The brewers at Samuel Adams, a brand of Boston-based The Boston Beer Co., plan to spice up the winter season with a new, brighter, and smoother Cold Snap recipe, it says. The new Cold Snap showcases the brew’s signature blend of 10 exotic spices, fruits and florals: orange zest, vanilla, lemon zest, coriander, rose hips, hibiscus, plum, grains of paradise, anise and tamarind, the company adds.
To complement the season’s brisk weather, Samuel Adams brewers made purposeful adjustments to the spice and malt characters while maintaining the Cold Snap recipe’s original warming notes, it says. In adjusting the ratio of Cold Snap’s 10 exotic spices, brewers specifically amplified the orange and vanilla ingredient profiles for added brightness. With a lightened body and amplified flavor profile, the recipe is even more drinkable and refreshing, according to the company.
Cold Snap’s new recipe features crisp, sweet, cereal-malt impression and medium body that delivers a subtle and refreshing mouthfeel, it explains. The slight sweetness of the fruit and vanilla are balanced by the spicy-herbal, complex aroma of Hallertau Mittelfrüh noble hops for a brighter and smoother white ale.
“When we first brewed Samuel Adams Cold Snap in 2014, we were inspired by the turn of the season from winter to spring, and we set out to offer a sign of warmer days with a beer boasting fruity, floral and spicy characteristics,” said Jim Koch, Samuel Adams founder and brewer, on the new Cold Snap in a statement. “Our highly successful reformation of Samuel Adams Summer Ale earlier this year led brewers to revisit the complex flavors of Cold Snap, another seasonal favorite. The result was a brighter and smoother Cold Snap that will continue to help drinkers see past even the coldest winter days to a brighter future ahead.”
Samuel Adams Cold Snap is available nationwide now through March in six-pack and 12-pack bottles and cans, as well as on draft. Cold Snap also is available alongside an all-new style for the season, Mountain Berry, in Samuel Adams Spring Variety Bottles and Spring Can Mix Pack 12-packs. Mountain Berry is a light ale aged on raspberries and blackberries grown in the Pacific Northwest. Prices vary by market.