Samuel Adams

The brand takes its name from US Founding Father Samuel Adams. Jim Koch left his corporate career after discovering a family lager recipe in his parents' attic, tracing back to his great-great-grandfather's brewery, and raised $140,000 from friends and family to bring it to market. The Boston Beer Company was established in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1984. The Boston Brewery opened in the Jamaica Plain neighbourhood of Boston in 1987, and the brand has a taproom at Faneuil Hall Plaza. By 1988, Samuel Adams had become the largest-selling craft beer in the United States. The brand achieved nationwide distribution by 1996.

The brewery uses traditional ingredients including noble hops and two-row malted barley, across a range spanning more than 60 beer styles. Samuel Adams introduced seasonal beers for the first time in 1989. The Boston Beer Company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995 under the ticker SAM and remains independent of large brewing conglomerates. Samuel Adams is distributed in more than 30 countries. In 2019, the Boston Beer Company acquired Dogfish Head Brewery. The brand celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024.

Samuel Adams has been the official beer of the Boston Red Sox since the 2018 season, under an arrangement running through 2035. In 2008, the company launched its Brewing the American Dream programme to support food and beverage entrepreneurs.

The brand's alcohol-free range has two drinks, both of which have picked up awards.