Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: European Strong Lager
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Rerate. So they’re only 12oz this year. Hazy orange with a three finger off-white slightly yellowish head, pretty good retention with spotty lacing. Aroma has a lot of grassy hops, baled hay, sweet caramel and light buttery toffee. You’d think it pretty sweet, but the hops thus far are restraining the sweetness (at least in the aroma). Flavor is indeed very hoppy with plenty of bitterness to go around. Quite grassy with a good amount of spicy hops following that. Sweetness (which only shows up at the beginning of the sip) is pretty much overtaken by the hops, but there is still some caramel to be had. Lingering bitterness in the bone dry grassy and herbal finish peaks around a 6-7 (out of 10). As a side note, and I think pretty nifty, was in the aftertaste I can pick up on very light notes of the grassy hops--I would have almost said skunky a few years ago, and this is what I pick up on with most pilseners to some degree or another. Alcohol is present, but not harsh at all. Medium body with soft smooth carbonation. This is a fair amount better than I remember it being, though I’m sure everything is the same--I just can recognize things better. Old rating follows. 24oz. bottle. Pours a very copper golden with a large, frothy off-white head. Strong hop aroma, piney and citrusy, with some sweet caramel maltiness in the background. Can’t say that it really tastes (or smells) anything like a pilsener, but this is a pretty damn good beer. Moderate bitterness up front with some floral hops, then switches to some malty sweetness. Alcohol covered up fairly well, but noticeable. 8-5-8-3-15--3.9

2007 version in 12 oz. bottle. Hmm, new name, but was the previous version all-Hallertauer? Could be. Much the same impression as my previous rating. But the hops actually reach an intensity one might find only with PNW IPA hops. This limited release probably used more hops than Coors uses all year.

2005 version in bomber bottle, "best by" Jan 2006. Bought at Walt’s Foods, Homewood, IL So that’s an overdose of German hops at the IPA level. Pours a cloudy orange body, but in a tall straight pilsner glass it kicks up a head in half the glass. The off-white head resolves to a rocky chunk with good cling to the sides. Well, I’ve been looking for a consistently wonderful pilsner beer, but this is kind of overloaded with malts and hops, to take it out of the style. Not to say I don’t enjoy it. It’s a Sierra-level hop load, but with German hops to add a nice peppery spiciness to the orange citrus zest. Again, the malts bigs enough to taste more like a pale ale than a lager: but a biscuity, honey roast does indeed show up. An extreme Sam Adams, yes, but not as overdone as, say, the Chocolate Bock.

Wow! Did Sam Adams finally hit the mark or what? Awesome beer. Aroma was weak for how big this beer is. Could pick up hops in the aroma. Pour was a cloudy gold with a one finger white head. Taste was a huge hop bomb. Heavy pine and grassy hops in the taste with just a tad of malt and some lemon. This was like an IIPA without the thick syrup mouthfeel and the overly sweet malt. Glad I tried this!

Clear amber with a viscous white head. Nice spicy hop, pale lager yeast and malt aroma. Medium heavy body and smooth. Good flavor is sweet n spicy herbs, with heavy pale malts. Pretty damn good.

Pour is a cloudy orange with a smallish white head. Aroma is super, nice bready malts and also tons of piney hoppyness. Smells more like and IIPA than any pilsner. Flavor is bready and spice. Bitter hops make and appearance as it warms. 9% alcohol is well hidden and the brew is easy to drink but not to fast. Overall this is a different brew with it good qualities to please the sences. Another plus is that it is fairly inexpensive.

2007 release, bbe Jan 2008. Slightly hazy and golden with a big fluffy head that hangs around and leaves alot of sticky lace. Big citrus and herb hop aroma mixed with some honey. Flavor is evergreen resin, grassy herb, and citrus with some honey drenched cereal grain and slight chocolate. Not really a fit with the style description, but still an excellent beer that is strangely similar to a good west coast style IIPA. Palate is medium bodied and smooth.

Huge hop (citrus and floral) notes not quite balanced by the sweet rich malt base. Very prominent grapefruit, orange, and fruity hop profile, much more reminiscent of an Imperial IPA than a pilsener, but I’m not complaining!

24 oz bottle, from BevMo. Pours hazy, dark amber with a creamy beige head that diminishes mostly and leaves some lacing. Aroma is fully infused with the hallertau hops - very earthy and herby with citrus,spruce and hints of maple (?). The tast is bold, the imperial designation indeed well deserved with sweet and rich fruity malts evident, but dominated by the fresh hops which give the brew an earthy pine, lemon zest and spice flavor along with a notiicable alcohol bite and pepper finish. Full body and creamy carbonation. This is definitely unlike your typical pilsner. In fact given the malt and hop profile, if someone has sold this to me as an IPA or even a DIPA, I wouldn’t argue. Quite good, but don’t drink it out of a lager glass, go for a tulip to help appreciate the aromas.