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Cold Snap Review

Sam Adams Cold Snap is the beer you wish you had in your hand when you realize that you just said yes to a Blue Moon.

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Samuel Adams Brewery Cold Snap
Samuel Adams Brewery Cold Snap

Sam Adams travels to the snowy valley.

A limited availability brew - January to March - from the Ol' Bay State up in the Northeast, Sam gives us this infinitely drinkable, Noble-hopped, White Ale that pours down your throat like maple syrup over a hot stack of pancakes after a summertime beer league softball game in the city. Drinking Cold Snap out of a bottle will certianly make you feel classier than quaffing it out of a can, especially if you're snackin' on a lobster.

Sam lets you know that Cold Snap has a rating of 10 for IBU. Might as well be zero. There is nothing bitter about this beer. Think about it, how could "powdered plum" and "vanilla" be considered bitter?

There may be early incarnations of this brew though. Sam used to have a Spring Ale and a White Ale in the late 90s / early 00s. Could Cold Snap be the next generation of those ales? Maybe. We need to conduct more research. One of those was exceptionally tasty.

And, at 5.3% ABV, the beer is a great middle-of-the-road sipper. Yes, it would be considered a boozy beer just 30+ years ago. But today, it's alcohol content is just about average. Heck, it's hardly greater than a Costco Hard Seltzer.

Details
ABV 5.3
IBU 10
SRM
Hops Hallertau
Malts+ 2-Row Pale,Malted Wheat
Notes Available - Jan to March. Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend and malted wheat. Hop - Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble, Special Ingredients - Orange zest, vanilla, lemon zest, coriander, rose hips, hibiscus, powdered plum, grains of paradise, anise, and tamarind.