When we look back at 2016, the moments that define the year may be in the eye of the beerholder. But, one thing is for sure, at Sam Adams we think great beer has a way of connecting all of us and making each day better. We felt nostalgic after a few Boston Lagers and wanted to share what we thought were a few of the most fun, beer-filled moments in 2016:

1. We kicked off the year with two beer releases we couldn’t wait to share: Our Sam Adams Nitro Project, the first American nitrogenated craft beer released widely to drinkers in the U.S., and Rebel Grapefruit, the newest member of our growing West Coast IPA family.  And, don’t forget, fresh beer is the best beer.

2. For the first time ever, we let you peek inside our Nano Brewery with the Today Show’s Craig Melvin and we revealed our secret weapons: Brewers Jennifer Glanville and Megan Parisi.

3. After baseball season ended, The Samuel Adams Boston Brewery celebrated the retirement of Boston Legend, David “Big Papi” Ortiz by brewing Big Hopi Double IPA and donating the profits to The David Ortiz Children’s Fund. 

4. We can’t believe we’ve been working with homebrewers for nearly 20 years! Our Longshot American Homebrew Competition celebrated its 20th anniversary with three winning homebrews and we had so much fun collaborating with brewer colleagues nationwide including Flounder Brewing, Mikkeller, and Brazo Fuerte to name a few.

5. When he wasn’t taste testing a fresh batch of Boston Lager, Jim Koch found time to write a book and released Quench Your Own Thirst, Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two, which became a National Best Seller. We even had a story time with our friends at Thrillist. Circle up everyone!

6. We also ate our way through 2016 with the help if small food and beverage businesses in our Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program which has awarded 949 loans, coached 6000 people, created or retained 3806 jobs, and provided nearly $11 million in loans since 2008.  And, now we have a brain freeze because Minus the Moo, a company who creates ice cream for those who are lactose intolerant, won our Pitch Room Competition! 

7. We were thrilled for Sam Fans in Ohio, who finally were able to experience one of our most coveted brews. This year, Ohio lifted its ABV cap of 12% and, for the first time ever, Ohioans experienced Utopias in December. 

8. We had a real chuckle when the Brewers Association introduced mass domestic beer fan, Peyton Manning, to Boston Lager and other great craft beers to enjoy. Bring on 2017 and a Big Win for New England!

9. After four years of waiting, Berkshire Mountain Distillers finally released Two Lanterns Whiskey distilled from Boston Lager. This limited-edition beer was just named one of the 12 best booze gifts to give this Christmas. We’re stuffing stockings with 6 packs of Boston Lager and this whiskey for real a stocking stuffer surprise.  Thanks, Chris Weld!

10. We celebrated our American Brewer and Patriot revolutionary roots with a new look for Sam Adams. Not only did Boston Lager get a makeover, but finally, after 30+ years, Jim Koch’s denim and khaki got a makeover as well. We have fun swapping tips with our friends at Esquire, like we did with Jim’s yeast trick, which might help you out this holiday season.

The holidays will come and go and we’ll soon be popping Boston Lager’s on the stroke of midnight this New Years. We wish all of our Sam Fans, friends and family, lots of cheer over many great beers in 2017!