I’m a big fan of Sam Adams beer and I keep up-to-date on what’s happening at the Boston Beer Company by receiving their e-mail newsletter and visiting their web site regularly.  So I was shocked when I saw a new Sam Adams beer in the beer cooler: Sam Adams Coastal Wheat.

Not only had I never tried this beer, but I’d never even heard of it, so I brought a six-pack home to sample with Beth (September 24).

I had really high hopes for this beer but we were not impressed.  The label says that the beer is brewed with lemons from California and there was a distinct lemon flavor in the beer that took some getting used to.

I did some online research to find out a little bit more about this beer and I learned that Coastal Wheat will be replacing the Hefeweizen in the Sam Adams line-up.  I was never a huge fan of the Hef, so I think it is a good idea to replace it, but I was hoping for a better wheat offering than this American wheat ale.  I wouldn’t mind a couple of bottles of Coastal Wheat in a mixed 12-pack, but I don’t think I’ll buy another six pack.