Written by I don’t usually do these head-to-head beer comparisons. In faact, the last one I did was about a year ago when I reviewed two strawberry wheat beers. (Yuck) But, when I happened to find that I had not one, but TWO different blackberry wheat beers in the fridge, I just knew I had to do another head-to-head beer review!
So, we have two blackberry wheat beers. One is from Samuel Adams, and the other is from Long Trail Brewery in Vermont. I should note that Long Trail spells it Blackbeary Wheat because it works with the bear motif they have going on the label. Anyway, let’s see who comes out on top!
Starting out as usual, let’s start by comparing how these two blackberry wheat beers look.
Right off the top, the Samuel Adams beer has a more robust head compared to the Long Trail version which has just the slightest fizzy head. The head on the Long Trail brew also disappears into nothing within a short time, while the Sam Adams seems to maintain a little frothiness on the beer surface. The Sam Adams also displays a bit of lacing whereas the Long Trail has none.
The Long Trail beer is perfectly clear and a very pale golden color – almost like one would expect from a lager while the Sam Adams wheat was noticeably darker and just a touch cloudy as well.
Winner (Looks) – Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier. In the looks department, I don’t think its even close.
Moving along to the aroma, I can say that I’m happy that neither of these beers smells like a fruit beer! Some of the blueberry beers can be over the top I think, and both of these use blackberry as an enhancement to the aroma, and not the dominant factor. So which does the blackberry thing better?
Its a tougher call to make I think but my take on it is the Long Trail is a bit more subtle – to me, I would swear it was a berry lager of some kind it has those same lager type aromas. The Sam Adams, while not over-the-top has a more pronounced blackberry aroma that I just thought was a little better. In addition, there seemed to be some more spices or complexity in the Sam Adams beer as compared to the Long Trail.
Winner (Aroma) – Sam Adams. It’s just a little nicer.
Now for the important bit. Which blackberry wheat beer tastes better? Starting with the Long Trail, again if I didn’t know better I would think this was a berry flavored lager of some kind. Its light and crisp, and it tastes rather plain until you get to the finish when some of the blackberry flavor reveals itself. If you let it warm up a bit the flavor comes through a little more.
Moving on to the Sam Adams version, I’m finding that the beer is much more tasty, especially compared to the Long Trail version. No doubt this is an ale of some kind, and there are some noticeable flavors of spices along with a more evenly distributed blackberry flavor.
Winner (Taste) – Sam Adams. To me, not even close.
So, I think we have a winner. Overall, the Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
is superior to the Long Trail Blackberry Wheat in every category. It looks better, smells better, and most importantly tastes better. Neither beer comes across as a berry-flavored beer, which is good, but if you are looking for a blackberry wheat beer, check out the Sam Adams version.
Winner (Overall) Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier. To me, it was just an overall better version.
Have you had either of these beers? If you happened to have tried both, do you agree with my assessment? Let me know!
I have had neither of these, but I have to say I’m a little skeptical of Sam Adams doing fruit-flavored beers. The reason is because their Cranberry Lambic is an abomination – my God was that beer anti-delicious. So I would try their Blackberry Witbier with trepidation.
That said I’m an overall fan of the style. The Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat beer is pretty enjoyable, is this in that same category of being a nice beer with well-balanced fruit flavors?
.-= Royce´s last blog ..Beer Wednesday: Pipeline Porter by Kona Brewing Co =-.
Why bother making these beers? the fruit character doesn’t come through and it is never balanced out with other aspects of the beer… IMO.
.-= Peter at Simply Beer´s last blog ..Black Cherry Stout Recipe (All Grain) =-.
@Royce, not having tried the Sea Dog Blueberry, it would be hard for me to say. However, this Blackberry Wheat is nothing like the largely-abhorred Cranberry Lambic they make. I’m not a huge fan of fruity beers, but I think this one was done quite well, I’d have it again especially now that its getting hot around here!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Delirium Tremens – Belgian Beer Review =-.
@Peter – not sure really! I’m guessing someone is buying enough of it to justify its production. Perhaps its a little gimmicky too. Still, you have to give Sam Adams credit for using secret blackberries from Oregon.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Rogue Brewery Dead Guy Ale =-.
To Peter and Scott… I can tell you that the ladies tend to love the fruity beers. At least the girls I know. The ones that kind of enjoy beer to begin with typically say the fruit beers are among their favorite drinks.
So that’s probably one demographic that keeps this style of beer going. But I’m not going to lie – I kind of like them too. It’s different you know? And I like fruit flavors and I like sweet things and I like beer, so when the flavors come together in a balanced way I can dig that.
That being said Peter thinks the fruit usually doesn’t balance with the rest of the beer, and I can respect that. Although it hits my palate differently.
.-= Royce´s last blog ..Beer Wednesday: Pipeline Porter by Kona Brewing Co =-.
@Royce – I’m sure the demographics are a big part of that. Heck, 50% of the potential beer market is out there – how to interest the ladies in beer?
I think more and more women are now getting into good beer, there’s a lot of buzz online. There is more good information available from the bottom up rather than women just being marketed to by the brewers in their usual stupid ways.
I liked it, but its not a favorite style of mine. I’ll try anything at least once.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Helios Ale – Victory Brewing Company =-.
Hmmm. Oregon does make some outstanding blackberries! Actually they grow wild all over the place. When my family and I vacation at the coast we pick blackberries on the side of the road to bring home to make into jams and jellys. Great stuff, so I’ll try it if I see it. You know Sam Adams is starting to get a little craftier and make some pretty interesting brews lately.
.-= Don´s last blog ..Mac & Jack’s African Amber: Seattle’s Best?..Really? =-.
Don, if you ever do the home brewing thing, maybe something to consider! I give Sam Adams credit for putting new stuff out there to keep things interesting.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Westmalle Double and Triple Belgian Ales =-.
Sorry, but your review concept is way off. There’s a winner in the looks category? Do you fornicate with beer or something? Different beer look different. There’s no one better look for one vs. the other. They’re liquid and they have bubbles. Beyond that, it doesn’t matter.
Does aroma really need a category of its own? What should a winning beer smell like? It’s perfectly ok to talk about aroma, but this isn’t perfume and there’s no winner or loser in aroma.
You talked far more about the smell and the appearance of the beer than you did the actual taste. It wasn’t even close. You really didn’t give much feedback on how one tasted vs. the other. That’s a rather big omission.
I’ve had both and I prefer the long trail. Read the reviews of the beer online and you’ll just get bad opinions of people with poor palettes. They whine because they can’t handle subtle flavors.
The beer is great for summer. It’s dry, crisp, refreshing and lower alcohol so when you’re out on a hot night you can drink a ton of them.
The Samual Jackson, oops I mean Adams, is good too, but I prefer the long trail.
Thanks Porter. Here’s the correct answer. Its my blog and I’ll write my reviews how I see fit. If you don’t like them, don’t read them.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dundee Summer Wheat Beer Review =-.