Beer Review: Sam Adams Honey Porter, Scotch Ale, and Red Ale

I don't usually buy beer in anything larger than a 6-pack (in the name of variety, of course), but a Sam Adams Variety Pack ended up in my shopping cart and I found myself with three beers I've never tried before. Check it-

Sam Adams Honey Porter
B / 3.6
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 3

Oh, this is a nice looking beer. A dark brown body with a tall light tan head that leaves thick lacing. The rest of the beer, unfortunately, is less impressive - though still good.

The aroma is of sweet bready grains and honey. The flavor expands on the honey, adding a small, but crisp hop bite with subtle chocolate and caramel malt flavors. The flavor is a touch plain, but the overall feel has a great balance between the honey sweetness, dry malts and hops. Worth a try if you like honey, but this can't stand up to most porters.

Sam Adams Scotch Ale
B+ / 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

In a word - smoky. Not overpowering though. this beer appears a dark amber with a thin white head a nice, thin lacing. The aroma focuses on the smoke with a hit of toast and wood. The flavor however, expands with the malts and mild hops.This is wonderfully balanced beer. There's an element of the smoked peat that blends with dry cocoa and toffee malt flavors and a balancing slightly herbal bitterness.

This is a great scotch ale and worth trying if you're into the style.

Sam Adams Red Ale
B+ / 3.95
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4

This is good. It immediately reminds me of the Thomas Hooker Irish Red Ale. The Sam Adams, however, is drier yet very rich in flavor. There's a dry caramel and toffee flavor similar to the Boston Lager, but it's complimented by spicy and smokey flavors like you'd expect out of a Scotch ale. It may be a little off for the style, btu it's still darned tasty. This is very much an American interpretation of the style. The flavors are big and the yeast doesn't do much, but this is a must-try if you dig red ales.