REVIEW: Samuel Adams Norse Legend

This beer has been sitting in the back of my fridge for a while now. I've been busy drinking a lot of summery beers and IPAs lately which taste awfully good in the hot weather we've been having lately. But the heat seems to have finally broken. Gone are the 100+ degree days and oppressive humidity. The weather has gotten a bit cooler. It's not fall yet, but it's certainly on it's way. Now, I'm not ready to get into Fall seasonals and pumpkin beers yet. I'll get there, be patient. So with the weather beginning to change it's time for some different styles of beer. Today's beer is a sahti. Now sahti is a beer style that you're probably unfamiliar with. It's a traditional Finnish beer style and is among the oldest beer styles still being brewed. In recent years craft brewers have begun to look back at the style. The only one that I've had prior to Norse Legend was Dogfish Head's Sah' Tea, a combination of a traditional sahti and a chai tea. It was incredibly tasty. Today's offering is a bit more of a traditional take on the style. To the beer!

Norse legend pours a quite clear ruddy amber with beautiful fiery ruby highlights when held to the light. It's capped off by two fingers of sturdy resilient white head.

The aromas on this beer are outstanding. Caramel maltiness lead the way but it's quickly followed by nutty, herbal, piney notes. There's also an almost gin like character to the proceedings as well which I'm sure comes from the beer being aged on juniper berries. The individual aromas are all very delicate but the sum of those parts is very complex and robust.

Norse Legend starts off very creamy and is followed by a shot of balancing bitter hoppiness and carbonation. Sweet flavors of toffee and caramel mingle with a delicious, almost gingerbread like quality. More of those herbal, woody, juniper berry like flavors come out and add to the wonderful complexity.

Norse Legend is malty, rich, fascinating, and most importantly absolutely delicious. This is a beer worth seeking out. Hell, even my mother, who is by no means a craft beer enthusiast, really enjoyed this one. Do not overlook this beer. Very very tasty.

HD