Samuel Adams Encourages Drinkers To Celebrate National Lager Day On Dec. 10

BOSTON, Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The brewers at Samuel Adams are celebrating their love of lagers on December 10 – National Lager Day – and inviting drinkers to do the same.  What started out as a grassroots movement among craft beer drinkers has grown into a full-blown celebration of the lager family of beers, and for Samuel Adams, this means celebrating the holiday with a rich, full-flavored Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, and celebrating among friends.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121206/NY25462)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120409/NY84239LOGO)

Lager is a type of beer encompassing a wide variety of styles ranging from light pilsners to rauchbiers to darker bocks. What links them together?  All lagers are fermented and conditioned for longer aging times than ales at low temperatures which yields clean flavors and allows the malt and hops in the beer to shine.  Samuel Adams Boston Lager, the number one craft lager in the U.S., is brewed with two-row malted barley to give the beer its body and flavors ranging from slightly sweet to roasted, and Bavarian Noble hops which impart floral, piney and citrus notes; it's aged longer to maximize and enhance the complex flavor combinations. 

Full flavored lagers, like Samuel Adams Boston Lager, were relatively unknown in the U.S. in the 80s.  "When I first brewed Samuel Adams Boston Lager in 1984, I instantly fell in love with the taste of this beer and realized it was unlike any beer available," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams.  "So, to me, there is absolutely no better way to toast National Lager Day than with good friends and a pint of Boston Lager."

To inspire drinkers to come out to the bar and celebrate National Lager Day with friends over a great craft beer, Samuel Adams is hosting The Great Samuel Adams Boston Lager Log Off – a chance to go off the grid and relax with a full-flavored craft lager. The Great Samuel Adams Boston Lager Log Off is a social experiment to remind drinkers of the value of sharing time with friends over a well-crafted beer like Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Beer has been a naturally social experience for ages, allowing people to connect, discuss, share and bond over a common drink. The Log Off offers a chance to experience the freedom of "logging off" while enjoying a fun night of friends, conversation and craft beer.

Fun Facts:

• In a recent study*, nine out of 10 Americans age 21 and older reported that they have the best conversations with friends in-person, such as at a bar or restaurant, yet less than one-third said that their primary way of connecting with their friends is actually face-to-face.
• According to Nielsen's recently released Social Media Report**, Americans spent 121 billion minutes on social media sites in July 2012 – the equivalent of 230,060 years spent friending, posting and tweeting.

As these numbers indicate, social media isn't going anywhere, nor should it. The brewing team at Samuel Adams uses social media every day as a way to connect with drinkers and keep in touch online.  It allows great comments and feedback, and helps keep Sam Fans up-to-date on what's happening at the brewery in real time.

Here's how to celebrate National Lager Day and participate in the Log Off:

• Step 1: Follow and tweet @SamuelAdamsBeer with the hashtag #BostonLagerLogOff and where you're celebrating National Lager Day; or post on Facebook and tag Samuel Adams (be sure to snap a photo of you and your lager).
• Step 2: Then log off, just for a bit. Shut off your phone and join Samuel Adams in celebrating National Lager Day with a Samuel Adams Boston Lager, free from distractions!

Samuel Adams Boston Lager Tasting Notes

• Samuel Adams Boston Lager is an excellent example of the fundamentals of a great beer, offering a full, rich flavor that is both balanced and complex.  That unique flavor is the result of a perfect combination of our signature hand selected ingredients and a traditional four vessel brewing process.
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager uses only the finest ingredients including two-row malted barley and Bavarian Noble hops.  The sole use of two-row barley not only imparts a full, smooth body but also gives the beer a wide spectrum of malt flavor ranging from slightly sweet to roasted. The Noble hop varieties of Hallertau Mittelfrueh and Tettnang Tettnanger add a wide range of floral, piney and citrus notes, which are present from the aroma, through the taste, and all the way to the lingering smooth finish. 
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager's complexity, malty sweetness and intricate hop notes pair well with rich flavorful foods and caramelized grilled flavors.

*Survey conducted on behalf of Samuel Adams by Wakefield Research, an independent research provider.  Demographic quotas were set to ensure that results are nationally representative of the survey audience.  Results have a margin of error of 3.2%.

**The Nielsen Company. "State of the Media: The Social Media Report 2012."Nielsen.com. Web. 12/03/12. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/social/2012/    

ABOUT THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY:
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen.  Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America.  That beer was aptly named Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, in recognition of one of our nation's great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit.  Little did Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager soon became a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.

Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 50 styles of beer.  It relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients.  Using the traditional four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening.  The Company has also pioneered another revolution, the 'extreme beer' movement, where it seeks to challenge drinker's perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and in the past five years has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its single focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market.  The Boston Beer Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

SOURCE Samuel Adams