When choosing between Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Yuengling Traditional Lager, what makes you choose one over the other? From price to flavor, there are plenty of reasons to pick your favorite.
The difference between Sam Adams Boston Lager and Yuengling Traditional Lager is present in their calories, ABV, ingredients, price, and popularity. Sam Adams Boston Lager is much more popular, has more calories, and is slightly more expensive.
To truly understand the differences between these two beers, let’s go over each one in detail.
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Sam Adams Boston Lager vs Yuengling Traditional Lager comparison overview
For a brewery with an anglicized variation of the German word for youngling, Yuengling is one of the oldest breweries around. When you compare age to the Boston Beer Company, the difference is night and day. Despite this, the Boston Lager is older than the Traditional Lager.
Samuel Adams Boston Lager got its start in Jim Koch’s kitchen. It existed as a craft beer for many years before reaching commercial popularity, making folks question whether it is still a craft beer.
Boston Lager is a full-flavored Vienna Lager that seeks to provide great, easy-drinking beer. To that end, the hop bitterness isn’t too strong while being evident. There is a wider range of flavors than commonly seen in commercial beers.
Yuengling Traditional Lager also comes from historical recipes. This beer is meant to evoke the pre-Prohibition Amber Lagers of America. The Pennsylvania-based brewery’s lager is nearly synonymous with lager in its hometown.
This medium-bodied beer has enough flavor to distinguish it from mass-produced American Lagers while still being easily sessionable. It brings toasty malt flavors together with light hop bitterness.
| Comparison | Sam Adams Boston Lager | Yuengling Traditional Lager |
| Calories | 175 | 141 |
| Carbs | 18 | 12 |
| ABV | 5% | 4.5% |
| Ingredients | 2-row pale malt, Caramel 60, Hallertau hops, Tettnang hops, Sam Adams lager yeast | Caramel malt, corn grits, Cascade hops, Cluster hops, yeast |
| Taste | Fresh bread, spice, floral, bitterness | Toast, hints of caramel, floral |
| Aroma | Fresh bread | Grain, floral hops |
| Cost (6 pack) | $9.50 | $9 |
| Popularity (in popular opinion Q4 2022 US) | 7th | 45th |
| History | First released in 1984 | First released in 1987 |
What is the difference between Sam Adams Boston Lager and Yuengling Traditional Lager?
When it comes to these two beers, there are many factors we can use to compare them. Using the below aspects, let’s break down the differences between Sam Adams Boston Lager and Yuengling Traditional Lager.
- Calories
- Carbs
- Alcohol Content (ABV)
- Ingredients
- Taste, flavors, and aroma
- Cost
- Popularity and sales
- History
The first few aspects–calories, carbs, alcohol content, and ingredients–help to determine the objective differences between the recipe and the final product.
Then we can break down why people like one over the other. By covering the taste, flavors, and aromas of the two beers we can highlight some of the subjective reasons for people’s preferences.
Lastly, we’ll cover the marketing and history of the two beers. That will include the cost, popularity, and sales of Sam Adams Boston Lager and Yuengling Traditional Lager.
Sam Adams Boston Lager
Calories, carbs, and other nutritional facts
A 12-ounce Sam Adams Boston Lager can contains 175 calories, 18 grams of carbs, 2 grams of protein, and zero grams of fat.
To put that another way, 200 calories is roughly 3 eggs. To reach the average recommended daily caloric intake, you’d only have to drink about 11 and a half Boston Lagers.
Alcohol Content (ABV)
Each 12-ounce can or bottle of Sam Adams Boston Lager has 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Most inebriation cheat sheets assume you’re drinking a 4.5% ABV beer so they should still be fairly accurate when drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager.
Ingredients
Sam Adams Boston Lager is brewed with 6 ingredients: water, Sam Adams 2-row pale malt, Caramel 60, Hallertau hops, Tettnang hops, and Sam Adamas lager yeast.
Unlike most commercial brewers, Samuel Adams releases their ingredient list. They don’t tend to release their recipe of course, but what goes into the beer is free knowledge.
The yeast and pale malt are proprietary Samuel Adams strains that the company has cultivated. This offers a uniqueness you can’t find elsewhere. As for their hops, they pride themselves on only using the best quality hops.
Hallertau hops lend slightly spicy, fruity, and floral flavor notes. The companion Tettnang hops add citrus, floral, and woody flavor notes.
Taste, flavors, and aroma
Sam Adams Boston Lager has notes of floral hops, fresh bread, and spice. It provides malt flavors with a touch of hop bitterness. The aroma is similar to the taste with a focus on the bready notes.
