I agree with you. Beer can be many things: rich and hearty, as in Guinness; crisp, as in pale ale; hoppy, as in the Bohemians; but never sweet. For me, the gold (or amber) standard remains an honest Upper Bavarian Helles -- think Kloster Andechs. Prost!

The nationwide testing was done using bottles marked as A and B. I was 'lucky' enough to get a bottle of each to try. Boston Beer was going to let the public decide which of the two would be produced for sale. When compared with the other sample, this was, I thought, the better of the two. However, option C, 'do not make either', was not included. Sad to say but, I don't see this becoming a favorite in the Sammy lineup.

I think many beers are too sweet. Scottish Ales are a good example of this type of beer. Just like I like my wine totally dry (no residual sugar) I like my beer to be sugar free. But you are right about the masses. Most Americans like things sweet.

Sam Adams' Pale Ale leaves something to be desired as well. It doesn't have nearly the taste of, say Sierra Nevada or Bass.

I have to disagree with the other posts. I feel sweetness has its place in beer just as much as bitter. Like Mark said Scottish ales lean toward sweet. Beers like Belhaven are world class. Other sweet beers like Krieks, Framboise, Hefewiezzen, Farm house ales from Alsace, and too many others to name deserve their place in the wide and varied beer world. I actually enjoy the malty, sweet back bone in these beers.

I have to say that many of my favorite beers are those that balance malt sweetness with hop bitterness, as in a really done double IPA or strong amber. Nonetheless, there are some great sweet beers in the world. I'm thinking of big malty styles: barleywines, Belgian dubbels and quads, Lees Harvest Ale, doppelbocks, not to mention the local Clipper City Heavy Seas. Beers like those, at their best, also show off a lot of character and complexity, and don't necessarily have a generic mass appeal.

While I'm sure that the Sam Adams doesn't fall into this category (I am enough of a snob to avoid SA products at all costs)I just want to point out that there are some great sweet beers out there.

I agree with Dave that there are some really delightful beers that are on the sweet side. The Heavy Seas beers are some of my favorite local brews.

Beers of varying tastes are especially useful when pairing beers with different courses of a nice dinner. I'm a big fan of doing this and the sweeter beers have a home next to the dessert plates and certain courses. Try something mildly sweet with a spicy pasta dish and tell me you aren't outrageously happy.

Dave, avoiding Sam Adams isn't snobby: it's silly. They make good beer. Nothing wrong with enjoying good beer, even if it has become mainstream. They really helped to make the breadth of beers available today possible, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Not our scorn.