Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Lager: Not the best but does us proud
Written: Jun 02 '01 (Updated Jun 23 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Quenches, refreshes, has hops. Does its country proud.
Cons: Aftertaste short-lived. Price: Come on Merchant du Vin.
The Bottom Line: England's best lager, does what a lager should with nice hoppiness too. Worth a try, but does not attract loyal customers due to price.
andaryl's Full Review: Samuel Smith Pure (england) Lager 550
The Samuel Smith brewery is the oldest surviving brewery in Yorkshire and one of the oldest in all of England. Founded in 1758 and acquired by the Smith family in 1847 (brother John later went on to establish his own famous brewery), the brewery is now in its fifth generation of independent family ownership.
Did I mention it’s about 40 miles from where I grew up? I think I mentioned that in every Samuel Smith review I’ve written, so why not drop it in here too? Despite my bias I can say quite safely that this brewery produces some of the finest and most critically acclaimed ales in the world.
Did you know they also produce a lager?
I am not ashamed to admit as an Englishman, that my country is not particularly known for its lagers, doing little to rival even the mediocre mass-marketed American brews. In fact Budweiser is probably the trendiest beer to the 16-33 year old English guy. Add to that the popularity of such unremarkables as Bud Ice, Foster’s, Foster’s Ice, and Heineken, and you will understand the slight embarrassment at the British lager brewing industry.
In order to supply their pubs with a variety of brews, most English breweries, well-reputed for their own ales, usually produce a foreign lager under license. So I was interested to see that Samuel Smith, brewer of the great Oatmeal Stout, Imperial Stout, Taddy Porter, and Pale Ale, had managed to brew its own lager. I have to admit that I don’t know the history of the lager. Most of the ales brewed by this brewery were once extinct, and only revived in the late 70’s (I wasn’t born until ’72) to meet the growing USA-demand. I don’t know if “Pure Brewed Lager” has always been around or was an extension of this revival.
Needless to say, coming from my favorite brewer, it was only a matter of time before I gave this one a go.
So What do you get?
Amazingly for such a quality brewer Sam still opts for the clear bottles. I’ve never had a bad experience yet, but beer is highly susceptible to light, something most grocery stores, in their attempt to highlight its merchandise, make no attempt to protect against. Thankfully, they realized that the lager just has to go in a brown bottle. It comes in 2 sizes, the traditional 18.7oz Victorian pint, and the more standard 12oz. Through lack of choice I was drinking the smaller. Neither bottle, however, compromises the traditional Samuel Smith Victorian image (unlike the Winter Welcome, and IPA).
So what was I expecting?
Well, this is an English lager, and, neither Tsomes nor Bryan_Carey recommend it. What would they know, advisors with a mere 472 and 510 trustees respectively? Just kidding, these guys write great beer reviews. But I wasn’t going to let them fool me so easily. From such an excellent brewery could anything really be bad?
Time to find out
I have been primed a little in lagers over the last 2 weeks. I live in the land of 120 degrees and have no choice but to drink these thirst quenchers. The Hofmark Pilsner I just received from Michael Jackson was excellent so anything I drank now would be sure to draw comparisons. I was going to save this for a summer’s afternoon, but I did get home from work late last night, and was in the mood for a quick wind-me-down before I went to bed. So, I decided that now was a good enough time.
Had I not seen the Hofmark a couple of days before, I would have described Sam’s lager as a beautiful golden color. It was golden for sure but a slightly paler than what would now be my benchmark. The color is appealing, but the rest of the pour is nothing to get too excited about. There’s very little life for a lager, carbonation for sure, but not the amount I’ve seen in others. This results in a pretty thin foam, as much as I twisted and persuaded, which quickly disappears.
I may have started feeling a little concerned by now had I not got a whiff of the bottle before I poured. This is where the beer starts to regain my confidence, as I get a hint of what I’m looking for…hops! After pouring there’s a much more apparent fruity malt aroma, while there’s also a pleasing if not dominant peppery and floral hop.
I needn’t have been so worried about the carbonation, as once it hit my tongue the fizziness became instantly noticeable. This was quite interesting, as the brewery’s signature is for smooth ales. This is pretty sharp. It’s slightly sweet and clean at the front, although this is quickly overtaken by a dryness that comes into play around mid-palate. The finish is very pleasing, dry, sharp and crisp, exactly what a pilsner fan is looking for. However this does quickly mellow out and becomes a little sweeter, something that probably made me drink a little faster. The sweeter aftertaste did become even more apparent after I had finished the beer.
Should I have bought it?
I have very few complaints about this beer, it does precisely what I would expect a pilsner to do. It refreshes and quenches, while offering a satisfying hoppiness. I can’t complain about the lack of carbonated appearance, as it came through on the palate. My only complaint would be that the aftertaste was a little short; maybe the dryness could have lasted a little longer. Overall it’s very easy drinking and invites you to do so, and would make a great session beer.
I would definitely drink it again, but the only thing stopping me is the price. I paid $2.39 for a 12 oz bottle, while many microbreweries are producing 12oz beers for $1 less. I could also get a 6-pack of Bitburger for $5.99, which is marginally better, or 6 Oranjeboom’s for $3.99 which is not quite as good but certainly wins in the $ vs. Stars ratio. Basically this is an excellent lager and worth the price to give it a go. I just doubt that I would pay that price again. Are you listening Merchant du Vin? Knock off 70 cents, or make a $7/6-pack and you’ll acquire a loyal customer.
When to drink
Lagers and pilsners are pretty versatile when it comes to food. Some recommendations would include grilled trout or whitefish, or Chinese food. The website tells you how to make a shandy (see bottom note) with this. Forget that right away, you should make shandy with cheap beer. You wouldn’t make a mimosa with Dom Perignon would you?
My suggestion is to forget eating and enjoy this merely with sunshine. Drink it in the garden or take it on a picnic.
The Last Word
As far as I know, this is England’s best lager, and while it might not beat the best from Germany or the Czech Republic, it would certainly do its country proud and win a few games.
Further Reading
What you should know about Samuel Smith’s brewery? (as well as links to all 8 of my Sam Smith reviews)
http://andaryl.epinions.com/content_1477156996
Want to know what a shandy is?
http://daryl.epinions.com/content_18936008324
Also the Merchant du Vin website, which is the page epinions link to is very informative on the history and brewing techniques employed by Sam Smith’s.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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