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Absolutely Fabiolous
Before we get to the short bio of
Sam Adams, it seems appropriate to answer the real question
everybody seems to have about Sam: Did he brew beer?
Yes. The
small brewery Sam inherited from his father failed for lack of
commitment due to Sam’s real love, politics. But that was no
reason for Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company (est.
1984), to not name his signature beer after the patriot.
Using a recipe his great-great grandfather, Louis Koch, created in
1860, Koch went with the name Samuel Adams, feeling that just as
Sam had spawned a political revolution by taking on the political
powers-that-be, Koch would set out to create a revolution in beer
brewing to take on what he felt was a stagnant, unimaginative beer
market dominated by a handful of large brewers.
Koch’s vision
was almost immediately successful, spearheading the now-robust
microbrew industry and still remains the dominant
microbrewery in the US.
But when it came to deciding on a
beer label logo, apparently Sam’s personal appearance was deemed
in need of improvement.
The image of Sam considered most realistic
was painted by John Singleton Copley and while I would agree with
others that have asserted that Sam would not win any “hunk”
contest, I will, however, dispute those tour guides, both oral and
written, that label Sam as “real ugly” “hideous” etc.
The label’s
logo image does, as some contend, look very much like Paul Revere,
again through the paintbrush of John Singleton Copley.
But
in my opinion the persona of the Boston Beer Co.’s Sam Adams logo
looks most like is Fabio of romance novel cover art fame! So if
you order a Sam Adams beer make sure to get a bottle and see if
you agree that the label’s image is indeed Absolutely Fabiolous!
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