Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Cavanaghty

Maine

4.04/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Sam Adams glass.

Appearance: Gold amber in color with a thick white head. Medium lacing on the glass.

Smell: Smell of hops and citrus dominate, smells more like an IPA than a lager style beer.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Smooth and medium bodied. Taste is bitter hops more like a lager taste.

Overall. Interesting brew, it was good for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 21:45:57 | More by Cavanaghty

morimech

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear golden color with one finger of head that faded to a thin cap. Some spotty lacing is left down the glass.

Hoppy aroma of citrus and pine. It delivers the West Coast hops like its label claims. Also pick up some earthiness and floral elements. Nice hop aromas.

I really enjoy the flavor of this beer. Mostly hop flavor. More pine and earth than citrus. Moderately bitter with just a little bready malt to add some sweetness. Nothing much getting in the way of the hop flavor.

Feels lighter in body than an IPA. Not surprising considering its modest ABV. Very nicely carbonated.

A successful beer to this drinker. I enjoyed this one more than any other Sam Adams beer I have had, and I have had quite a few. Wish more brewers would do hoppy lagers. Not enough of them on the market.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 18:34:52 | More by morimech

SaCkErZ9

Florida

3.79/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. The color is a light, lemon tea color with a medium sized white head. Some lacing is present and the head retention is quite nice.

Aroma is pretty hoppy. Slight citrus but way more floral aromas. Some mango, pineapple, fresh hop aroma.

Nice taste. To tell the truth, this one tastes a lot like the Noble Pils beer from SA. Nice hop flavor with some bitterness, but not IPA bitterness. More mango and pineapple with some slight orange flavors. Nice bitterness. Solid malt backbone, but not much character on the malt end. Slightly bready. Medium bodied.

A decent beer. Not much different than other SA beers but a nice change of pace from a traditional pale lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 18:14:14 | More by SaCkErZ9

smakawhat

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a pokal glass.

A real nice bronzed body, nearly crystal clear with nice rising pinhead carbonation in the middle, lemon hues at the bottom. Head is frothy white and three fingers with very good retention settling to a nice island and some swiss cheese like bubbles. Really nice looking beer here.

Nose is soft citrus lime and wonderful chewy zesty hop front. Hints of spritzy character, and a wonderful aromatic citrus of lemon lime and hinting tropical notes. Not much else though, but very enjoyable.

Palate hints with a noticeable thick sweetness of malts, but the lime hop bitterness comes in to balance it out. Still borderline syrupy and hinting towards fussel boozy character, but the beer feels bigger than it's five percent abv hints at. Sharp aftertaste on the finish with a hint of crispness as well, with the hop angle rolling along nicely on the palate.

This is a real enjoyable beer, glad I picked this up.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 22:58:55 | More by smakawhat

ChrisKayler

Virginia

3.91/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drinking this one after a great day at work. Kanye West - Runaway.

Glass: Samuel Adams Perfect Pint #properglassware

Appearance: Really quite a good looking beer. Perfectly clear, ranging from yellow in the thinner parts of the glass to orange in the thickest part. A solid stream of bubbles is coming off the nucleation point on the bottom of the glass. With a relatively mild pour, about a half of a finger of bright white head was produced, quickly dissipating to leave only a small rim around the glass.

Smell: Great smell of citrus with a bit of pine. Definitely more towards piney than fruity. While the scents are great, the intensity of lacking.

Taste: Hmmm, interesting, for sure! Hops dominated the smell and they certainly dominate the initial taste. However, they quickly fall off from citrus to pure earthiness, eventually fading to a more bready malty lager taste. I like the initial sip, and the aftertaste, but the earthiness in the middle is not to my liking.

Mouthfeel: OIL!! This one leaves my tongue coated in hop oil. The kind that makes you want to stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Or, maybe that's just me. Medium body and high carbonation. I enjoy this aspect quite a bit.

