Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner
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.
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.
3.7
970 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Ornage colour. Begie head. Aroma is from hops, bread,citrus and some apricot. Flavor is grapy, citric, hopy and quite intense. Palate is oily.
G: 12-ounce Pilsner Urquell tapered pilsner glass.
A: Pours with a nice head. The carbonation bubbles are readily apparent and stick to the side of the glass without a ton of upward motion. The beer is a pale amber in color. Foam rings galore as this goes down.
S: Straight off of the pour, you can definitely smell the hops.
T: The initial taste is excellent. There is a mild hoppy flavor followed by sweetness. The malt comes through on the back end and through the aftertaste, but the initial taste is definitely mild hops--definitely not DIPA, but on par with your average IPA.
M: Mouthfeel is light without a large amount of carbonation; it goes down very smoothly. Little to no alcohol presence, so it’s hard to believe that this punches in at 8.8 ABV.
D: Very drinkable. If this wasn’t so difficult for me to find, I could definitely see it turning into a session beer, particularly as the weather warms up.
All in all, an excellent brew. It’s my first Imperial Pilsner, and I will definitely be seeking out more. Very much like a mellowed IPA.
Pours hazy orange with white head, aroma of big, big floral, pine, resinous hops, with a touch of biscuit. Big aggressive pine and resin up front, leading into some biscuit, but then gets very bitter and piny at the end. Not balanced, but if you like hops, you will like this.
12 oz bottle, best before Jan. 2009.
Poured into a pilsner glass. Pours a nice thick head. Great lacing observed. Color is a light autumn orange. Very good looking beer.
Smell is of floral hops. No scent of mals are present. Taste is quite similiar. Many hops, obviously, are in this beer. There is a defintely a carmel taste also. The taste of alcohol is also present.
Carbonation level is great. The mouthfeel is quite smooth, but leaves a dry mouth.
Overall, I was expecting more hops than this. It had a lot, but it says an intense hop experiance on it. It was definately a great beer and I was happy that I bought it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes hops!
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 11-08-2008 02:30:56
Bottle. Really quite aggressive hoppiness in both the aroma and flavor with a thinner, crackery malt backing. Bit of a thicker body, but to be expected with the ’imperial’ treatment. Lots of savory qualities, bit herbal. Pretty fun brew, and liked it.
I think this was the best strong pale lager I have had. It was quite tasty. They chose well to add a lot of hops to balance the increased sweetness. The bottle I got said "Intense" hop experience, it was not intense. I would say, "Strongly Apparent". Serving: Bottle
A Mes rate. Bottle thanks to Tom.
Hazy orange gold with a thin but lasting off white head. Pretty stonking Hallertau overload aroma. Almost pan handle territory, but not quite. Some great cheesey and funky malt behind it too. Not a patch in the mouth. Just rather one dimensional and predictable. Plenty of bitterness along with some faint booze and card. Some strange liquorice notes too. Hit of raw alcohol at the back of the throat in the finish. Blah. So close to greatness but so far.
Impressive pilsner. Incredible fresh hop taste from the outstanding hallertau hops. Best pilsner i’ve ever had, and no offense to Sam Adams (cause I appreciate what they do more than what they make) but easily the best of their beers i’ve ever had.
lucent copper, thin white head, very effervescent.
aroma: pale malt, floral leafy resinous hops.
taste:
T1&T2= lots of bitter vinous(like green pepper stem or tomato vine) leafy herbal resinous hops, touch of sweet pale malt.
T3= oily hop resin.
sharp and bitter hop bite on the tip of the tongue.
not really any citrus, pine, tobacco, or floral notes.
Drank the Hallertau Imperial Pilsner bottle. Nice amber pour with whitish head. Resin, floral hoppy nose with a taste you’d expect from the genre. Good beer. Rated 7/4/09.
A- Hazy golden yellow body that pours with a 3 finger white head. Head slowly fades to 1/2 finger and has excellent retention. Plenty of lacing is left behind in the glass. I am pleasantly surprised with this beer’s appearance.
S- Big nose of herbal and piny hops. Sweet pale malt in the background.
T- Intense kick in the mouth of pine hop flavor upfront. This is great because piny hops seem to come out at the finish of most other brews. The piny hop flavor subsides (but only a little bit) in order for a sweet malt character to arise in the background to balance out the hops. A big residual hop bitterness lingers on the palate along with sweet malt and some hop flavor. Bitterness is high but not unpleasant.
