Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

My first surprise with this beer was how cloudy it poured. The second was how much I liked it. I haven’t had many lagers of any type that I really enjoyed; something about the soapy, grassy flavor just doesn’t work for me. I think it is the yeast and the process of "lagering" rather than the hops, but I’m not a brewer...... Cloudy body that leans toward orange. Small, fluffy white head that screams hops when you put your nose to it. The main smell I get is a piney/grassy smell, but there is something sweet underneath that begs investigation. The flavor is full and effervescent and really shows off the quality of the malt they use at BBC. After the first taste of malt the rest of this beer is about the hops. I’ve never had such a hoppy yet balanced Pilsner. The alcohol is well hidden, and the finish is clean, but not soapy clean. Outstanding.

Average in pale appearance, average in pineness and hops, average taste crisp but corney; a bit oiley and salty? OK drink...

I know I am in the minority here, but I really didn’t like this beer much. I found it to be a confused muddle. It is not like any other pilsner I’ve ever had. This beer has way too much of the wrong kind of hops for me. I did not like the flavor--it was too spicy AND bitter, and combined with the higher alcohol content created an almost unpleasant sensation in my mouth.

Pretty close to the perfect beer on the planet. I havent rated a 5 yet, but I reserve the right to go back and give it to this one. Cloudy amber, light pumpkin color with a full white head. Nose is hop explosion. Alot of graperuit, piney resin, pineapple and lemomgrass perfectly balanced with the sweet, biscuity malts. Expertly carbonated, with a medium body an smooth finish. A Sam Adams finest.

Probably the best Sam Adams I’ve ever had. Poured hazy orange with fluffy white head. Aroma of hops, citrus, and a hint of spice. Flavor was mostly the same. Very smooth and refreshing. Hides the alcohol well.

One of the more impressive beers from Sam Adams. A large amount of head when poured...one of the best smelling beers I have come across. Good amount of hops but not over powering. I’m a fan.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a cloud, deep gold with hints of light orange. The foam is thick and consists of fine, small bubbles at first - but they slowly collapse into one another forming ever larger bubbles until a thin layer of off-white foam remains, consisting of medium-sized bubbles. The aroma is heavenly. It definitely reminds me of Samuel Adams Boston Lager - big German Hallertauer hop nose and what smells like the same yeast. The aroma also has other decadent layers beneath the hops: lemon meringue and poundcake with a slight lacing of ethanol. The malts provide a vinous quality to the aroma that blends nicely with the hops. The flavor is quite pleasant - the front of the tongue detects a pleasant amount of biscuity, sweet malts, balanced by a strong, but no overpowering, level of bitter hops. The carbonation zing blends with the bitterness to provide something akin to acidity - but not unpleasant (almost refreshing, in fact). The middle of the tongue picks up on the battle waged between sweet, caramel malts and spicy, noble hops. It is great while it lasts. But therein lies the strange part - it doesn’t last long. The finish is very dry and peculiarly short-lived. The beer finishes with only the faintest memories of sweet malts and big, bitter hops (some alcohol, too). The mouthfeel is excellent - perfect level of carbonation for this type of brew. It lends a nice. crisp zing to the tongue. Overall - a knockout beer. Perhaps I say that because I love hops. The only thing disappointing is the finish - it is simply too short-lived. It makes the tongue feel dry and unloved. Perhaps this is an artifact of the incredible amount of hops (supposedly 110 IBUs, and -unlike many other heavy-hitters- this bitterness level was actually *measured*, not just calculated/projected).

Cloudy amber orange with a medium sized head. Aroma is a huge hit of pine and citrus hops with a whiff of malt. Flavor is a mouth puckering blast of bitter grapefruit hops. I don’t taste too much of the malt to balance this out but if you’re a hophead this is definitely your cup of tea.