Overall: A really new and refreshing beer. I'm glad I decided to finally try one of these. The appearance and smell are great (if a bit subdued), and the mouthfeel is perfect. Taste is my biggest complaint, and of course that is an important one. I love the initial taste but there is some definite funky earth stuff going on that I am not a fan of. I would easily drink this one again, but wouldn't necessarily seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 20:25:31 | More by ChrisKayler

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz.

Pours a clear deep golden, film of a white head retains well.

Smells of grassy malts, grapefruit hops and hints of honey and citrus.

Dry malt flavor with potent floral hop bitterness, some honey and citrus notes.

Medium body with a light tingly carbonation.

Good flavorful ale-like lager, very enjoyable and sessionable. Would have it again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 19:11:30 | More by Cylinsier

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.91/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- A crystal clear pale bronze body with a thick, frothy cream colored head.

S- Definite lager body, with some toasted malt aromas coming through. Hops come through nicely with floral, pine and citrus aromas.

T- Flavors do compare to an IPA and a lager. A moderate amount of piney and floral hops come through with some citrus flavors, with caramel malts and bready lager yeast flavors providing the backbone. Flavor is pretty good for a fairly light beer.

M- Light to medium bodied, medium carbonation, could put a few of these away pretty easily.

O- Pretty well done based on the intentions. This is a hoppy lager with some floral and tropical notes and it seems like that was the exact intention.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:15:01 | More by stephenjmoore

Bills453

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - golden. One finger white head. Nice lacing.

Smell - a small amount of hops I can smell. Not as strong as a pale ale, but definitely some hops. Some wheat too.

Taste - actually quite nice. Very refreshing. Hops aftertaste. Definitely not near the hoppiness I need for a pale ale, but I guess good for a pale lager?

Mouthfeel - average

Overall - actually surprised how much I'm enjoying this offering. Pretty delicious lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 22:16:38 | More by Bills453

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured chilled in fluted ale glass
A: crystal-clear copper; very good carbonation; one-finger head dissipates relatively soon
S: beautiful bouquet of roses and hops; very inviting; cannot be improved
T: delicious; it is all about the hops, which in this incarnation burst into an assortment of flavors; I pick out, aside from the grass and slight pine also tropical fruits--guava and mango; not boozy, so very sessionable; not very sweet; highly complex

Highly recommended; in fact, @buzzlitebeer and I plan to brew something like this as a model.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 03:08:57 | More by Arithmeticus

fank2788

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12oz bottle served in a Sam Adams pint glass
Bright copper, clear with a two finger tall white head of a mix of fine and coarse bubbles. The nose is nearly all west coast hops, pine, grapefruit and floral not much of the malt in the smell. The taste is much like the smell with the hop flavors coming out front here the grapefruit really takes over. Along with the hop flavors there is a pretty good amount of bitterness on the level of a strong pale ale or weak IPA. Biscuity caramel malts are in there as well to provide a base but it is clear that the hops are the main focus here. The mouthfeel is interesting while the hops make one think of an IPA body is all lager. Light body with a nice clean, crispness that you just cant get in an ale. There is a good bit of carbonation in there that combined with the bitterness keep things tingly. The finish is a touch sweet with lasting bitterness that lingers on the tongue. Overall I'm a fan of this one, although it is kind of playing tricks on my mind. A good combination of a nice hoppy ale and a crisp clean lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 00:23:23 | More by fank2788

neenerzig

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into my pokal glass. This beer pours a slightly cloudy/hazy but mainly clear deep medium to dark golden color with lots of little bubbles continuously rising up to the top of the glass. The fluffy looking white head is initially 1 1/2 inches when first poured before settling to a good solid 3/4 inch about 5 minutes after being poured. Head has good staying power, even after a few sips. Pretty decent lacing too. Aromas of citrus and pine hop notes upfront followed with some hints of slightly toasted caramel malt aromas. Has a nice pine and citrus hop flavor upfront with light to moderate bitterness. Do my tastebuds detect a hint of mango? I believe they do, and we like it! Rounded out with some notes of slightly toasted caramel malt sweetness on the back end. Good balance of flavors here for sure! Has a crisp, slightly sharp and somewhat prickly, light to medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate to heavy carbonation. Perhaps this is just a bot too carbonated for my preference, but other than that excellent drinkability here! The best American Pale Lager I have ever had, that's for sure! Quite an enjoyable and refreshing nightcap on this warm mid spring night here in Cleveland, OH.

