samuel adams boston lager

Samuel Adams is a craft beer that honors patriot Sam Adams, who isn’t just known for his role in the American Revolution, but was also an avid brewer.

The Boston Beer Company, which created Samuel Adams beer, was first started by Jim Koch. He brewed the first Sam Adams beer in his kitchen, but the company has since grown to be the second-largest brewer in the US, generating $903 million in profits in 2014. But where is all this beer made?

Samuel Adams beer is owned by The Boston Brewery, which has three breweries: Boston, Massachusetts; Cincinnati, Ohio; Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Only the brewery in Boston is open for tours, but the company also has 3 taprooms where you can taste the beer; one in Cincinnati, and 2 in Boston.

However, this certainly does not tell Samuel Adams’s full story. Below, we’ll tell you more about where the company was first founded, the different breweries, and who currently owns Samuel Adams.

Where do they brew this stuff?

Where Is Samuel Adams Brewed In The US?

To discuss where Samuel Adams is brewed, we have to start with the US, as this is where it all began for this beer. Currently served in more than 20 countries and all 50 states, Samuel Adams beer has established itself as a high-quality craft beer. However, most of this beer is still brewed in the US.

Boston is Samuel Adams’ hometown, which shouldn’t be surprising, as it is the flagship beer of Boston Beer Company. The beer’s popularity grew quickly, which meant that one brewery in Boston wasn’t enough anymore. As a result, two additional breweries were built; one in Cincinnati, Ohio and one in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

As mentioned, the Boston brewery isn’t just the first Sam Adams brewery, it is also the most important. Apart from Samuel Adams Boston Lager, the original Sam Adams beer, all beers were initially created at the Boston brewery. If you want to experience what it’s like to be a brewer at the Samuel Adams, we recommend you pay a visit to this particular brewery; visitors sometimes get the chance to taste a new Sam Adams beer before it is even released.

There are several tours available at the Boston brewery, one classic tour and 2 specialty tours. However, if you can’t make it to Boston, this video should give you a good impression of what it’s like inside this iconic brewery.

Though the Boston brewery was the first, the Cincinnati brewery is currently the main production brewery for Samuel Adams. This brewery wasn’t specifically built for Sam Adams, and instead was purchased from the Hudepolh-Schoenling brewery in 1997. Nevertheless, it has since become a part of Samuel Adams’ history.

Apart from their 3 breweries, Sam Adams also has 3 taprooms where you can sample their beers. There is one in Cincinnati, open Wednesday – Sunday, and 2 in Boston, open 7 days a week. The taproom in Boston (60 State Street, 02109) is the largest with 15000 square feet and 3 floor, one of which is an outdoor rooftop.

The taprooms offer a rotating list of beers on tap, some of which are exclusive, as well as specialty tours, events and private tours.

Apart from these breweries and taprooms, Samuel Adams also has agreements with a small amount of packaging and brewing partners in case there is an unexpected demand or interruption at one of the breweries.

Where is Samuel Adams Made In Canada?

If you’re wanting to enjoy Samuel Adams whilst not in the US, this is possible since the release of the Sam ’76 beer in 2019. This beer is described as a “revolutionary hybrid beer [that] brings together the light, citrus aroma of an American Ale with the clean finish and balanced drinkability of a lager.

This beer is, just like any of the other Sam Adams beers, brewed in one of their 3 breweries in the use. These are located in:

  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania

The Sam ’76 is available in cans in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick,  Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario. If you’re looking for Sam Adams on tap, these same provinces have licensees who can pour you one. 

Where is Samuel Adams Made In The UK?

In 2012, Samuel Adams announced they would be working with Shepard Neame Brewery, the oldest brewery in the Great-Britain (with a history that can be traced back to 1698), to produce Sam Adams to be sold in the UK.

They currently have one brewery, the Faversham Brewery, located in Kent. Just like the breweries in the US, the Faversham Brewery is open for tours (including tastings). If you can’t make it all the way to Kent, this video will give you an insight into what happens inside the oldest brewery in the UK.

Where Was Samuel Adams Founded?

Samuel Adams beer was created by Jim Koch, who started brewing this beer in 1984 in his own kitchen. His family had been in the beer industry for over 150, but Jim himself didn’t think he would continue this legacy. Instead, he followed a career as a management consultant. However, after many years he decided he wanted a change.

Jim found that beer drinkers were looking for something more than the same ‘standard’ beer, and with his father’s advice and his great-great grandfather’s recipe, created the first Samuel Adams beer and the start of the Boston Beer Company. This beer ended up being a Vienna lager. More on why the beer is classified as such, click here!

He took a briefcase of samples and went bar to bar to try and sell his new beer. Doyle’s Café was the first to put Sam Adams on tap, and had since been the place where the company would celebrate their successes and sent new beers for customer feedback. Unfortunately, Doyle’s closed in 2019.

Where Jim initially planned on brewing 5,000 barrels after 5 years, there ended up being a higher demand for his craft beer, and by 1988 the Boston Beer Company was selling 36 000 barrels instead. In 2020, 32 years later, they sold 7 million barrels of core products. This makes The Boston Beer Company the largest craft brewery in the US.

Apart from Samuel Adams beer, the Boston Beer company is home to brands such as Truly, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard, and Havana Lager.

Where is Samuel Adams headquarters?

The Boston Beer Company’s (and thus Samuel Adams’s) headquarters are currently located in the place where they started:

  • Boston, Massachusetts.
  • One Design Center Place, Suite 850
  • Boston, MA 02210
  • 617-368-5000

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