Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner

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

full body, thick feel, bitter, long finish, resin, spruce, golden, hazy Hops are over the top on this one. SPICY and bitter. Surprised this is a SA offering. This is not a beer for everyone, even a hop head.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a cloud, deep gold with hints of light orange. The foam is thick and consists of fine, small bubbles at first - but they slowly collapse into one another forming ever larger bubbles until a thin layer of off-white foam remains, consisting of medium-sized bubbles. The aroma is heavenly. It definitely reminds me of Samuel Adams Boston Lager - big German Hallertauer hop nose and what smells like the same yeast. The aroma also has other decadent layers beneath the hops: lemon meringue and poundcake with a slight lacing of ethanol. The malts provide a vinous quality to the aroma that blends nicely with the hops. The flavor is quite pleasant - the front of the tongue detects a pleasant amount of biscuity, sweet malts, balanced by a strong, but no overpowering, level of bitter hops. The carbonation zing blends with the bitterness to provide something akin to acidity - but not unpleasant (almost refreshing, in fact). The middle of the tongue picks up on the battle waged between sweet, caramel malts and spicy, noble hops. It is great while it lasts. But therein lies the strange part - it doesn’t last long. The finish is very dry and peculiarly short-lived. The beer finishes with only the faintest memories of sweet malts and big, bitter hops (some alcohol, too). The mouthfeel is excellent - perfect level of carbonation for this type of brew. It lends a nice. crisp zing to the tongue. Overall - a knockout beer. Perhaps I say that because I love hops. The only thing disappointing is the finish - it is simply too short-lived. It makes the tongue feel dry and unloved. Perhaps this is an artifact of the incredible amount of hops (supposedly 110 IBUs, and -unlike many other heavy-hitters- this bitterness level was actually *measured*, not just calculated/projected).

Pours almost like a nice Hefe-Weizen: cloudy straw color with generous, thick white head that retains well w/ nice lace. Nose has a delightful grapefruit/tangerine citrus core. Somewhat prickly too, but good. Palate is medium bodied and isn’t as "extreme" as I was expecting for an Imp Pils. Finish is crisp, dry, and reveals more of the fresh hop vine funk that is sooo yummy.

12 oz bottle with best by date before January 2008. Pours cloudy light amber with thick head that fades to a thin lace. Nose is hops/grain with citrus. Mouthfeel is thick and leaves a nice coating in the mouth. Flavor is rich with hops and citrus finish. The 8.8% is balanced nicely with the hops and adds a nice edge that agrees with the hoppy flavor. The best I’ve had from Sam Adams. (the other contender from Sam Adams is the Cream Stout)

Pours a clouded gold with minor brown tones. Minor sweet edge with a miniscule alcohol tone on the nose. Seems almost yeasty like a Belgian ale. Almost seems like it has an orange edge to it. Flavor is hearty with a slight alcohol edge to it. Mild sweetness. Hoppy! The label reads "An intense hoppy experience." After all the IPAs and DIPAs I have had, I can’t say this really tops them, but it does deliver the hops. Are Pilsners supposed to have so much hops? Overall a good consistency. Good feel on it. Nice carbonation and liquid edge. Overall this is a very interesting beer. Definitely the most interesting from the BBC I have tried to date. Easily shows what a huge brewery can do when they put their will to it. Try it.

12 oz. bottle labeled as Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. Consumed on 12-12-07. Wonderful, floral, hoppy aroma. Rose pedal, peach, apricot, hamentashen, marmalade, nutmeg, and whipped cream scents. Aroma reminiscent of that of a barley wine or strong Belgian golden ale. Long, lingering smell that refuses to be overpowered by the flavor. One of the most pleasant aromas I’ve ever encountered. Pours an orange-tinted gold. Mostly clear but some haze and cloudiness. Moderate to large amount of bubbling. Large amount of uneven, fluffy, off-white head with tight bubbles. Produces extensive, thick, fluffy lacing. The initial taste is quite sweet, with the finish very dry. Light colored pitted fruit, powdered sugar, butter pecan ice cream, and tropical fruit popsicle flavors. Alcohol evident in the taste. Tastes much like a double IPA. This is a stronger, maltier, and hoppier Continental-style pilsner, like a pilsner on steroids. The dryness is more characteristic of a Czech pilsner than a Bavarian. Long, extremely dry aftertaste, perhaps the longest and driest finish that I have ever experienced. Medium body (thick by lager standards). Syrupy, oily, lively, and soft in the palate. Has a classic lager crispness. Easy to drink. I’m counting the dryness toward the palate instead of the flavor, which contributes to the fact that I’m giving the palate a perfect score and the flavor merely a good score. Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is a superb beer. It surpasses Black Lager as my favorite Boston Brewing Company product. Honestly, I probably should have rated it even more highly. It seems as though it would hold up well to multiple tastings, though I’ve tried it only once. I’d like to see more breweries making this style of beer.

Very strong hops and bitter action. Definite Double IPA punch; lots of flavor. Could not believe this was a Sam Adams. Really balanced brew. A pilsner? If all pilsners were like this I would drink them a heck of a lot more!

12 oz bottle, pours a cloudy yellow color with a white head... some lacing. Nice bready, yeasty, hoppy aroma, a little citrus... reminds me of a hefeweizen more than any pilsner I’ve ever had. Taste is very hoppy... not so much hefeweizen anymore, it has a nice bitter bite to it. Creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol is just barely apparent, being that it’s 8.8%, "barely apparent" is impressive. Not a big Sam Adams fan here, but this one is not your average Sam Adams beer... pretty great in my opinon.