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Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

Percentile
96
overall

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
9573.73/5.03.72/5.0Special8.8%99.2Lager glass
Commercial Description:
2005 info:This lager is made with fresh Bavarian hops, straight off the vines from the 2005 harvest in Germany, and packs an 8.8 percent alcohol content that's twice as strong as most popular beers.
Boston Beer Co. is brewing only 60,000 24-oz. bottles, which are due to begin arriving in stores in November.

2007 release info:
Yes, we're a little obsessed with hops. Every autumn for over twenty years, Jim Koch has traveled to one of the oldest hop-growing regions in the world, the Hallertau region of Bavaria in Germany, to hand-select Noble Bavarian hops, including the Hallertau Mittelfrueh variety. This special variety is considered to be one of the best in the world, prized for its unique taste and aroma. Samuel Adams® Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is a celebration of these extraordinary hops. This beer is one of the hoppiest in the world, without being overly bitter. With the first sip, you will experience an explosion of some of the world's finest hops. And we mean “explosion” in a good way. Brewed as a showcase for the hops, this bold brew highlights the spicy, citrus flavors and aromas of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops that are abundant in the recipe. The intense hops flavor is balanced with the slight sweetness from the malt. The brew remains pleasantly well-balanced from beginning to end, due to the quality of the hops, and continues to always be, well, "hoppy," providing hop lovers with an amazing beer drinking experience.
Available in 12oz. bottles.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 scottw86 (182), Maryland, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/516/20
Nov 15, 2007    Updated: Jan 14, 2008
Very hoppy tasting. Pours a light hazy amber with a light head. Very smooth, with a nice aftertaste. A great beer.


buzz9 (15), Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/56/104/514/20
Nov 15, 2007  
liked it - very hoppy -very tasty unique pilsner - great dark golden - tasted much like a boston lager but stronger - not overpowering


 RSRIZZO (1362), Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Nov 15, 2007  
Had this beer on 10/11/07 at GABF. Aroma is a nice fresh hoppy scent. Color is a slightly hazy yellow gold with fair carbonation and a thin tight head. Taste is very hoppy and smooth with a mild bitterness. Overall it is one of the tastiest Pilsners I have ever had.


 chadje (130), Pasadena, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/515/20
Nov 15, 2007    Updated: Nov 27, 2007
Pours a nice hazy gold color with a good sized head. A difstincitve hoppy and a little citrusy smell. A good smooth tasting beer with no overpowering hopps or malts taste. A good balance taste with a nice good aftertaste as well. A really good beer.


 DKlovesbeer (172), Sarasota, Florida, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/510/105/519/20
Nov 14, 2007  
Wow! Pours like hazy gold with orange notes, or hazy orange with golden notes, either way it’s gorgeous. Nice foamy with head that dissipates fairly quick but leaves some decent lace in its path. Highly fragrant with all the citrus, pine, and sweet fruit presence that I crave. Flavor is well balanced with a sweet malty palate that dances with alcohol sprinkles and finishes in a nearly brutal hops assault. Honestly, to me, this beer is damned near perfect.


 Jabswitch (209), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Nov 14, 2007  
Cloudy amber with a smallish head. Nice aroma - some hop some malt. Peppy carbonation and a great hoppy bitterness. Just a nice blend of hops and malts. 8.8%?? Never would have guessed that high. No complaints about this one - although a bit high in price. Well worth it.


James9571 (1), Inverness, Florida, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner  does not count
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
Nov 14, 2007  
I’m home!!! I love hops! Jim Koch has finally achieved a hop-heads dream. Being a hop-head, bitter is a welcomed aspect. The moderate sweetness of the malt accents the hoppiness perfectly. This brew is hard to find in central florida so each purchase is welcomed with excitement. This is the one brew that surpasses hercules double for me. Thank you Jim!


 jpm30 (1588), East Central, Georgia, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Nov 13, 2007  
12 oz. bottle, best before date of January 2008, blurb on the back label, sampled in a pilsener glass. Sediment, micro particle specks from the hops is visible in the bottle. Quite foggy appearance, orange hued tarnished golden in color with a large rocky off-white head that leaves a good deal of ringed laced sticking along the side of the glass. Like promised, a big hoppy nose, flowery, herbal spicy, traces of oily pine, citrus scents of orange and rind. Light whiffs of alcohol are noticeable, plus hints of sweet pale malts. A chewy full bodied feel, smooth and creamy, this goes down quite easily. Mr. Koch wasn’t lying when he stated this has an aggressively hopped taste, herbal spicy, floral leafy, resins, oily slick, sticky on the tongue, orange, citrus rind and the squeezed juice from a fresh lemon. Even touches of wood and mint. Heavenly tasting for a hophead. The pale malts have a sugary syrup sweetness that complement and add to the citric tastes of the hops, bringing out an candied orange and lemon flavors towards the end. Finishes mouthwatering dry, salty spices and sweet malts. The alcohol is actually not that noticeable, hidden to some extent, just a very low temperature warmth in the back of the palate. I loved the 2005 release and once again I’m quite impressed. A pilsener that any hophead could love.



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