotted the Witbier and picked some up. In general, I like wheat beers. By their very character, they are incredibly sensitive -- or revealing -- of the ingredients that complement them. They also tend to run fairly neutral (to a little sweet) on the bitter-sweet scale -- at least to my tastebuds. These reasons are probably why so many "flavored" beers or "fruit/spice" beers start life with a wheat beer of some sort.

What worries me about "fruit/spice" beers is that many of them end up overpoweringly sweet. This isn't a taste that I really care for. I know some people really like sweet beers, and that's fine -- they're just not my bag. So I was a little hesitant -- would I get something excellent, or would I get blackberry juice with a hint of beer?

I should not worry! The experts at Sam Adams have done it again! The Witbier opens with a distinct, but not overpowering, Blackberry aroma and taste. The sweetness is subtle, but enough to work well with spicy foods (like my chili).

The thing that I find so utterly fascinating about this brew is the finish. Instead of continuing on into an in-your-face ultra-sweet blackberry explosion, the blackberry flavor steps out of the spotlight, and allows the crisp finish of the wheat ale to take over. The finish actually slips every so slightly to the bitter-side of the scale, which is just right to balance the initial blackberry hints. This takes some precise selection of ingredients, but also shows absolutely masterful brewing skills. Samuel Adams talks about "balance" in their commercials, and Witbier is an obvious demonstration of this principle.

This beer works well with food as well as going solo. It is a fine and worthy member of the Samuel Adams family of beers.