Eric

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 03:45:53 | More by neenerzig

Dope

Massachusetts

3.89/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best before August 2013. I presume this to be around 3 months old.

A: Pours a clear amber with a big tall fluffy offwhite head. Head fizzes away slowly with great retention. Nice vertical streaks of lacing (don't see that too often).

S: Hmph, nice juicy tropical fruits. Don't often see a hoppy BBC beer. Mango, apricot and oranges mainly? Some caramel and resin too. Flowery.

T: More of the juicy tropical fruits but fairly subdued. Floral hops too. Mild breadiness and a little caramel sweetness. Primarily floral hops in the finish as well. Decent bit of bitterness.

M: Medium bodied and sticky. Not bad for a 5% lager.

O: Surprisingly good offering from BBC. I'm not surprised by them trying a hoppy IPL given the explosion of Jack's Abby in the last year or two. This certainly isn't a hoponious union but it's like the 60minute version. Balanced, smooth, drinkable. Not bad!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 02:10:01 | More by Dope

wedge

North Carolina

3.76/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Clear solid gold color with a grand, fluffy head that deflates to a thin, tight-bubbled cap. Smells floral and citrusy over a bready base. Oily, zesty citrus flavor; a crisp hoppiness that becomes dry, grassy, and a little resinous before giving way to some cracker-like malts. The moderate bitterness lingers well into the finish. Fairly light bodied and snappy, making it easy to suck down. Not really any lager qualities coming through...this could pass as one of those hip, new session IPAs everyone's talking about.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 02:03:51 | More by wedge

HardTarget

Texas

3.26/5  rDev -14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Bright golden glass shows excellent clarity and holds a solid finger of bright white head that doesn't lace as much as I expected.

Smell: Heady hop nose, pine, citric, a leafy earthy note, just a hint of underlying malt.

Taste: Where I expected a full punch of alpha acids, I got a playful slap that left me a little underwhelmed. There is some bitterness, but it's not the citric juicy hop cone that I crave in IPAs. Some tea like flavor, a bit more of the leafy earthy hops that say German to me.

Mouthfeel: Prickly carbonation, medium light body, oily finish.

Overall: Meh. It's like a double Pils, maybe not even that, just a really hoppy Pils. A bit boring truth be told. Don't know what I was expecting from Sam Adams, this is like a restrained, focus group tested version of daring innovation.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:36:31 | More by HardTarget

mpyle

Maryland

4.19/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Golden color, brilliantly clear. Pours a moderate sized white head, creamy and with good retention.

Nice citrusy hop nose, an almost solventy pine smell, but otherwise fairly clean.

Slight malt sweetness before the hop flavors take over. A subtle pine character to the hop flavor. Transition to finish is smooth. Finish is bitter, but not overly so. Flavor is hoppy without being intensely bitter. Hop flavor and gentle hop bitterness linger.

MF - Medium body and carbonation. Carbonation might be medium high. No astringency, but the carbonation and bitterness give it a bite on the tongue.

A highly drinkable beer, and definitely more interesting than the typical lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 21:57:34 | More by mpyle

beerluvr

New Jersey

3.18/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Sampled from a Stella Artois chalice. A nice frothy off white head is roused with the pour, nice lacing as it settles. Clear deep gold with small bubbles of carbonation rising. Intense hoppy nose...getting alot of Simcoe at first whiff. I'm gonna blaspheme here and admit I'm more of an "old school" hop guy...Simcoes and the newer varieties don't do it for me like Cascades, Saaz and Bullions do but anyways, quite a noseful here. The taste follows the aroma, lots of hops, some sweetness from the malt but the hop is the main attraction here. Finshes on a piney note backed with some sweetness and light tropical fruit. I don't care what Sam calls it, to me it has a hoppier Pale Ale written all over it. Nice as a one-off purchase but I won't be a repeat customer of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 18:52:45 | More by beerluvr

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

clear golden amber hue with a thin off white head. Interesting nose of biscuity and caramel malts along with flowery and fruity hops. Grainy, hay, citrus, and pine.

