Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Hautacam

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly hazy light amber with a big off white head that hangs around for a while in the new SA Boston Lager glass.
Smells like I just opened a ziploc bag of Hallertau hop pellets on brew day. Nice earthy noble hop aroma.
This starts off hoppy and then pretty much stays hoppy ...I'm going to be deaming of hops. It is bitter, but not ridiculous...well, close to ridiculous until it warms and degasses a bit. Earthy and grassy citrus-rind hop flavor dominates. Not very complex , but who cares. If you like this type of hop flavor and you don't care if it's balanced or not , then this is a good one to get. Actually reminds me of DeRanke XX Bitter , but more intense. Not much malt flavor , but there is an attempt at balance ...to make this more than just bubbly hop tea. Mouthfeel is medium to full...carbonation lively. This is a really nice one to sip slowly and picture fields of tall trellised hops...like in the SA commercials. I'm going to enjoy the rest of these one at a time.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2007 22:48:20 | More by Hautacam

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle from Florian's in Auburn. Hazy amber-golden body with a half an inch of off-white head that sticks around and leaves a fair bit of lacing. Smells orangey, grapefruity, pithy, and somewhat spicy - the hops definitely dominate the aroma. Grapefruit and orange dominate with pith and spice in the background and just the slightest hint of malt in the background. Not as clean a finish as expected for a lager, with the hops lingering Medium to full in mouthfeel with only a moderate amount of carbonation. Becomes less harshly bitter as it finishes, becoming more sweet, but still maintaining the citrusy character. A pretty solid beer and a good one to have when in the mood for hops. Not as syruppy as a lot of these sort of "big beers" making for a drinkable and tasty beer. Far and away one of the best Samuel Adams beers I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2007 22:19:30 | More by MrHurmateeowish

mnapier

Washington

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Service Temperature, 40 degrees. Glassware, 12 ounce German Balloon.

Appearance, is light orange & without clarity, while producing a medium tan head & a curtain of lace.
Aroma, can be described as mild citrus, with a pine of hops wafting across.
Taste, can be felt as a nice mild citrus with a dance of pine and some cloying, along with an unexpected hop backend. Mouthfeel is mild to medium but not unexpected.

A nice release, although part of me feels it might be lacking something from the '05 release.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2007 04:12:20 | More by mnapier

FatSean

Connecticut

3.73/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into a pilsener-style glass from 12oz bottle. Hazy, orange-brown color, with a thin off-white head that quickly dissapear leaving plenty of lacing. Looks very pretty and full of mystery.

Smell is mild, with a sweet/sour citrus twang.

Taking a sip coats the mouth with bitter orange-peel as the alcohol vapors rise into the sinuses. Hops, hops and more hops. Did they put any malt in here? I'm not complaining! The finish hangs arround on the palate in a nice way inspiring a sipping approach. I wouldn't be drinking these on a hot humid summer day, but the cloying hop flavor is not offensive at all.

Thick on the tongue with a moderate ammount of carbonation for a pilsener. The alcohol and hops conspire to produce a syrupy sensation.

While I am a fan of pilseners, I'm not sure this is one I'd keep arround. Definately nice for a change of pace, but the price and complexity keep it from being a frequent visitor to my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2007 21:44:35 | More by FatSean

umustdrink

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Hazy opaque dark orange color. Rocky white head fades to a quarter inch. Lots of lacing.

S - Very hoppy, citrus and grapefruit hops but also with very warm and spicy malts, sweet, bready and cinnamony.

T/M - Starts out with a sharp carbonation bite and an intense hoppy bite, but with a thin lager body. Hops are very piny and last with great intensity until ingurgitation. Aftertaste is smoky and skunky, lasting for a long time as well.

D - A very interesting beer, lots of intense hoppy flavor but with some definite pilsener flavors. Try it if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2007 01:10:19 | More by umustdrink

Flyer

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sampled at the ABF Night of the Lagers. I generally feel it's unfair to rate a beer based on less than a full serving, but I was too enthusiastic about this to take a pass. This is the best beer I've had from Sam Adams by far. It had a translucent apricot color and an intense, slightly grassy hop aroma. The taste is sweet, almost like corn bread, but citrusy too, with some pine and grassy notes thrown in. But lurking under the sweetness is an intense hop bitterness. The mouthfeel was surprisingly creamy. The bittersweet hoppy aftertaste reminded me of Pilsner Urquell on steroids. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2007 02:18:05 | More by Flyer