Samuel Adams Imperial White Ale

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Thanks be to thee, dm9831, Oh munificent one. Pours a tad hazy amber with white head. Nose is yeasty, alcoholic and possesses a spicy reek and big banana...or was that dm9831? Flavors of coriander and orange peel, caramel/toffee, grassiness, and banana. Big, obvious, over-the-top alcohol as well. I really liked this effort from SA, and would definitely seek this brew out again and again, despite it’s having nothing to do with a "wit" beer!

Bottle. Amber colored pour that looks really hazy with a nice white head. Turns out it’s actually a clear brew, just pours with a ton of tiny little bubbles that settled out as the beer warmed up. Pleasant aroma of dough, scotch, and spices. Really unusual taste....cloves, doughy yeast, alcohol, spices. There’s some sour notes left in the mouth as it finishes, kinda like a strong lager. I like the outside-the-box attempt, and it’s unusual, but not my favorite.

12oz bottle 3/18/09 (Sam’s Wine & Liquor-Downers Grove)-Pours a hazy amberish orange with a nice small off white head. Aroma of coriander, Belgian yeast, sugars, and citrus. Taste of coriander, wheat, sweetness, and slight alcohol. This medium to full bodied brew is definitely high octane but still quite tasty and well done.

Poured a hazed amber with a good sized off-white head. Aroma of spice and citrus. Orange, lemon, coriander, yeast, and a sweet malt. Orange and wheaty malt. Clove yeast taste. Warming on a medium but short body.

Pours a dark, hazy amber color with a hazy with a lacing white head. Malty aroma with a hint of alcohol. Hint of spices, yeast, and light orange. A dense wheat and yeast flavor with a sense of the alcohol it contains. Some light caramel as well. Medium body. Not bad from Sam Adams, but they could have put a little more work into it.

Bottle from the inevitable dm9831 - Interesting that this is listed as a Wit. It pours a fairly clear amber body with a respectable head that doesn’t like to hang around too long. The aroma is caramelly and has a touch of banana along with a wheaty tartness, some coriander, and floral scents. The flavor starts with a caramel coated banana sweetness followed by a jolt of alcohol. Then the spiciness along with touches of citrus fruit join in. The finish is sweet and spicy with a low alcohol burn. Not a bad drink, but if you’re in the mood for a Witbier, this is not what you want.

12oz. Bottle: Sweet aroma of wheat, spices, flowers, pollen, coriander, slight orange zest, light alcohol, and artificial sweetener. Poured amber in color with a tiny, off-white head. Slightly hazy. Slightly sparkling. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of wheat, coriander, alcohol, and yeast. Medium body. Average texture. Average carbonation. Cloying alcohol and coriander finish.

Bottle courtesy of BOLTZ7555 – thanks Jason! Pours a cloudy light amber with a huge 3 finger dense beige head that leaves really nice lacing. The nose is spicy yeast, celery salt and ripe fruits. The taste is sweet fruits, coriander, yeast and malt with an alcohol bite in the finish. Lighter prickly mouthfeel. Another decent effort by Sam Adams. Thanks again J!