Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 3.72 959

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

	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
959	3.73/5.0	3.72/5.0	Special	8.8%	99.2	Lager 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.

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Pailhead (2606), Allen Park, Michigan, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	15/20

Nov 20, 2005

Bottle: Aroma is all citrus hops with some light flowery hops. Pours a hazy dull orange with a small off-white head. Very citrusy from start to finish. Very IIPA-ish. If I tasted this blind, that’s what I would guess it to be. Big grapefruit hop finish that lingers for some time in the aftertaste.

5000 (2600), Hardened Liver, Washington, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	15/20

Dec 18, 2005

Bottle: Deep gold, very hazy, huge foamy off-white head, nice lacing. Combination hop bite and alcohol on the nose. Strong hop bite, for a pils at least, tea leaf, and alcohol on the tongue. Body and mouthfeel are quite full. Piney finish, citrus peel as well. Imperial what?!?! More like an IPA than a pils, but still fairly entertaining it is. Thanks to jjpm74 and Santa Clark for the bottles!

1FastSTi (2580), Glendale, Wisconsin, USA

4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4	7/10	5/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Nov 6, 2005

Wow, lucky enough to get in one of the first 10 ratings... well, Sam Adams says it’s a Pilsner, so I used my Pilsner glass for this one. Really odd shaped bottle. It has a reverse cascading head (like Guinness) when I poured it into my glass. It has a thick, fully-lasting ULTRA dense white head. I haven’t seen head this solid. Beautiful lacing. The body is a hazy orangish-copper color. Slow, visible carbonation. The aroma is quite unique. Almost like zesty tomato sauce. Definitely spicy floral/herbal hops with some graham crackers. I say graham crackers because I got a little head up my nose on the smell test. It smelled pretty much like that. (In reality, the graham cracker doesn’t get out of suspension). The flavor is quite intense. Nice and spicy Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. Tasty toasted/roasted (non-chocolate/coffee) malts. Similar to a nice English toffee doused in melted butter. The palate is definitely bitter and resiny. The mouthfeel is very full-bodied, creamy, and has a carbonation kick. A touch too bitter or I’d give it a 5. There must be over 1000 calories in this brew it’s that thick. I like the beer and would buy it again.

Bockyhorsey (2552), Mesa, Arizona, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	6/10	5/5	8/10	3/5	17/20

Nov 28, 2005

Aroma of hops. Detected a musty ordor also. Dark golden color body with large white creamy head. Head settled ti an 1/4 inch on top of beer till end. Had a bold citrus hop flavor that was more like an IPA. Best Sam Adams I’ve had so far. Left a pale citrus aftertaste on palate.

dwyerpg (2545), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

4.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.7	10/10	4/5	9/10	5/5	19/20

Nov 17, 2007

I’d have to say that this an overall fantastic brew. Hoppy, aromatic, hoppy, sweet, hoppy, balanced taste throughout, hoppy, great. Just love it. And not overpriced!

jgb9348 (2515), Arlington (Pentagon City), Virginia, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Jan 11, 2009

Nice hazy deep orange coloured body with a golden tint and a nice thinnish white head that tops the beer. Aroma of fresh hops, peaches, apricots and a nice maltiness. Full-bodied; Strong hoppy flavour with some good malt to back it up and some stronger alcoholic tastes to accomdate the flavour. Aftertaste shows some fresh hops and a good amount of malt with little else. Overall, a nice beer - definitely a bit more than the style dictates. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased at Norm’s in Vienna, Virginia on 25-December-2005.

GregClow (2500), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	8/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Dec 12, 2005

Sample at DougShoemaker’s 2005 December gathering - bottles courtesy of tupalev & DougShoemaker. Gladen-orange colour with a moderate white head. Aroma is big and resiny, with some fresh orange notes - very nice! Flavour is aggressively hoppy, which was fine by me. If given this blind, I would’ve tagged it as an IPA or APA. A really nice brew.

OhioDad (2491), Hilliard, Ohio, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	8/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

Jan 8, 2006

22oz bottle via trade with jonathan3584 - Thanks Jonathan! Pours golden/amber and cloudy witha fairly large offwhite head. Aroma is hoppy citrus, floral and a bit of grass. Flavor is mostly dominated by the massive bitterness of the hops as well. Notes of grapefruit, a touch of orange, and some yeast. Light grains can also be found. Palate is medium bodied and I thought the alcohol was well hidden. This seemed much more like an IIPA than an Imperial Pilsner to me but I guess it works.. Pretty tasty..

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