Samuel Adams Rolls Out 13th Hour, New Barrel-Aged Stout

BOSTON — The Number 13 has been known to conjure up strange superstitions. Large buildings often skip a 13th floor, while many people, Franklin Roosevelt included, go out of their way to avoid hosting a meal for 13 people.

The 13th hour refers to the mythical “witching hour,” the time when mysterious things are said to happen. It is from this fabled number that Samuel Adams 13th Hour gets its name, referring to its mysterious combination of flavors and playing off its 13 brewing ingredients.

13th Hour is a Belgian Stout that combines the roasted chocolate and coffee flavors of a stout with the spicy character of a Belgian ale aged in oak. It is the latest installment in the Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection, available this August.

The Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection brews are aged in Eastern European oak Barrels, originally used to age brandy in Italy, imparting a subtle sweet, toasty note to each beer. The barrels also allow a small amount of oxygen to slowly seep in to the brew, smoothing out the flavors in the beer. Each of the styles in the Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection are blended with our Kosmic Mother Funk, a Belgian ale aged at the Boston Brewery in oak casks and tanks for over six months.

In addition to 13th Hour, we are also expanding the availability of a Barrel Room Collection favorite in August. Samuel Adams New World, a big, flavorful and complex ale originally introduced in October 2009, will be made available to beer lovers outside of New England and Denver. A special Belgian yeast strain adds tropical fruit and spice notes to the crisp dry ale, while Saaz hops add a subtle herbal note.

Both brews are packaged in 750ml bottles finished with a champagne cork and will be available in Denver, Chicago, New York, and New England for a suggested retail price of $9.99 per bottle. In addition, the brews will be served at select bars and restaurants in Atlanta. The collection also included American Kriek and Stony Brook Red.