Sam Adams makes some decent beer, and its good that we have it, because if you go to any bar they are at least going to have Sam Adams(in my area), so you are not stuck with the really crappy beer. Their summer ale is quite tasty and so is their octoberfest. There lager is fine...but for some reason I hate their winter lager.
Sam Adams is no local Microbrew but it is pretty damn good. I guess I am kind of a beer snob, but I will recognize that Sam Adams deserves more credit for its beers, and that a lot of microbreweries are not all that great....again that being said..a good microbrew is 10x better than a Sam Adams.
BUT! Sam Adams has class and that goes a long way. When the price of hops went up and out of control, putting small breweries in trouble, Sam Adams sold their hops at low prices to them. Sam Adams had long term contracts with suppliers that did not change the price they got their hops at. Sure helping microbrews helps out Sam Adams in the long term..but it still is a classy move.