 jcr (1153), Jasper, Indiana, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 20, 2005 What this beer lacks in aroma, it more than makes up for in flavor. This beer is all about hops. The aroma reveals little about the hop flavor — notes of citrus and flowers and spice. But the flavor, from the bitter beginning to end, is filled with fresh, carbonated grapefruit juicewith touches of lemon. Then there’s the sweet malt backbone that doesn’t overtake the hops, but provides a solid base for the bitter bite. The alcohol is apparent but not overwhelming.
Goodgrief (1152), Middletown, Delaware, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 |
Mar 23, 2008 Oct. 2007 - Labelled "Hallertau Imperial Pilsner". Fluffy head and pale color. Aroma of grassy hops. Super strong grassy hops behind very sweet malty backbone. Touches of floral aspects as well. Pretty good even though maybe a tad too sweet.
matta (1139), Tampa, Florida, USA
| 4.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Dec 15, 2005 Rating#890
I was very excited to find this at one of my local accounts this week. This store has a counterpart in an area of town that has a different Sam Adams distributor than we do here. I guess that distributor brought this beer in and not my local one, then this case got transfused south to the store where I bought it. Anyway, like anyone but me actually cares…
Pours a beautiful hazy bronze body and a massively thick cap of rocky ivory head. The aroma is majestic, hugely floral and aromatic! The flavor and aroma boast all the same traits! Tons of grapefruit, brown sugar coated, pine chips, a mass of SPICY cedar woods, a hint of sour orange, some pineapple, some all-grain bready-ness, and liquefied caramel from hear to eternity! The hops are so very prominent, fresh and indulgent! Reminds me of the dregs I once drank from a batch of Old Stumpy at Tampa Bay Brewing…. The mouth-feel is thick, a but chalky, velvety carbonation, and the most wonderful citrus oil bittering dryness… This is a Spectacular beer! The desire of most any double IPA lover! I am buying all I can find to horde for myself!
DrBayern (1136), Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
| 3.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 5/10 | 4/5 | 5/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Feb 14, 2006 Quite attractive looking hazy amber under a big off-white head and some nice lacing. Aroma is grassy and slightly floral, not much malt contribution. Medium body and a faint oiliness supports an over the top hop bitterness that has a metallic flavor. Little malt character seems able to penetrate the hop assault. Bitter citrus and spice flavors are about all I can taste. Calling this a Pilsner is a bit of a stretch, and adding the "Imperial" designation doesn’t make it OK. Pilsners should be balanced and clean, with a refreshing hop bitterness, and this just doesn’t fit the bill. It certainly isn’t terrible, but it’s almost like a strong lager that wants to be an APA or an IPA. Maybe I just don’t get it.
Gregis (1132), Shawnee, Kansas, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Oct 5, 2007 12 oz bottle poured into a pilsner glass; surprised me with a slight gusher. Pours a hazy dark amber with a loose, frothy, ivory head that leaves web-like lacing down the glass. Without question, this is the best smelling Samuel Adams that I’ve ever sampled. I’ll definitely try the next bottle in a snifter or tulip, just to see how much more I can get from this one. The nose is dominated by solid citrus and floral hops with a significant caramel malt backing. This smells like a lot like an IPA. The palate is on the light side of medium-bodied, quite slick and finishes with a nice hop bitterness that squeezes the back of your tongue and a light, sticky resin that sticks to your lips. The only thing that I can think of that’s keeping this beer from being classified as a IIPA is the lightly bready pilsner malts that it must contain and are barely discernible behind the hefty amount of hop bitterness that it packs. The flavor more or less follows the nose with the citric and fruity hops front-and-center. The caramel and bready malt notes play second fiddle but keep the hops from just bowling you over. This beer has completely changed my mind about what the Boston Beer Company is capable of creating.
carruthm (1130), Seattle, Washington, USA
| 3.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 2/5 | 13/20 |
Jul 2, 2008 Not actually impressed with this one., 2007 vintage. BBC trademark meh finish damages the nice start of hops.
BlackDonald (1127), Boise, Idaho, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Apr 21, 2008 Purchased @ Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. This was actually really good! Monstrous hop aroma, that follows through into the palate. Still retains what I expect out of a pilsner, very crisp and clean, but just has a rugged hop edge to it. It still retains a good bit of balance, while still having a huge hop bit throughout. Nice effort, one of the best things Sam Adams has done in years.
piscator34 (1125), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 5, 2007 Bottled sample via oakbluff. Hazy orange in colour with moderate carbonation. Huge aromas of green grassy hops with some bread crusty pilsner malt lurking in the background. There’s a very minor alcohol note there too, but it’s hardly even worth mentioning. Oily and rich mouthfeel. Hop forward in the mouth as you’d expect from the aroma. With notes of cut grass, lemon rind, earth, and a bit of spice. The malts are there too, offering a slight hint of caramel, but more of a light french bread element. Solid peppery bitterness. Sort of the IIPA of the lager world. Excellent stuff!
|
Rate This
Statistics
Find This Beer (Want/Have)