Beer sampler packs have proven themselves an enigma to this beer scribe, who actually owes the development of his palate to these tantalizing packages.  For many (yours truly included) the initial draw to the sampler is (1) economy, (2) variety, and (3) fear of commitment to six or twelve of the same potential offensive beers.  I used to find myself combing through the various sampler packs, of which there were never too many, trying to find one that offered the most diverse selection of brews.  But after a while, I feigned away from the samplers, and gravitated towards creating my own samplers from the individual bottles on the shelf.  You see, knowing that there were so many different beers out there, even the sampler pack was limiting.

But this was not the only reason for my forsaking of the sampler…the sampler had grown stale, and was turning me off from trying many breweries whose samplers I sampled.  You see, I found that every brewery was putting their run-of-the-mill base brews in the pack, and they were coming up faulty.  The variety, was–in all actuality uniformity–a pale ale here, a brown ale there, perhaps an IPA for kicks and there you have it, the craft brewery “tantalizer.”

But recently, a shrinking beer budget forced me to forgo a self made sampler for the brewery standard.  In the past couple of months, I’ve picked up two samplers.  Both of the samplers I had recently surprised me a good deal.  The first was Mendocino Brewing Company‘s sampler consisting of White Hawk Original IPA, Eye of the Hawk Select Ale, Black Hawk Stout, and Red Tail Ale.  The surprise from the first was shock:  Did they really put these horrific beers in here to represent their brewery? My one sentence review of this line-up is:  Weak, gross, bland, and crappy.  The problem this sampler created is a one time customer; I will now be predisposed to bypassing Mendocino beers.

Then I stumbled across a Heavy Seas sampler.  Hesitant to try it, the high ABV’s listed on the box intrigued me, as well as the check box’s that were hand checked in magic marker,  and I caved.  Heavy Seas, put out by Clipper City, actually represents the brewers higher quality beers.  Now there’s a novel idea!  A sampler pack that is unique!  My sampler contained Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale, Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale, and Peg Leg Stout.  My one sentence review of this sampler is: Fantastic, delicious, and complex.  After the Mendocino affair, I was surprised–no, shocked, to enjoy a sampler.

One failed, the other passed (not with flying colors, but I’d happily buy it again).  While I will not seek out any of Mendocina’s other brews, I will be on the lookout for other Heavy Seas varieties.

The enigma?  Why do most breweries who market sampler packs draw attention to their worst beers?   Heavy Seas did not and won the sampler contest in my book.  What is your favorite domestic sampler?