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Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner  - European Strong Lager

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 Percentile 
96
overall
Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: European Strong Lager

Boston, Massachusetts USA

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
9563.73/5.03.72/5.0Special8.8%99.2Lager glass
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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?  
 carl4beer (391), Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Oct 27, 2007  
great to have it back after 2 years and bonus, ini 4 packs. pours a hazey golden with a modest white head. aroma is sweet with some citrus hops. mouthful has a great hops up front with a smooth malt backbone. a nice balanced imperial pilsner... too bad it does not cellar...


 Oakes (8057), gone rambling, Vietnam
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/518/20
Oct 27, 2007  
Cloudy blond colour. Disgustingly good mittelfruh aroma...powdery...gorgeous...explosive noble hop bouquet. The shock factor reminds me of when I first encountered the Boston Lager, back in the early 90s. Back then, the greatness of mittelfruh shocked me and it become my new favourite beer instantly. This aroma has that same effect. What an outstanding hop. Breezy pale malts back up the hop on the palate...not too much, though...but it has a great sense of balance which for me means that the malts support the hop but stay out of the way of my fanboyish slobbering. Beautiful...yeah I’m biased because it’s so rare I get to dip my head into a bag of this wonderful hop, but thank you Jim for the opportunity to relive those glory days!


 mcox90 (617), Wilton, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Oct 27, 2007  
12 oz bottle. Pours a cloudy yellow with an off white head. White lacing on glass. Nose is hops and grains. Mouthfeel is medium and bitter. Taste is primarily of hops. Flavor is of hops, pine needles and grass. Finish is dry and hoppy.


 Heathen (723), Riverside, New Jersey, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/102/513/20
Oct 27, 2007  
THOUGHTS: A well made beer. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I have to admit it’s good. I like a little more malt balance in my beer, but for what this is it’s pretty good. More malt comes out as it warms. It grew on me the more I drank. Hid alcohol well. I wanna say it’s like Heineken if Heineken was good. Tastes like a pilsener times ten. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a hazy, light orange or dark yellow with an average to large, just barely off-white head that lasted a while and left good lacing. The aroma was light malt that increased as it warmed and heavy grapefruit and orange citrus hops and some pine. The initial flavor was lighlty sweet and moderately acidic and bitter, while the finish was moderately sweet and heavily to harshly bitter with long on the tongue, but short in the throat and average for something this hoppy in the finish. The flavor was some malt up front but then citrus hops dominate. More malt as it warms with a better balance but still mostly hops. the medium body was creamy at first then the tongue goes dry. It was lightly fizzy with a metallic finish.


 Ritterkreuz (179), Seneca Falls, New York, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/56/104/515/20
Oct 26, 2007  
A hop lovers dream! The aroma is magnificent with the hops obviously shining through. The initial taste is almost sweat for a fraction of a second, bu then come the hops, and man are they strong, reminding me in many ways of an IPA.


 BDR (2139), Roseville, Minnesota, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/516/20
Oct 26, 2007  
Very good for a pils. Light grainy nose. Some citrus hops in an otherwise grainy body. Alcohol doesn’t stand out as much as I’d expect.


152219 (14), USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/104/516/20
Oct 26, 2007  
Bottle. Poured a cloudy copper color. A medium amount of creamy white head. Aroma is of sweet smelling hops and citrus undertones. Very nice mouthfeel with a bit of creaminess. Surprisingly, the aroma is hoppier than the taste. Quality beer.


 sayravai (3720), Helsinki, Finland
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/515/20
Oct 26, 2007  
(Bottled) Very hazy amber with a smallish, firm and lacy head. Smooth, aromatic-flowery-hoppy aroma with some alcohol presence. Dry, pine-grassy-hoppy flavor with the grassy bitterness staying in the mouth for a long time. Medium to full-bodied, very smooth and soft-carbonated palate. A quite nice mix of Liberty Ale and Urquell. Got the yeasty half, so might be different with less yeast.



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