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

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The best I have had to date of these hoppy agers. Floral hops. Thanks Americo for sharing the growler. Herbal, somewhat A nice mouthfeel. lacy and creamy head on a golden body, a dry and hoppy finish. Citrus, good drinkability. A good hoppiness, great for the summer.

Serving type: growler

05-20-2013 00:13:46 | More by northyorksammy

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Part of the Samuel Adams Mix-pack - $12.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, coppery body with just over an inch-high head of near white froth. Light lacing.

Smell: Restrained pale maltiness, a bit toasty, a tad biscuity. Hops in the nose lean resiny, steely, pithy, and a earthy.

Taste: Pale malts with a subtle, harmonious toastiness to it. Light sweetness. The hop blend is a bit floral, zesty, citrusy, resiny. A little grassy, even, maybe a hint of ground black pepper. Moderate bitterness. Smooth, dry, bitterish finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Soft, smooth lager meets a brighter hop character, though not so much as a Tuppers' Hop Pocket Pils. I thought it was fine and enjoyed it a bit more than expected.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 20:33:14 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear amber-infused golden color capped by a massive head that shows off its stickage and lacing abilities

Smell: White grapefruit and lemon with a hint of bread

Taste: A bit of bready malt and a bucket full of lemon and grapefruit (from the high Alpha hops) and a hint of white wine grape (from the Nelson Sauvin hops); clean, crisp finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with crisp carbonation

Overall: Wasn't sure what to expect but this is very tasty, showing off the best characteristics of both an IPA and a lager

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 23:43:00 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Best before 6/2013.

Pours a slightly hazy orange with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Thin streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grapefruit juice, citrus fruit, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with malty and citrus zest flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some nice hoppy aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 00:37:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a pokal a clear medium golden with a nice looking one finger fluffy white crown that left multiple chunks of lace behind as it settles very slowly.Grapefruit rind and piney hops stand out in the nose,like an old school ipa,light toasted grain comes into play as well.Flavors start with a punch citric hops with a more pronounced malty bread-like presence,it finishes a little watery though wich nipped everything in the bud a little.A good beer,take away the watery finish and this outstanding,as is it's still pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 22:18:42 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

I hear there's a mole in the agency. ...Or maybe it was the garden... Anyway, this stuff pours clear sunrise amber topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises candied orange peel, light leek, sweet caramel, and grass. The taste holds notes of orange rind, light lemon rind, grapefruit peel, mild caramel, and a bit of honey dripping from a tall blade of grass. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a nice little hoppy lager, nothing overtly special, but a generally enjoyable experience.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 03:37:32 | More by TMoney2591

zeff80

Missouri

3.91/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Clear, copper color with a one-finger, khaki colored head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of citrus and pine. It really smelled like an IPA or APA.

T - Spicy citrus flavors of grapefruit and orange. Some piney bitterness and sweet caramel.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied lager.

O - This is a really tasty lager. It doesn't even taste like a lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 22:58:46 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is crystal clear deep yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that gradually died down, leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderately strong aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose—grapefruit seems to stand out in particular.
T: Like the smell, the overall taste is dominated by citrusy flavors of hops along with hints of tropical fruits towards the finish. A light amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and clean (not crisp) on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: While this beer might smell and taste similar to an IPA, you can definitely tell it's a lager by the lack of crispness and clean mouthfeel. In this aspect, I thought this was a very unique and enjoyable beer. The drinkability also makes it rather sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 23:22:41 | More by metter98

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.74/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This poured out as a really nice clear copper color with a nice white head on top. The retention is pretty solid and the lacing is scattered. The smell of the beer isn't quite as hoppy as I was hoping for. The aroma is pretty mild , hops are in there but the malt and yeast take over. The taste is pretty good. There is a nice bitter flavor from start to finish with a fruity essence and earthy back bone. The mouthfeel is sharp and clean, very drinkable. Overall this is a really nice beer. It's an interesting take on what could be an Ale but made into a Lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:05:50 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.29/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

BBD of July 2013

Pours bronze with 2 fingers of pearl colored head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Grassy, catty & herbal

T: Follows the nose, some subtle tangerine & lemon notes as mixing well a slight breadyness up front. Nice pine apple notes mix with breadyness & grassyness as this warms. Finishes slightly dry, bready with nice tropical notes

MF: Light/medium bodied, slight carbonation, great balance

Super easy to drink, this is a nice offering from sammy

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 04:52:38 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. single found at my local Total Wine,

A: Pours a very clear amber with a frothy soapy white head with excellent retention, thick spotty lace.

