FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"Hops Are to Beer What Grapes Are to Wine"

The Boston Beer Company Introduces Samuel Adams(r) Imperial Pilsner 2005
Harvest, a Limited-Edition Beer Brewed with an Abundance of Hallertau
Mittelfrueh Hops, in Celebration of the Fall Hops Harvest

Boston, MA, October 2005- Throughout history, people have celebrated the
bountiful harvest with ceremonies and festivals. This year is no different
as Samuel Adams celebrates the fall hops harvest with the introduction of
Samuel Adams(r) Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest. This one-of-a-kind brew uses
enormous, almost reckless, quantities of Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops selected
fresh from this year's Bavarian hops harvest, giving the beer an unmatched
flavor dimension and complexity.

Every autumn for the last twenty years, Jim Koch, Founder of The Boston Beer
Company, Brewer of Samuel Adams beers, travels to one of the oldest hops
growing regions of the world, the Hallertau region of Bavaria in Germany, to
hand-select Noble hops.

"Samuel Adams has always taken pride in using the world's finest
ingredients, and Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest takes that
commitment to the next level," said Koch. "Beer enthusiasts will experience
the taste of hops right off the vine, and how an abundance of Noble hops can
enhance the flavor and intensity of a beer."

With the first sip, beer enthusiasts will experience an explosion of the
Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. This rare hops variety, considered to be one of
the best in the world, is prized for its quality and aromatic
characteristics. The intensity of deep citrus, spicy Noble hops flavor, is
balanced with the slight sweetness from the malt. Due to the quality of the
hops, this beer remains balanced and smoothly drinkable. The lingering "hops
signature" is an amazing treat for hops lovers. The beer, which has a deep
golden color and a rich, creamy head, gives off an intense and complex Noble
hops aroma, very similar to what Jim experiences when he rubs the hops
together in his hands during hops selection, to release the essence of the
hops flowers.

The world's finest ingredients are considered the Holy Grail to Jim Koch.
"While many brewers just sniff the hops, he 'dives' into them," said Stefan
Stanglmair, a German hops farmer. Jim involves himself in every aspect of
the development of a new beer, from the ingredient selection to the brewing.
He tastes each batch brewed, to ensure it meets his high standards of
quality. As with all Samuel Adams beers, each batch of Samuel Adams Imperial
Pilsner 2005 Harvest is brewed one at a time with handcrafted care and
precision.

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest is a robust, flavorful beer. It
stands up well to creamy dishes such as beef stroganoff, grilled steak
smothered with a thick mushroom sauce, or a traditional Tuscan style roast
meat, such as Osso Bucco. It also pairs well with pungent, creamy cheeses,
such as Brie or Camembert. Chef David Burke of Davidburke & Donatella
Restaurant in New York City recommends Lobster Firecrackers with Samuel
Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest Lemon Sabayon (recipes available upon
request).

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest will be available in select
specialty beer stores beginning in November 2005, for a suggested retail
price of $4.99. The beer is packaged in a 24 oz. bottle, featuring a
beautiful label that captures an artistic rendering of a farmer hand
selecting the Bavarian hops from the harvest.

ABOUT HALLERTAU MITTELFRUEH HOPS:
Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops, one of the five types of Bavarian Noble hops,
are considered to be one of the best hops varieties in the world, and are
prized for their quality flavor and aromatic characteristics. These special
hops are grown only in the Hallertau region in Bavaria, where there are only
a few thousand acres of hops-growing land that provide the perfect soil and
climate for growing Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. These hops are considered to
be among the world's finest and most expensive. Because these hops are
difficult to grow and vulnerable to disease, many German hops farmers
stopped growing the variety about a decade ago. The total acreage for
Hallertau Mittelfrueh declined to less than 400 acres. Insistent on using
only the best ingredients for their beers, Jim Koch and the Samuel Adams
brewers worked with hop dealers and farmers to save the variety. Partially
in recognition of his efforts to keep this variety from extinction, the
International Hop Growers Association honored Jim Koch with this year's
prestigious "Order of the Hops" award and naming him a Knight to the Order
of the Hop Society, an organization dating back to 1371.

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:
The Boston Beer Company is America's leading brewer of handcrafted,
full-flavored beers. Founder and Brewer, Jim Koch, brews Samuel Adams beers
using the time-honored, traditional four-vessel brewing process, and the
world's finest all-natural ingredients. With 18 distinctive, award-winning
styles of beer, Samuel Adams offers discerning beer drinkers a variety of
brews. The brewery has won more awards in international beer-tasting
competitions in the last five years than any other brewery in the world.
Samuel Adams is an independent brewery and has half of a percent of the
domestic beer market. The Company's flagship brand, Samuel Adams(r) Boston
Lager, is brewed using the same recipe and processes that Jim Koch's
great-great grandfather used in the mid 1800s. The result is a beer renowned
by drinkers for its full flavor, balance, complexity, and consistent
quality. For more information, visit www.samueladams.com.