P- Medium to low carbonation and oily, phenolic, yet smooth body.
O- This a decent beer overall and the 8.8% ABV is very well hidden. I haven’t reviewed a BBC in a few months and this one (like most-but not all of their brews) shows to be a very good example of the style. I did like it but I don’t know if I will have another due to its price and availability. BBC is one of my favorite breweries because of their availability and wide range of styles.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 10-04-2007 04:27:53
Sam Adams succeeds with this big hoppy pilsner that shows off their ability to compete with smaller, specialty brewers. This pilsner packs a ton of great hop flavor, although I’m fairly sure that my tongues is not refined enough to identify it as a pilsner without knowing beforehand. It’s close to a heavily hopped IPA or DIPA for me. The hops have a flavor that is unlike anything that I’ve tried thus far. The beer is a bit dark for a pilsner and has a stronger head than most.
2007- Pours bright yellow/gold with medium white head. Aroma is bursting with hops and pine. Very faint citrus on the nose. Drinks with a sharp pine bitter lending into a more earthy hop and then into a mildly sweet malt. finishes with a solid bitter bite.
12 ounce bottle A hazy orange pour small off white head . A floral, citrus,fruit taste nice not overpowering bitter finish. great beer
Boston Beer Company--Samuel Adams--Hallertau Imperial Pilsner--2007 12 oz. Bottle. 8.80% ABV--85 IBU’s? (4.75 / 5.0) Pilsner--Imperial--Mild lace white head. Cloudy bright lemon orange color. Rich Hallertau floral Pils hop front. Spicy sweet thick clean Amped Pils body. Tangy clean balanced hop spice end. Amped Pilsner Urquell. Well Done! First Sampled 10/7/2007.
Incredible surprise by Sam Adams. Great citrus and hop flavors and aroma.
This was my favorite Sam Adams beer I have had.
Golden colour, medium white head, lacing.
Ar: Hoppy , straw, grass beefed up lager.
F: Hoppy, big bite yet malts to balance it, noticable ABV.
M: crisp clean.
T: Like this one.
Thanks to my daughter for the gift! Very hoppy aroma and a nice hazy orange colour with little head. The taste is highlighted by a huge amount of hops and a stiff backbone of biscuit malt. The Hallaertau hops are much smoother than those coming from the Northwest. A very pleasing suprise from a major commercial brewery.
A: Pours a nice cloudy golden orange color with a nice head. Just a ring hangs around but it does provide some lovely lacing.
S: Very floral and citrusy, smells like an old womens perfume.
T: Very different flavor. I was expecting the overflow of hops, but its the malt taste that floored me. This beer is very malty. There is a great deal of biscuity malty sweetness. Then you are hit by the bitterness of the hops which are very unique in flavor.
M: Very smooth and very crisp.
Hallertau Imperial Pilsner Bottle,
pours a clear orange gold with a white head that recedes (there is some haze from the sediment when the bottom of the bottle is poured), this beer looks viscous in the glass and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass,
has a big grass and floral hop aroma along with malt bread, Pilsner and malt sweetness,
herb and grass hops on the tongue along with a malt bread and sweetness flavors, just a faint touch of alcohol felt on the palate but it is way in the background – hidden well, I thought the hop bitterness blended in with the alcohol and tends to hide it, has a hop bitterness that almost gives a burn on the palate, similar to some Double or Imperial IPAs I’ve had, also, this does not have the sometimes overly sweet alcohol taste I get in some ESLs that can be nasty,
medium or more mouth feel, some creaminess on the tongue to,
same aroma of hops found in the SA Boston Lager just much, much more, if you want to know what Hallertau Hops smell and taste like get this beer, such a big hop and sweet malt presence that this reminds me of a Hoppy IPA, a blind test and I would be fooled into thinking this was a IPA, this ESL has IPA written all over it except for that there are no fruit or caramel flavors you found in IPAs, a nice drink.
Pours a cloudy orange with a nice thick head. Aroma is lots of citrus hops - lemon, orange, grapefruit. Sweet malt present as well. Taste is initially sweet malt and caramel ollowed by bitter grapefruit, leaving a huge bitterness in the finish. Very nice imperial IPA essentially.
Wow. The aroma is hoppy, fruity. copper color, cloudy. big flavor. malty, some bitter fruit. very nice.
Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The label reads best before Jan. 09 and it was sampled on 6-24-09.