There is some sweetness to this beer in addition to the above flavors. This gives it a decently full body. The carbonation level is on the lower end of average, which makes it easy to drink. To get a better breakdown of Sam Adams Boston Lager, read this article.
Samuel Adams has recently “remastered” the Boston Lager. They claim not to have changed the recipe though several consumers have noted a decrease in quality. Whether this is a vocal minority or the truth is difficult to say. Try a Boston Lager and decide for yourself.
Cost
A 6-pack of 12-ounce Sam Adams Boston Lagers costs roughly $9.50. This can vary depending on your region and whether you get cans or bottles.
Boston Lager is available in many different packaging sizes and prices. At a bar, you might find it for roughly $5.
Popularity and sales
According to YouGovAmerica, Sam Adams Boston Lager is 7th in popularity in the US during quarter 4 of 2022. It has a popularity score of 46% and a fame score of 90%.
The popularity score is based on the percentage of people who think positively of the beer. The fame score is less judgemental as it is simply the percentage of people who’ve heard of it.
During 2022, net revenue for Boston Beer Company–owners of Samuel Adams and several other brands–increased by 1.6%. This resulted in a net income of $67.3 million. Of this, Samuel Adams is a portion though likely not the majority.
History
Samuel Adams Boston Lager first came to be when Jim Koch–founder of Boston Brewin Co–found a beer recipe belonging to his two times great grandfather (Louis Koch). Jim Koch brewed this beer in his home in 1984. This was followed by his founding of Boston Beer Co.
In 1985, Sam Adams Boston Lager won best beer at the Great American Beer Festival. Since then, the beer has only grown in popularity. In these early years, Koch relied on contract brewing.
By 1987, the Boston Beer Company had its first brewery. This enabled the company to take a stab at many other beer styles. Fast forward a couple of decades and Sam Adams Boston Lager becomes the official beer of the Red Sox in 2018.
Yuengling Traditional Lager
Calories, carbs, and other nutrition facts
A 12-ounce can of Yuengling Traditional Lager contains 141 calories, 12 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of protein, and 0 grams of fat.
For context, about 15 chocolate-covered almonds add up to roughly 150 calories. To reach 2,000 calories, you’d need to drink about 14 Yuenglings.
Alcohol Content (ABV)
Each 12-ounce can of Yuengling Traditional Lager has 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
The standard ABV for a beer when calculating inebriation is 4.5%. Since Yuengling Traditional Lager is at this average, you can use an inebriation cheat sheet to determine how many drinks you shouldn’t drive before.
Ingredients
Yuengling Traditional Lager is brewed with water, caramel malt, corn grits, Cascade hops, Cluster hops, and yeast. Most breweries do not list yeast as an ingredient because it is often filtered out of the final product.
The exact quantities and some specifics are not revealed to the public. Since we know the hops used we can identify the flavors they bring. Cascade hops are famous for citrusy grapefruit flavors and floral flavors. Cluster hops are known for grassy flavors and citrus notes.
Taste, flavors, and aroma
Yuengling Traditional Lager tastes of sweet grainy notes, toasty malts, and floral hops. The aroma reflects the taste with light graininess and hints of caramel.
The mouthfeel is medium to light that gives the beer a refreshing, crisp character. It is decently carbonated. To read more about how Yuengling tastes, check out this article.
Cost
A 6-pack of 12-ounce Yuengling Traditional Lagers costs roughly $9. You can find it at a bar for $4-5.
Yuengling is available in many other packaging sizes such as 12-packs, 24-packs, and 24-ounce cans.
Popularity and sales
According to YouGovAmerica, Yuengling Traditional Lager is 45th in popularity in the US during quarter 4 of 2022. It has a popularity score of 32% and a fame score of 65%.
The popularity score is based on the percentage of people who think positively of the beer. The fame score is less judgemental as it is simply the percentage of people who’ve heard of it.
Yuengling has been trying to expand into the rest of the country from Pennsylvania and other Eastern states in the past few years. This effort is being supported by Molson Coors since 2020.
This push did not do too well in Texas, which has the brand attempting to do better in other states such as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas.
History
D.G. Yuengling & Son has a long history that is reflected in its Traditional Lager. This beer, created by brewmaster Ray Norbert in 1987, harkens back to pre-Prohibition Amber Lagers.
Yuengling has been around for over a century (since 1829, to be exact). It is hailed as America’s oldest brewery. With this age comes no small measure of tradition. The Traditional Lager showcases traditional brewing styles and ingredients.