S: Lots of floral character, hop cone, pine, dandelion greens, some melon rind.

T: Nice crystal malt flavour, grassy backing hops, earthy, nice hop flavour though it's never huge.

M: Crisp, clean, refreshing, easy drinking, has a nice attack.

O: This is a good beer no doubt. Comparing it to the best IPL - Humulus Lager, this beer gets its butt kicked. Enjoy it for what it is, but this isn't a beer to make anyone go crazy with hop euphoria.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:27:54 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

3.56/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Into a tapered tumbler it pours with a flurry of bubbles that settle into a thin compact layer of creamy white foam. A thick band of lace is left behind, dripping downward into the glass. Pale golden orange, bright clarity and the occasional rising bubbles.

Slight pale malt sweetness, vague orange peel, noticeable hop presence.

Dried orange taste, bready pale malt, lingering herbal hop bitterness. LIght bodied, reminiscent of a light bodied IPA, so they achieved that at least. However the IPA model is fairly dull here. Seems as if it could use a fair amount of tweaking to improve, though the product isn't at all bad, just a little uninspired.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 02:12:52 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Best by June, 2013:

Pours golden with a thick white head that lasts, leaving a sheet of lacing on the glass.

Smell is wonderfully hoppy...pine and citrus notes are strong.

The taste is hoppy as well - almost to the point of imbalance...but no complaints here...pine mingles with grapefruit and tropical fruits. Bitterness balanced by a sweet kiss from the malt. It has a fairly long finish.

Very smooth with a full body. Hop taste lingers without being too bitter.

Very well done! The hop character of an IPA with a smoothness of a lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 17:34:13 | More by jwc215

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

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

So this is just a quite hop forward lager? Okay cool, I can dig that. Good earthy influence on there with a strong malt sweetness (that I could do with a little less of honestly). Feel is pretty good. Carbonation strikes a bit firmly. For the beer nerds, this is a good one to go for. With the less experienced and those looking for standard lager type beers, this might strike as too heavy and abrasive.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 01:12:00 | More by RblWthACoz

Billolick

New York

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

Part of the Samuel Adams Mix-pack, purchased at Peekskill Bev, Peekskill, NY. Best before July 2013 notched onto the label.

Pours clear medium amber. Frothy lite tan head, leaves ample and lasting low sheeting and bits of lace low in the glass.

Floral and leafy hop nose.

Better then average hop package, especially for the style. Easy drinking and pleasing brew, decent sessioner at 5%. Nothing special, but would work just fine in a pinch, sort of a hoppy brew with training wheels. Good one to encourage a hoppy beer newbie to check out.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 00:06:48 | More by Billolick

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours a nice fluffy 1 finger head that fades semi slowly thanks to many bubbles streaming from the bottom of my SA PP glass, crystal clear auburn tan maple color. The bubbles create a pillowy rising head.

Nose nice hops, plenty of citrus, some grassy floral hops, hint pine and candy citrus, and faint hint of fresh hop resins, and light crisp lager and toasty straw malt underneath.

Taste is fresh hops again, floral and grassy, some pine and citrus again, light resin too. The grassy noble hop flavors win out in the end with soft fruity grassy slightly earthy and spicy hops. A nice overall bitterness, not till strong but enough, and let's the beer underneath come out. Light crisp lager flavors, hint fruit lager, nice soft lager overall, light grainy cereal straw malt. Finish has a nice long lingering bitterness, grassy slight earthy spicy hops, hint citrus, light crisp dry lager finish but could have been a bit more crisp.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, soft lager, nice carb, although could be a little more crisp and dry on the finish.