Appearance: The body has a deep orange amber color with a few random and tiny bubbles of carbonation here and there. Its clarity is very good as well. The head is very thick and creamy with about a two and a half finger thick ness. It is light tan in color and very long lasting which makes for nice sticky rings of lacing on the glass.
Smell: The aroma is really rich and full of leafy/spicy hops and pale bready malt.
Taste/Mouth: The flavor, like its aroma, has an intense spicy/leafy/herbal hop character. It is in you face with hops and bitterness. Under this heavy layer of hops is a simple and very modest pale bready malt flavor. There is just enough malt presence in there to remind you that this is a beer and not just a bottle of hop extract. It finishes with slowly with a strong hop flavor and bitterness that clings to tongue and feels like it is pulling the enamel off of your teeth. The palate has a full, thick body and slick texture with light carbonation.
Notes: This is a big, full hop bomb and I even sampled it a few months passed its freshness date. I love hops and the flavor was very good but I am not the biggest hop head in the world so for me the drinkability was low on this one. A little bit of this goes a long way.
Bottle. Pours an average, white, dense, creamy head. Honey golden, hazy body. Head is lasting, patchy and clingy. Nice, big (without being overpowering) noble hop (herbal and spicy) nose. Sweet, caramel malt dominates the body. Definitely malt forward. Hallertau is equally strong. Some citrus coming through now. A bit of raisin and bread in the malt profile. Full bodied, sticky and resinous. A little oil slick on the tongue. Malty sweet up front with a big bitter finish. Moderate, warming alcohol lingers on the back of the tongue with the hop bitterness. Average carbonation. Overall a pretty weird beer. I love the concept, but I think the Pilsener would be better served (and would better showcase the Hallertau) if the Imperial nonsense were dropped. Or at least if the beer were less imperialized. As it stands, this tastes like an American Strong Ale and doesn’t resemble a Pilsener in the least. Better attenuation, less crystal and a smaller overall grainbill would make this a more attractive beer for me. As it stands, it gets lost in the shuffle with other imperialized nonsense. Disappointing, because I love Hallertauer Mittelfrüh.
(Bottle) Hazy, dark golden colour with lasting, frothy, beige head. Fruity, hoppy nose with notes of dried apricots, grapefruit, bread and a touch of alcohol. Fruity, malty, hoppy taste with dried apricots, grapefruit and pine needles. Bready malt with some ryvita. Long, dry, bitter finish with just a touch of alcohol. Slightly above medium body, drier than expected. Very hoppy but still well balanced. Very nice. Impressive!
tastes like an ipa - a really freakin good ipa, maybe a little cleaner - tangerine grapefruit caramel is right with the grapefruit aftertaste too - a little grassy - sweetness / hoppiness is in great balance (cuz it is pretty sweet) I wish I could tell the dif between hop varieties better, and really notice the hallertau! After a while, when it gets warmer, it becomes too sweet - oh well
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.
Bottle: Pours deep orange, slightly hazy, nice off-white head. Aroma is super heavy in floral and citrus hops, almost soapy, with great spice notes. The flavour is exceptional - this is the IPA of lagers with tremendous hopping just assaulting the taste buds alongside a very rich malt backing. It’s not terribly complex but it doesn’t need to be, this is a shock for me and probably the single best, most flavourful lager I’ve ever poured down my gullet.
Dark yellow almost orange with a head that lasted the whole way down. The first smell from the bottle is an amazing dose of hops. The second smell from the glass is just as glorious. Jim Koch is speaking the truth when he touts the amount of hops because the nose is amazing. Fruity, grassy, floral hops and then the taste is more hops and a nice malty backbone with some caramel flavor. This is unlike any pilsner I have ever had but the smell is so beautiful and the taste is delicious. This beer is hoppier than many IPA’s I have had but doesn’t have much bitterness to speak of which I believe is noted on the carton. This has completely upset what I thought I knew about Sam Adam’s. I have had several of their beers but nothing even comes close to this. The 8.8 ABV is undetectable to the taste at first but a little astringent on my tongue halfway through. Top notch and every bit as hoppy as claimed on the label, hopheads should love this. I will now proceed to give Sam Adams lineup a second look, well done.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 09-17-2007 16:09:37
Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner pours a hazy orange with a fluffy cream head, well-laced. Resinous hops...so different than the taste of American IIPAs and such in terms of hop flavor...maybe I’m used to be ambushed by cascade hops in most ’strong, hoppy’ beers. Spicy, strawberry, mango, not what I’m used to. I have so much respect for Jim and the beers he makes.