Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye™ Claims Victory in the Sixth Annual Samuel Adams® Beer Lover's Choice® Contest

BOSTON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The votes are in for the Samuel Adams' sixth annual Beer Lover's Choice® contest, and drinkers selected Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye™ to join the all-new Samuel Adams® American Originals Variety Pack, now available nationwide.  In the 2010 contest, 66,283 beer lovers from coast-to-coast tasted two new Samuel Adams beer styles, Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye and Samuel Adams® Belgian IPA, and voted for their favorite.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110119/NY32116 )

Drinkers evaluated the Beer Lover's Choice contending brews on five different characteristics: color, aroma, taste, mouth-feel and finish. Both the Belgian IPA (Sample A) and Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye (Sample B) received rave reviews.  But in the end, the Rye had it with 63 percent of the vote.

"Each year, we're amazed by how many drinkers across the country participate in the Beer Lover's Choice program," said Jim Koch, Samuel Adams founder and brewer. "The contest gives craft beer lovers an opportunity to enjoy new brews and broaden their palates with styles like Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye."

An American-style rye ale, Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye is a deep, reddish-hued ale brewed with both rye and roasted malt for a spicy character.  The slight roastiness and sweetness from the malt is complemented by floral and citrus notes from the combination of German Hallertau Mittelfrueh and American Ahtanum, Centennial and Amarillo hops. The rye imparts additional complexity by adding a spicy and slightly drying finish to this medium-bodied brew.

Samuel Adams Revolutionary Rye is available now as part of the new Samuel Adams American Originals Variety Pack for a suggested retail price of $13.99–$15.99 per 12-pack.

The other five full-flavored craft beers in the 12-pack collection are:

Samuel Adams Boston Lager® pioneered the craft beer revolution in the mid-1980s and has helped lead a beer renaissance in America by reviving a passion for full-bodied brews that are robust and rich with character. This lager is a beautiful, deep amber color, brewed with only the best ingredients, including hand-selected Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops from Bavaria.

Samuel Adams® Noble Pils is a unique beer brewed with a blend of five Noble Hop varieties from each of the world's only remaining Noble hop growing regions. This crisp and spicy spring brew provides a seamless transition from winter's chill to the warming weather.

Samuel Adams® Scotch Ale is a brew for adventurous beer drinkers. This ale is brewed with three special malts, including rare peat-smoked malt that is kilned in Scotland and used in Scotch whiskies.

Samuel Adams® Irish Red Ale is malty and slightly sweet, balanced by earthy notes from the hops.  The gentle rain and fertile soil of Ireland helped inspire this style of ale, known for being remarkably balanced.

Samuel Adams® White Ale is a fresh American version of a classic Belgian white ale. An exotic blend of 10 different spices creates a distinctive and refreshing taste.

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:

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. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution. 

Today, the Company brews more than 21 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world's finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the "extreme beer" movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers' perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams beer is the country's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

SOURCE Samuel Adams