Definitely different. Has that dortmunder export like malt bill, full of flavor and grainy notes followed by and earthy and herbal bitterness. Strangely though on the finish bright citrus hops burst and linger in the mouth. Bitterness is moderate and nice with a faint sweetness lingering as well. Medium bodied with brisk carbonation. It's pretty good but the bright citric hop flavors tend to muddy up the clean grain bill. I dont think we'll be seeing too much more of this style cause of how contradictory the flavors but sam managed to make it work a little bit and managed to still make it a pretty clean beer.

Being that boston beer makes pretty safe beers, this is even a little bit of a stretch for them and doesn't work perfectly so I'd be surprised to see other breweries take it to the next level only to make a sloppier beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 22:45:38 | More by jtierney89

ale1

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into a pint glass , 3" head, good lacing , cascade hops lots of them .. citrus ..good mouthfeel,finish
what a great ale, doesn't seem like a lager, we have added this to our regular beers in the fridge , i agree good with a roast or just about anything, breakfast even...
a keeper from Jim Koch

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 22:14:24 | More by ale1

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.35/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a very clear, deep golden hue. Small, 1.5 finger head that retains ok and laces fairly well. Lots of rising carbonation. Really a good looking beer in the glass.

S- Big hops right up front with a citrus burst in the nose. Citrus flavors are backed up by a pine scent. No malts or malt sweetness is detectable under the hops, but man the hops are great.

T- Just like the scent. Moderate hops bitterness up front that persists throughout the drink. Light and fruity towards the end before ending in a slightly aggressive hops bite. Brilliantly balanced with hops and base flavors.

M- Light, highly carbonated, and infinitely drinkable. This one goes down smooth and won't catch up with you with it's ABV. This is a pretty awesome feel for a beer to session.

Overall, this is the best beer Sam Adams makes. Easy to drink, great hops flavors, and smooth as can be. I will reiterate the sentiments of others here, Jim Koch, please keep making this.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 23:55:52 | More by boilermakerbrew

budgood1

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

pours out a hazed copper colour with a tan tinged white head, slim in girth but with some stickiness and staying power. nice lace. straight up west coast hop aroma...restrained but appropriate. the flavour profile is hop forward. juicy fruit and pine sap with a puckering, tongue slapping bitterness. pale malts try to hold up the bottom end but pretty much gets buried in bitterness. tastes pretty nice if you like your lagers hop forward. overall body seems fullish at first blush, even though it's really not due to the excessive hop bill....therefore the mouthfeel can be best described as blistering and tongue tingling. definitely quenching and dry. drinkability is nice. i'd have another.

overall i would say that this is a overly hopped lager that SA does a nice job with, in the tradition of their past hop heavy lagers. i find an "empty" spot somewhere in the body/mouthfeel that really sticks out to me and distracts just a bit. i think this would pair with some crackers and cheese, popcorn or other bar snacks just to keep it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 22:04:14 | More by budgood1

CMUbrew

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint

A: Amber golden in color with a very clear body. Two fingers of white foamy head form on top with ease, and is very slow to dissipate. Carbonation is abundant and races to the top, keeping about a centimeter of head present at all times. Light lacing can be found.

S: I could smell this beer just by pouring it. The potency took my by surprise. Big notes of lemon juice, followed by citrus peel and pine. Just a hint of dark fruit can be found when the beer begins to warm.

T: Lemony and grapefruity peel and fruit with a piney flavor backing. Caramely and biscuity malts can be found in the back playing a supporting role. They do not completely balance out the hops, allowing them to shine through.

M: I probably would not guess this was a 5% ABV lager if I tasted this blind. The feel is much more substantial than any lower ABV lager that I have had. Carbonation is slightly tickling. This beer is crisp and clean, and goes down incredibly easy.