###

SAMUEL ADAMS IMPERIAL PILSNER 2005 HARVEST
FACT SHEET

THE BEER:
For the first time, Samuel Adams is celebrating the fall hops harvest with
the introduction of Samuel Adams(r) Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest. This is
the first beer to reach market using this year's Bavarian hops crop. This
one-of-a-kind brew uses enormous, almost reckless, quantities of Hallertau
Mittelfrueh hops selected fresh from this year's Bavarian hops harvest,
making it one of the "hoppiest" beers in the world. The quality of these
hops give the beer an unmatched flavor dimension and complexity and
drinkability, even at these elevated BU (bitterness unit) levels.

THE VISION:
Every fall, Jim Koch, Founder of the Boston Beer Company, Brewer of Samuel
Adams beers and his team of brewers travel to one of the oldest hops-growing
regions of the world, the Hallertau region of Bavaria in Germany, to
hand-select Noble hops. The vision for Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005
Harvest was to brew a beer that immediately uses the hops freshly picked off
the vine from the current 2005 harvest.

THE TASTE:
Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 is made with the four classic ingredients
of beer: hops, malt, yeast and water. With the first sip, beer enthusiasts
will experience an explosion of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops flavor. This
rare hop variety, considered to be one of the best in the world, is prized
for its quality and aromatic characteristics. The intensity of deep citrus,
spicy Noble hops flavor is balanced with the slight sweetness from the malt.
Due to the quality of the hops, this beer remains balanced and smoothly
drinkable. The lingering "hop signature" is an amazing treat for hops
lovers. The beer, which is a deep golden color with a rich, creamy head,
gives off an intense and complex Noble hops aroma unlike any other brew.

THE BOTTLE:
Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest is packaged in a 24 oz. bottle
featuring a beautiful label with an artistic rendering of a farmer hand
selecting the Bavarian hops from the harvest. The suggested retail price is
$4.99.

OTHER SPECIFICS OF IMPERIAL PILSNER 2005 HARVEST:
Alcohol by Volume: 8.8%
International Bitterness Units: 110
Availability: Nationwide limited-edition release November 2005
Available Package: 24 oz. bottle
Brewing Site: Samuel Adams Breweries in Boston, MA and Cincinnati, Ohio
Number of Bottles Brewed: 60,000
Recommended Serving Temperatu 38 to 42 degrees
Retail Locations: Specialty liquor or beer stores where Samuel Adams beer is
sold
Suggested Retail Price: $4.99

Best Foods to pair with Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest:
* Beef stroganoff
* Steak with mushroom sauce
* Tuscan-style meat, such as Osso Buco
* Flavorful cheeses such as brie, camembert, or blue cheese

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY'S BACKGROUND:
The Boston Beer Company is America's leading brewer of handcrafted,
full-flavored beer. Founder and Brewer, Jim Koch, brews Samuel Adams using
the time-honored, traditional four-vessel brewing process, and the world's
finest all-natural ingredients. With 18 distinctive, award-winning styles of
beer, Samuel Adams offers discerning beer drinkers a variety of brews. The
brewery has won more awards in international beer tasting competitions in
the last five years than any other brewery in the world. Samuel Adams is an
independent brewery and has half of a percent of the domestic beer market.
The Company's flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager(r), is brewed using
the same recipe and processes that Jim Koch's great-great grandfather used
in the mid 1800s. The result is a beer renowned by drinkers for its full
flavor, balance, complexity, and consistent quality. For more information,
visit www.samueladams.com.

###

--
--
Jason Alstrom
--
BeerAdvocate.com New England Beer Fest - October 29th 2005
http://beeradvocate.com/fests/
--

J. Alstrom > wrote:
>"Hops Are to Beer What Grapes Are to Wine"

Hops provide fermentable sugars?! Who'd say such an
ignorant thing?

>The Boston Beer Company...

Oh, them. Figures.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

"Joel" > wrote in message
...
> J. Alstrom > wrote:
>>"Hops Are to Beer What Grapes Are to Wine"
>
> Hops provide fermentable sugars?! Who'd say such an
> ignorant thing?

The only purpose of grapes in wine is to provide fermentable sugars? Who'd
imply such a disingenuous thing?

>>The Boston Beer Company...
>
> Oh, them. Figures.
> --
> Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
> plutchak at [...]

Oh, you. Figures.

Really. Grapes are to wine what malt AND hops (in part) are to beer; i.e.,
the source of the fuel AND a varietal differentiation. It's not a wholly
incorrect analogy.
--
Lew Bryson

"GOOD or SHITE?" -- Michael Jackson, "Thriller", 1982
www.lewbryson.com

Lew Bryson > wrote:
>Really. Grapes are to wine what malt AND hops (in part) are to beer; i.e.,
>the source of the fuel AND a varietal differentiation. It's not a wholly
>incorrect analogy.

My point, of course, is that it is not wholly correct,
either. I would maintain it is much more incorrect than
correct. For example, one can make wine with grapes alone[*].
One can't do that with hops.
[*] And yes, I specifically left out added yeast.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

> One can't do that with hops.
>
Wee...eelll.
You probably heard from De Dolle Brouwers, no? They have something on most
festivals and exhibitions they're on, that they call "Hop Dink" (sic). It is
a pressed hopsjuice that is fermented with beeryeast. Actually, hops DO
contain some fermentable matter, and the brew has some 0.5% ABV.
Where I have to yield, however, is whether one can call this thing "beer" in
its own right... It has some similarities however, to some Westcoast brews
in character... 8^}

Cheers, Joris