Samuel Adams Norse Legend
This ancient Finnish-style brew dates back to the 1500s as one of the oldest continuously brewed styles. Deep amber in color, this rugged brew’s distinctive aroma and flavor comes from aging on a bed of juniper berries. The herbal, woodsy, and ripe citrus character of the juniper enlivens a sturdy and smooth malt backbone for a fresh and flavorful brew. At Samuel Adams we love experimenting, This series of limited edition brews represents some of our favorite small batch creations.
3.3
296 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Tasted from tall brown bottle into standard pint glass. It poured a clear deep reddish brown color with beige foam, lasting with lace. Aromas of caramelly malt, ale yeast esters, faint hops, subtly spicy evergreen resin juniper essence. Malty sweet flavor, pilsner and caramel, nice rye bite, more juniper tartness. Medium body and carbonation, well-rounded mouthfeel, sticky aftertaste, warming alcohol. I understand the concessions they made, but this was no closer to a true Sahti than New Belgium’s version. Lacked the no-boil turbidity and bakers yeast haze, cheated with hops, etc. Overall impression was that of a weaker, resin-ier Abbey Dubbel. Pretty tasty and interesting, but I wanted to like it more than I did.
Ruby amber with a moderately dissipating medium beige head. Aroma is rich and spicy with caramel, odd spices, citrus and mild fruit. Taste is of heavy spices and caramel with cedar, citrus, juniper and honey. Sweet, malty and a tad cloying
Bottle. Garnett color with some floaties. Very unique flavor. Juniper and butterscotch. Really smooth. Awesome texture.
-- rated with Beerbasher
Bomber. Rosy garnet with a dense, tan head. Caramel and dark fruit with gin aromas. Never tasted anything like it.
Bottle. Wine Warehouse, CHO. Pours a reddish amber, maybe slightly cloudy. Small orangey head. Aroma is a heavy caramel malt with juniper tossed in there. Taste is the same. Overkill on the malt. A little burnt flavor in the end.
A: Reddish/Amber Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Some Lacing
S: Mild Juniper Berry, Mild Sweet Malts
T: Mild Juniper Berry, Mild Malts
M: Average Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Watery
Overall, whoever classified this beer as a Sahti was DEAD NUTS WRONG!
Bottle. Yes this beer is made with juniper and you can tell in both aroma and flavor and you know what, I like it, it’s pretty good.
I had this at Global Brew. Pours a amber with off white head. Taste a little fruity. I thought this was very good. I would definitely drink this again.
Bottle (22 oz). Amber with a small off-white head and light lacing. Aroma is of light berries, light sweetness, spices, herbal notes and caramel. Taste is moderately sweet with light berries, yeast, caramel, herbal notes and spices. Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Not bad... and a Sahti tick!
pours hazy copper with an off-white cap, some retention and lacing. fruity caramel, spices, grass, pepper, hint of bubblegum, bitter herbs, tips and/or unripened berries, faro-like sweetness - obvioulsy not enough bittering/astringency cutting through, moderate yeasty character - english-like in fact. moderate carbonation, light body, herbal-peppery-grassy finish. meh.
Sampled in a bomber from a sampler pack. A really nice brew. Juniper and earthy flavors are really quality. Great brew.
Bottle. Hazy copper pour, white head. Molasses, malty aroma, caramel, juniper berries, earthy notes, fruity. Taste is fruity, sweet, earthy with a spicy juniper finish, spruce tips. Palate is full bodied with light carb. I liked this.
Bomber into snifter glass. Deep clear ruby brown with tan head, very bubbly. Aroma of caramel malt sweetness and slight herbal/citrus note. Taste seems to go another direction from aroma, malt sweetness is subdued with notes of pine, toast, assorted herbs, fruitiness, wood, citrus, some honey and slight earthy hoppiness. Medium body, heavy carbonation, herbal, complex with lasting finish. Pretty good, not the juniper berry bomb I expected from reading the bottle.
Menthol beer. Aroma taste flavor all medicine. Not good in my opinion.
Unique but nothing special.
Very nice. Entered this beer on a different app and I'm not able to import my comments unfortunately.
Bottle. Pours a hazy reddish-brown with an off-white head. Aroma is very sweet and malty, actually smells oxidized. Taste is rather dull, mild-medium sweet with a slight herbal quality. Unimpressive, awesome name though.
A nice mahogany body with a tan head that had good retention and mild lacing. Aroma had some nice caramel malts to it, some mild citrus notes. There seemed to be a heavy presence of vanilla and wood and a slight sweetness to it. Not really sure about the juniper berries. Flavor was mostly sweet, but nowhere near cloying. Some nice spice notes and there was a presence of vanilla as well. Finish was smooth and the body was moderate. Nice beer.
Bottle shared by Ramy at tasting at my house. Pours cloudy brown with off white head. Nose and taste of juniper berry, brown sugar and old burnt toffee. Medium body.
(Bottle). Aroma and taste of sweet toffee, brown sugar and alcohol. OK beer but this must be the silliest Sahti/Gotlandsdricke/Koduõlu ever brewed, shame on you Boston Beer Company for calling this a Sahti!
bottle. Deep amber with small head. Oddly, I don’t detect any juniper or pineyness. More of just a slightly malty English ale than anything else. I expected this to be weirder than it turned out to be.
Mahogany clear red brown pour big frothy head. Aroma of rubber, malt, and juniper. Tastes quite sweet & roasty with a serious medicinal bitter finish. Burnt caramel flavors, honey, and pine. Mid to heavy body. Complex in taste, but a bit heavy on the sweet side.
Ruby brownish amber with large fluffy off-white head. Aroma is malty, caramel, some fruitiness. Medium body. Fruity, caramel, a little earthy, quite herbal (which I can only imagine is the juniper influence). A little dryness. Interesting.
Malt, sweet, caramel, a little juniper.
tastes similar. a little drying at the end.
An OK beer. Definitely different. Aroma was dark malt and toffee. Pour was a cloudy milk chocolate brown with a thin off white film for a head. Taste was nice. Chocolate and toffee were the main flavors with notes of earth. Tastes rustic. Nice carbonation round the beer out. Not bad
Growler. Deep amber with a thin off white head. Aroma of juniper, pine, caramel and herbs. Flavor is pine, black pepper, caramel and dough. Medium body with average carbonation. Not bad, the juniper is not overpowering but you definitely know it’s there.
22 oz bottle pours amber with a white head. Aroma of spice, malts and fruit. Taste is malts, fruit and pepper.
22oz bomber. Pours a dark amber color with a thick tan head. Aroma of sweet caramel and bready malts, herbal tea, and fruitiness. Taste is herbal tea up front, with some sweet caramel maltiness, and piney bitterness in the end.
Dark ruby pour with a tan head. Aroma is caramel malt with a great herbal presence. Taste is malt and spice, junipers, herbal flavor. So tasty. Nice lacing.
Sam Adams Sahti-------Clear amber color with ivory head. Peppery, salty, nutty, caramel aromas. medium body with average carbonation. Nutty caramel, spicy, peppery, salty flavors---good
Bottle. Pours with a mostly clear bronze hued body with an off-white head. Aromas are spicy, marmalade, juniper, spruce. Malty and nutty. Flavors are very spicy, nutty, juniper. Lots of spice notes going on. Some eugenol numbness. Very lively carbonation, medium bodied.