SAM ADAMS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

Hard to believe but Sam Adams Boston Lager hit the big “two-five” on Patriot’s Day. What started out at a two-man operation brewing out of founder Jim Koch’s kitchen in 1985 has blossomed into a multi-million dollar international organization with three breweries and nearly 8OO employees. Three months after its release, when Koch ended up driving all over the city on Marathon Monday delivering kegs, the Boston Lager was voted “Best Beer in America” at the Great American Beer Festival. The publicity that followed helped the Boston Beer Company’s sales grow to 7,393,OOO liters (63,OOO barrels) in 1989. The beer was first put on tap at Doyle’s Cafe in Jamaica Plain. Twenty-five years later, Boston Beer is the largest independently owned US beer maker, and one of the world’s most successful craft brewers. It has expanded from the original lager to offer 19 year-round beers under the Sam Adams name, and a rotating collection of seasonal and specialty brews, including the recently launched Barrel Room Collection.