Sam Adams is an imported beer??
 

I am at the Marriott Winston Salem right now and after getting back last night had a few beers at the bar with a friend.
They had Sam Adams listed as import (instead of as domestic) which also meant they charged $5 for it, not $4.

When I asked the bartender before ordering why this was he said he had no clue. I was too tired to argue my point when the bill came but probably should have propped out my phone and shown him Wikipedia. :D

Is there anything to warrant listing Sam Adams as an import at all?

I would classify Sam Adam's as a Domestic premium.

I don't expect to pay the same price for a Sierra Nevada or Sam Adam's versus the MCBrewery brands.

Imported from Boston?:confused:

It's from New England. Maybe somebody lost track of the "New" part? LOL But, at only $1 more, it's probably worth it anyway.

I run into this ALL the time in my travels.

Sammy, Sierra Nevada, many different microbrews listed as imports or referred to as imports by establishments and bartenders with little to no knowledge about beer.

As a major consumer (and financial supporter) :D of brewpubs and microbreweries, it always irks me.

Methinks if one is in the hospitality business, one should know their product.

Translation: the bar/restaurant/hotel thinks American beers cannot possibly be good.

They're anti-American.:)

Suggest you hire an attorney. This has got to be one of the most blatant cases of consumer fraud since that movie "The Neverending Story".!

Its listed as an import so they don't have to create a third subheading of "Premium Domestic". They figure its gonna cost you the same, so why not put it under the import heading, and be able to fit everything on the card in a larger font size.

Perhaps some compensation is in order? :D C'MON, FT'ers!!! I'm a relative newbie and I was the first to suggest it? ;)

if you're a UA flyer i think you're entitled to a few SWU's and 10,000 MP miles

I smell a class-action lawsuit.

Any lawyers here want to take this case on? :D

Nah, seriously - the explanation of Sam Adams being a premium beer makes total sense, but they sure could have printed a "Imported / Premium" heading instead..

A SWU makes totally sense by the way - upgrade your domestic beer to a premium imported one any time. ;)

I hate it when "premium" beers are listed as imports, but I've seen more places listing, "imports/premium" or some variation on menus.

I typically ask about what's on draft, and will say, "Not the macro-swill," to get just the better beers. Almost always, the server still lists everything.

Maybe Not Even From Out Of State
 

Actually, it's very possible the Samuel Adams beer served in a Winston-Salem hotel may have been made by Boston Beer Co.'s contract brewing partner in Eden, N.C. That's less than 50 miles away, so it's not only not an import, it could be pretty darn local.

(Boston Beer has its administrative offices and a small pilot brewery in Boston, but the majority of Samuel Adams beers are made in either Ohio or Pennsylvania.)

Now THAT's the stuff you need to know when argueing with that barkeeper..:D

I have been to several places around the country where Yuengling is considered "import." Sorry, but if I can buy it for 4.39 a six-pack and it's from the middle of PA, it ain't an import.

It's nothing but the continuation of " The Dumbing Down of America "
Food & Drink was never a priority in the good old US
( see 'Coquille St Jacques' (nothing but Scallops, but people think it's the method of preparation, )
or
( 'Shrimp Scampi' ( Shrimp Shrimp )

I agree totally, but in the case of some of these, as ridiculous as the meanings are if translated, when said in English, they have second meanings. This is true of "shrimp scampi" which is some sort of pasta with shrimp and I think tomato sauce. I've never actually had it, but I do know what it means.

No tomatos involved as far as I know. Shrimp Scampi to me means shrimp sauteed in garlic butter. But what do I know, I'm just one of the dumbed down.

Scampi is just the plural of shrimp in Italian. Hence the reference above to "Shrimp Scampi = Shrimp Shrimp(s)."

You'd think the drawing of Samuel Adams ("Brewer and Patriot") and on the label would clue people in that this is not an import. :p However, my guess is the brew is listed under imports so they can charge the extra $1.

:D That would require people to know who Samuel Adams was. :)

+Originally Posted by kipper
That would require people to know who Samuel Adams was.

Oops, I've broken my dumbed down cover! Quick, before I'm discovered, let me make a reference to Brittany Spears. That should throw them off my trail.;)

:D

On the topic of Sam Adams, does anyone else receive their "What's on Tap" newsletter? I somehow started receiving it, and just received an email saying, "Take our survey and we'll send you a free hat." It was about 10 questions, mostly multiple choice, IIRC. It was definitely a quick survey. :)

Thanks for the tip, kipper. Sam is one of my favorite beers, especially the seasonals. I do admit to being a swagwhore. I'll sign up just about anywhere for a freebie or two.

I'd have posted the link, but it has my email address, etc. in it.

Also, if you buy their stock, and don't buy it through Sharebuilder or similar services, but go through a broker, they send you all sorts of freebies for being a shareholder. They've sent several different types of bottle openers, a hat or two, mousepads, and other similar promo materials.

You should try "Do you have anything on tap that didn't come from Milwaukee or St. Louis?" It's fun watching the server's eyes grow wide in a sort of vacant "deer in the headlights" stare! :rolleyes:

That said, I will conceed that Sam Adams has done the impossible and produces an American beer that is drinkable (though not much more).

That said, I'm sure the beer enthusiasts among you already know the old adage:

Q: What do American beer and sex in a canoe have in common?

A: They're both f'ing close to water!

The place I have been drinking for years uses "domestic" and "premium" as their classification. They consider Labatt and Molson domestic.

You were in the south. In many places they still think they won the war. ;)

Although some of their specialty beers are not bad, I really don't care for the Sam Adams 'flagship' beer.

As for your comments on American beer, they are so far out of date that they are laughable. In the early 1980s, when Anchor Steam and Geary's were the only two truly good American beers I was familiar with, you may have had a valid point. Today, the majors like Bud and Miller are still crap, but there is so much amazing American beer out there today (e.g., Russian River Brewing, Green Flash, Surly, Stone, etc., etc., etc.) that I can't believe you are still spouting lines like "done the impossible and produces an American beer that is drinkable."

OK, then let me modify that - "done the impossible and produces an American beer that is drinkable while at the same time being able to sell it effectively enough that it is easily found across a broad range of locales".

Because whenever I order a beer in the States, all that is available on tap is the same mass-market swill. Otherwise it's something imported and bottled - though that usually ends up being preferable.

There are a lot of very good microbrews in the US now, but it's often difficult to find them at many locations. I've actually found one restaurant that sells $2 pints/every day, all day, including microbrews. However, especially finding a chain restaurant that serves microbrews can be very challenging.
A lot of places haven't realized yet that microbrews sell well.

Capital and New Glarus, among others, are Wisconsin breweries which make excellent beer (and ales, stouts, etc.)

In northern NY, Molson is treated as a domestic. :)

Well in a lot places, micros sell well... and in some others, they don't sell well at all. Think of the deep South. :D

Sam Adams is listed as an import/premium because it costs more than Bud/Miller/Coors.

JP

Willing to share the restaurant name? :)

I don't find it that challenging, of course I mostly eat in chain restaurants for lunch on the road. No beers at lunch for me.

Trust me the same is true in most European countires. Go to any restuarant and most pubs/bars, good or not, and all they serve is chemical swill made by multinational brewers. You have to go to smaller towns to see more diversity, primarily because of people supporting their local microbrews.

So the US is no different really.

Ya think price is the only difference?:D

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