Marathoners now have ‘Samuel Adams 26.2′ (company name Boston 26.2 Brew) beer thanks to the Boston Brewing Company. The announcement was made last night at the Boston Athletic Association’s headquarters in Boston.
The BAA, which organizes the Boston Marathon, is a partner in the brewing of the beer, which is a gose. Never heard of a gose? There’s a good reason for that. It’s something of a forgotten style. It’s a light German beer brewed with at least 50 percent wheat, plus coriander and salt. Few brewers make a gose, which is too bad, because it can be quite tasty, with fruity esters, a spicy character, and a tart finish. (The name 26.2 refers, of course, to the number of miles in a marathon, not the alcohol content, which is 4.5 percent.)
The brew connects two of Boston’s most famous namesakes:
“Our partnership is a perfect fit because of our shared history– a Boston-born brewery joining the biggest of Boston traditions,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. “I released my first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager to the public on Patriots Day in 1985, the day of the Marathon right here in Boston. I faced a lot of challenges getting that first brew packaged and distributed in time, but I had set Patriots’ Day as my deadline. About half of our first 25 accounts were within three blocks of the finish line. So, the Marathon’s finish line was my starting line,” added Koch.
The beer will be available at limited bars for it’s initial release and along the marathon race course:
This is the first ever partnership between the Boston Athletic Association and Sam Adams.
The special brew will be available at race-related events, as well as pubs and restaurants along the marathon route and around Boston.
You can view a list of the 100 bars that will be keeping ‘SA 26.2’ on tap HERE.
