Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 3.72 958

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
958	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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Cletus (5057), Connecticut, USA

3.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.5	8/10	3/5	6/10	4/5	14/20

Nov 9, 2005

Pours copper with a nice, big, white, foamy, lasting head. Smells of citrus, pine, caramel, cane sugar. Taste is peppery and metallic with some over the top bitter hop elements. The alcohol and bitter hops overwhelm the malt leaving it behind. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and peppery. Finish is very heavy on the pepper and bitterness with some mild alcohol burn there. Maybe in a year I’ll revisit this one, but it is way too unbalanced fresh.

JoeMcPhee (5010), Jackson Heights, New York, USA

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

Apr 3, 2006

24 oz bottle courtesy of jimbowood... thanks. Very cloudy deep orange coloured beer with a thick off-white head. Big spicy, grassy hop aroma. Lemon and citrus and very fresh-smelling. Sweet lightly toasted maltiness, fairly bready and very yeasty. Flavour is quite bitter with some lingering resinous hoppiness mixed in with all of the noble spiciness. Creamy mouthfeel with lemon citrus and earthy/spicy hops. Heavy grassy notes, especially as it starts to warm up. Great hop profile, balanced well by the copious pale malts. Full-bodied, not boozy or hot, just damn tasty.

¾ (4999), Colorado, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Oct 31, 2007

12oz bottle, 2007 version. Clear medium golden orange color. Intensely hoppy and crisp nose, with grassy and fruity notes mixed up with some pils malt and pears. Flavor is similarly hoppy, grassy, fresh, lively and delicious. The hops are festive and grassy and suggest this is more of an IPA than any imperial pils, but style complaints notwithstanding, this is a really delicious, well-made beer. Thick and full and almost a bit frothy. Out of my price range for regular drinking, though, but still very good.

Cornfield (4961), Oak Forest, Illinois, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	6/10	4/5	8/10	3/5	16/20

Nov 27, 2005

This is a very big, but very drinkable beer, pouring a hazy dark amber with a dense, rocky head that "laces" the glassin chunks. The aroma is a carmel malt covered by a strong earthy hopping, some pepper, and a bit of lemon zest. It’s thick, chewy, and slightly oily in the mouth. The flavor begins with the caramel, but that is soon overtaken by the strong hop bitterness, earthy and floral, with pepper and a trace of the hefty abv coming through. The finish is a prolonged bitterness followed by an internal warmth from the alcohol. Very good lager for this hophead.

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JPDIPSO (4926), Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA

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

Nov 6, 2005

Hazy amber color with a tall taupe head. Thin lace. Fresh hops aromas. Definitely smells like my Mt. Hood, just picked last week. LIght sugar cookie backdrop. Quite dry in the front. Surprisingly so. Mild citric component, not grapefruit, but lighter and slightly sweeter. Thick and chewy, with enough lift and zest to help from being cloying. Sweet lightly toasted malt flavors. mid to late in the sip. Hops come back in the linger and continue long after the last quaff. Biting and spicy sensation on the tongue. A nice effort overall. but I’m still perplexed by this imperial pilsner thing. Always thought a amped up pils or lager was a malt liquor. Alcohol is only noticed it sipped over the tongue and the nose is filled with spirits, and my ears feel warm. If you are a hophead you should enjoy this. Even I am enjoying sipping on this and watching the game. I think I will pick a few of these up to see if the hops subside and the malt comes out a touch more with a little age.

BückDich (4854), McCall, Idaho, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	8/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Mar 23, 2006

Bottle: Orange color, lots of off-white lacing. Nose of bright citrusy hops. Some earthy malts but overall a nice hoppy character. The flavor is lightly sweet with lots of alcohol notes. The finish is tangy, a bit light on the tail. Good strong lager.

Tmoney99 (4771), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Dec 8, 2005

Bomber bottle. Hazy amber color with an average frothy white head that was lasting and produced good lacing. Good heavy citrus and grass aroma. Medium body. Moderate spice and hop flavor with a long finish. Very good brew.

anders37 (4760), Malmö, Sweden

3.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.5	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	14/20

Nov 26, 2007

Bottle. Pours a hazy pale amber color with a large longlasting off-white head. Very hoppy bitter malty aroma with hints of grapefruit. Malty hoppy bitter flavor with some piney hints. Malty alcoholic warming bitter finish.

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