O: This is easily one of my biggest beer surprises this year, if not of all-time. Double Agent is tasty, easy drinking, and makes you want to keep putting glass to lips. The single best beer I've had from Sam Adams without a doubt. Can't wait to put a sixer of this on ice during the summer. Note to Jim Koch, keep making Double Agent IPL!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:43:45 | More by CMUbrew

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a bright copper crystal clear hue with an off white cream colored head forms thick, cloudy textured large bands of lace as it settles. Aroma straight up hops, citrus peels, cut grass, even some grapefruit action. It's like a light IPA, or IPL in this case smooth breadiness malt back bone action sweeps the bittering hops in the background, citrus, floral notes, and cut grass make up the flavors I'm getting in the hops. A nice blend of a lighter more sessionable hoppy beer. Mouthfeel has a medium to light body with hop oils texture in there a nice bitter finish carbonation moves the beer on very well, this is really good with different foods. Overall a style that Sam Adams should keep around I could picture having this around on hand more often.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 19:08:35 | More by WVbeergeek

mntlover

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours yellow with lightest hint of orange, almost looks like urine lol. Nice cream colored head falls slow and leaves some sticky lace behind.

Aroma is nice sweet malts mostly bready some caramel hints. Hops are nice bright citrus mingled evenly with nice pine. Aroma is crisp almost refreshing smelling.

Taste is nice hops upfront grapefruit, lime and pine intermingle on the taste buds. Hops are riding on a bready malt base that has decent body but only light sweetness. Nice hop forward tasty lager, make a great warm weather brew its crisp and refreshing but not overly light.

Mouthfeel feels a little heavier then I think it is. Carbonation levels about medium. Nice feeling brew.

Overall found this to be enjoyable highly drinkable, very flavorful, can see buying more of this as the temps warm up. I know some will knock it because its a Sam Adams but certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 16:29:35 | More by mntlover

Seekerpilgrim

Washington

3.56/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pouring a very clear burnt yellow, there is a meaty sweetness on the nose, reminiscent of jerky, mixed with the pine tang of Simcoe hops (of which there are seven varieties in this brew!), and the slightest hint of citrus courtesy of just about everything else. On the tongue, surprisingly smooth for so many hops. There is still a very strong bite, but the brewers seemed to have created a balanced chorus of pine, citrus, earth, and fruit, so the flavor is brief and the finish crisp, like you'd expect from a typical lager.

This is perfect with meaty sandwiches, bratwurst, or gyros (to help balance the feta), but also a great introduction to the more hop heavy world of IPAs and such. A great palate cleanser, perhaps your third or forth to wake up those taste buds. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 23:54:50 | More by Seekerpilgrim

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

As a self-avowed hophead, I am and remain a big fan of Samuel Adams' Hopology Collection. I managed to try all of the varietals that went into the original Latitude 48 series as well as the newer one with Mosaic hops and this is a cool idea. A hop-forward lager?!? Brilliant!

From the bottle: "Brewing innovation is about asking "what if?". What if we gave an IPA a new identity and used some of our favorite West Coast hops, with their grapefruit, piney, & tropical fruit character, in a lager? The result is this boldly hoppy & flavorful brew with the crisp smoothness of a lager. Cheers! [undersigned] Jim Koch".

This did not act like a lager on the pour, producing a massive, dense two-plus fingers of tawny head that formed following a cascading-like action. Color was a deep-gold with NE-plus quality clarity and Croesus and Midas sat across from me, rubbing their hands together. The nose was grapefruit and pine and thanks to my deep inhalation, my eyes watered a little at its intensity. My mouth also began to water, but that was a separate issue. I could not wait any longer and went for my first sip. Mouthfeel was medium but the hops were intense on the tongue, burning away the old, dead taste buds and paving the way for a lot of taste. The taste showed that the hops had not been squandered, instead, intermingling and giving a real bite to a style that can often be unobtrusive. Finish was very dry, just the way this hophead likes his beers. I really like what they are doing with hops up there in Boston!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 20:57:40 | More by woodychandler