Boston Beer Company Releases Samuel Adams Cold Snap White Ale

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BOSTON — The Sam Adams brewers today announced the anticipated release of Samuel Adams Cold Snap, a Belgian-style unfiltered White Ale with a bright snap of seasonal citrus, fruit and floral spices, perfect for snapping out of the cold weather funk. Inspired by the season and its changing weather, Sam Adams is also asking drinkers how they celebrate the weather with Cold Snap in hand. Via Twitter, @SamuelAdamsBeer will be tracking weather-related social posts across the country in real time with the “Cold Snap Cold Map”. The city that tweets the most about the weather will be awarded Cold Snap parties this season.

Cold Snap is brewed with an exotic blend of fruits, flowers and spices from around the world including Grains of Paradise from West Africa, anise from Turkey, hibiscus from Egypt and Nigeria, tamarind from India and fresh-ground coriander from California, to create just the right balance of flavor and character. The brew is bright and fresh, with flavors ranging from the subtle fruit sweetness of orange peel and plum to the distinct, peppery bite of fresh-ground coriander. Pale and wheat malts give Cold Snap its hazy golden appearance and crisp, smooth finish.

The Sam Adams brewers use a special brewing method to add the spices to Cold Snap called “dry spicing,” which is similar to “dry hopping.” Unlike a traditional white ale, which only adds spices to the kettle process of brewing (the part when you boil water and add hops and malt), the brewers also add spices during the phase of brewing after fermentation, called “ruh,” to add more flavor and complexity. This process avoids over-brewing the ingredients that sometimes result in a harsh aftertaste (similar to the taste of leaving a teabag in hot water for too long). Instead, Cold Snap is perfectly infused with a smooth and flavorful character of fruits, flowers and spices.

Brewer & Founder Jim Koch on Cold Snap:

“Let’s face it, there are times when the weather in January and February just sucks and all you can do is wait for better weather. So in the spirit of looking forward to spring, we brewed Cold Snap with its crisp, vibrant character and exotic fruits and spices. It captures the essence of the season with maybe some snow on the ground and thoughts of spring in our heads,” said Jim Koch, Samuel Adams Founder and Brewer.

Tweeting about the weather? #SnaptheCold @SamuelAdamsBeer:

After one of the snowiest winters in Boston’s history, the brewers know first-hand that at this time of year, drinkers flock to social media to air their cold weather experiences. So this year, Samuel Adams is asking Twitter users around the country to tweet @SamuelAdamsBeer using hashtag #SnapTheCold to show how they celebrate the weather. All cold weather-related tweets will be tracked in real-time on the “Cold Snap Cold Map” during the coldest week of the year from January 17th to January 23rd, and Sam Adams will reward the most vocal city with Sam Adams parties in their city where drinkers and Doppler followers can unite over a beer. Craft beer drinkers can visit www.SamuelAdams.com/ColdestCity for more info on the Cold Map and to see where their city stands.

Get Your Mitt(en)s on Cold Snap:

Samuel Adams Cold Snap will be available nationwide from January through mid-March in 6-packs for a suggested retail price of $7.99-$9.99, 12-packs (bottles and cans) for a suggested retail price of $14.99-$17.99 and on draft. It is also available as part of the Samuel Adams Cabin Pack variety 12-Pack for a suggested retail price of $14.99-$17.99. (All prices vary by market.)

Fact Sheet:

  • Samuel Adams Cold Snap is a crisp, refreshing Belgian-style white ale with a lively blend of exotic fruits and spices. Before the advent of hops, Belgian white ales were historically brewed with a wide range of ingredients found from the spice trade, most commonly orange and coriander. Brewed to snap out of the winter blues, Cold Snap offers a sign of warmer days ahead with its blend of fruits, flowers, and spices from around the world.
  • For Cold Snap, the Sam Adams brewers carefully selected a ingredients from around the world. This Belgian-style white ales is a blend of crisp wheat, bright fruit flavors and a subtle snap of spices including Grains of Paradise from West Africa, anise from Turkey, hibiscus from Egypt, tamarind from India and fresh-ground coriander from California, to name a few. The delicate hop character of Hallertau Mittelfrueh German Noble hops and the crisp smoothness of Canadian malted wheat balance the unique spiciness of the brew.
  • About the Dry-Spicing Process: The Sam Adams brewers use a special brewing method to add the spices to Cold Snap called “dry spicing,” which is similar to “dry hopping.” Unlike a traditional white ale, which only adds spices to the kettle during the brewing process, the brewers also add spices to during the “ruh” phase of brewing process to add more flavor and complexity. By doing this, the brewers avoid over-brewing the ingredients which can sometimes result in a harsh aftertaste (similar to the taste of leaving a teabag in hot water for too long). Instead, Cold Snap is perfectly infused with a smooth and clean impression of fruits, flowers, and spices.
  • Availability: Samuel Adams Cold Snap is available nationwide from January through March in 6-packs for a suggested retail price of $7.99-$9.99, 12-packs (bottles and cans) for a suggested retail price of $14.99-$17.99 and on draft. It is also available as part of the Samuel Adams Cabin Pack (along with Samuel Adams Escape Route, Noble Pils, Scotch Ale, Session Ale and Boston Lager) for a suggested retail price of $14.99-$17.99. Price varies by market.

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 would soon become a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.

Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 60 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 is one of world’s most awarded breweries at international beer competitions. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its primary focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America’s leading 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.