RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

Home > Brewers > Massachusetts > Boston Beer Company >

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
94
overall
An European Strong Lager brewed by
Boston Beer Company

Boston, Massachusetts USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
7713.73/5.03.73/5.0Special8.8%99 Lager glass P  Stats

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 RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 miketd (337), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/58/103/514/20

Sep 21, 2007  
Pours golden with a lasting head. First beer tonight, so I dont know how my nose is working, but not getting much here. Light pine notes and sweet malt.Bitter upfront but not overpowereing, and certainly not an "explosion". Medium mouthfeel. All in all not a bad beer, and pretty tasty for what it is.

johntreeter (96), Greenwood, Indiana, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/510/105/519/20
Sep 1, 2008  
12oz brewery fresh before Jan 08. Pours a very hazy amber orange color with a dense one finger off white head that laced to the bottom. Aroma is the breath of the hop gods. Even after months of sitting in the store the citus and floral aromas of the hops are intense and green, like opening a package of hops for brewing. Flavor is almost all hops. Citrus, earth tones, and green hops dominate the sense of taste, yet the bitterness is very slight. The sweet maltyness it seems you have to wait for while the hops take a slight break in the long lingering finish. Light med body, soft mild carb, almost syrupy texture, and dry hoppy feel. This is probably a little out of "style", but one of the best beers I have ever drank and it seems to age very well.


 Imaena (245), Portland, Maine, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/103/515/20
Aug 22, 2008  
Bottle from 4 pack 08’. Pours a ruddy orange amber with nice bone white head. Cirus and floral hops abound in the nose. Bitter and thin bodied. Hops explode in this. Interesting brew.


kosko20 (90), Bemidji, Minnesota, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/516/20
Aug 16, 2008  
So I forgot to rate this...don’t know how because I poured it next to Bell’s Hopslam and compared that way. Its tough to compare the beer to something like Hopslam but oh well. Aroma is strong hops, earthy notes of pine mostly, and also in there are lemons, floral and malt. Appearance is top notch, a nice semi-cloudy orange-red with an off white head. Flavor is hops, then afterthoughts of pine, malt, and lemons. Palate is thin bodied but with a nice bitter kick. Enjoyable, will buy and drink more.


HyreOne (9), York, South Carolina, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner  does not count
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/514/20
Aug 15, 2008  
Nice straw color with a little haze. Not much of a head - little lacy (maybe my glass is dirty). Smells of hops and malt. Strong hop flavor and nice bite. Malt tries to balance with flavor and aftertaste. Little bit more than medium mouth feel. A bit warming alcohol after taste. Keep forgetting this isn’t an Imperial IPA.


 NomDeBeer (150), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/59/105/518/20
Aug 14, 2008  
Why doesn’t Sam Adams make more beers like this? Definitely their best offering that I’ve ever had. Incredible hop aroma, flavor, and bite. Earthy notes of grass and hay but just enough malt sweetness, body, and alcohol to back it up. Odd-looking hazy, orange-ish color.




WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE RATINGS?
Then join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.

Desired User Name
*
Valid Email (Needed to verify your account)
*
Relax. RateBeer is 100%, guaranteed spam-free. That's our promise to you.

I agree to the terms of the RateBeer User Agreement

RATE THIS BEER

Aroma

rating assistance

Appearance

rating assistance

Flavor

rating assistance

Palate

rating assistance

Overall impression

rating assistance

TOTAL SCORE

Comments

More European Strong Lagers

Black Forest Imperial Pilsner (3.75)

Mikkeller Draft Bear (3.7)

Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner (3.68)

Shorts Imperial Spruce India Pilsner (3.67)

Rock Bottom Yorktown Lord Tufnels Imperial Pilz (3.63)

Ballast Point Fathom India Pale Lager (3.6)

Dieu du Ciel 6e Soir (3.6)

Walking Man Saazsquatch (3.58)

Rock Bottom Chicago Anniversary Imperial (3.55)

Dogfish Head Golden Era (Shower) (3.54)

More Massachusetts Brewers

Barrington / Berkshire Mountain Brewery
  Great Barrington
Hyland Orchard & Brewery (Pioneer Brewing)
  Sturbridge
West County Winery
  Colrain
Rock Bottom Braintree
  Braintree
Cape Ann Brewing Company
  Gloucester
Haverhill Brewery, Inc / The Tap
  Haverhill
Wachusett Brewing
  Westminster
Rock Bottom Boston
  Boston
John Harvards Brewhouse Framingham
  Framingham
Peoples Pint
  Greenfield
Paper City Brewery
  Holyoke
John Harvards Brewhouse (Corporate Office)
  Cambridge
Amherst Brewing Company
  Amherst
Berkshire Brewing Co.
  South Deerfield
Pittsfield Brew Works
  Pittsfield

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2008, RateBeer LLC