Overall a pretty nice beer, nice hops that bring enough bitterness to be an ipl but light enough not to destroy the lager underneath. Tasty soft and enjoyable. Reminds me of a slightly kicked up version of the original Noble Pils (not the crap they put out now and pretend to call it noble pils).

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 20:04:22 | More by jlindros

Zorro

California

3.44/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Clear amber with a small off white colored head, it is the color of weathered copper.

Smell is all northwestern type hops as feature in AIPAs and APAs. Pine and grapefruit with some passion fruit and a little sandal wood. Little bit of biscuit malt.

Starts out hops over a biscuit malt backbone. Primarily grapefruit and cedar wood flavor. Little bit of pine. Fairly dry beer.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall it is OK but I don't need a six pack of the stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 00:57:43 | More by Zorro

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.21/5  rDev -41.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear, pale golden orange color with light edges and a two finger frothy, pillowy white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Good retention with splotches of soapy lacing left behind.

Slightly earthy aroma with a subtle grassy hop notes but the pine, citrus and tropical fruit notes promised on the label are nowhere to be found in the nose. Kind of bland with floral hops followed by bready yeast, caramel malt and toffee. Hopefully it tastes more like an Indian pale than it smells.

On the lighter end of medium bodied with a crisp hop bite which provides some dry bitterness that lingers over the lager yeast into a slightly dry finish. Some sticky pine needle and grassy hop notes but again, the citrus and tropical fruit notes are undetectable to my palate. Caramel malt backbone with hints of caramel, toffee, bread and biscuit. Really disappointing considering what I was expecting. The idea of a west coast style hoppy lager is intriguing but this was just a boring lager with a slightly aggressive, one dimensional hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 09:18:13 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Copper color with amazing clarity, looks extremely professional, no floaties, solid 1" of white head on it, great lively carbonation. Sexy looking beer.

Aroma was hoppy and yielded plenty of lager yeast aroma, not unlike Bruery's humulus lager. Plenty of hop oil and resin, lager esters, amounting to a unique and enjoyable aroma.

The taste is a little bit of everything, small amounts of citrus and pine, but still plenty of lager character. Earthy malt aspect while remaining plenty light in the mouthfeel. Biscuit/cracker malt stays light, carbonation and hops stay lively. Plenty grassy. While Pilsner Urquell has been seemingly dumbed down over the last decade or so, this is a great alternative if you fell in love with that beer in the 80s/90s but don't get moved by it so anymore.

The hops stay alive and kickin' throughout the entire mouthfeel. Prickly, pithy, snappy. Always herbal. Plenty of bitterness. I'm not sure if these are just a bunch of noble hops of or not, but they are pretty potent, without obscuring what makes this a lager. Dry, hoppy, lagery.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 16:49:18 | More by Beerandraiderfan

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.51/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

BB 7/13. Consumed 3/13.

A: Peach ice tea pour has a sharp clarity showing a light and lazy rise of spacious carbonation bubbles. Frothy head sits about an inch high, barley color, pretty lengthy hold retention wise while providing a thin saturn like ring lace with speckled highlights around.

S: The nose is of pale citrus and grapefruit, moderate in strength, with some signs of dry tropical fruitiness. Spicy orange character and some fresh mangos.

T: Flavor of toasted grain, munich like rather crystal, lightly dry, with hops of pine, citrus and toasted orange peels. Cypress, dried tropical fruit with some mango. Has a creamy, buttery, avocado hint on the finish. Spicy pine-orange alcohol fade.

M: Decent mouthful, medium caramel based, with a lightly refrained distinction of carbonation. Warming spiciness of lemony-pine-caramel stand out on the hold. I usually like a both a lager and ipa to have a bright and crisp mouthful, this was more laid back.

O: Overall heard alot of good things about this, i usually like sam adams and thier easy approach to drinkability while maintaining just the right amount of flavor, balance, and style regards. An easy drinking ipa, though hardcore ipa fiends may find this a little under-par either by bitterness or prejudice of brewery still worthy a single try.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 00:56:02 | More by beerthulhu

plaid75

New York

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

Poured a bright brassy hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a light piney hop atop a grainy pale malt.

The taste consisted of peppy piney and herbal hops with a crisp grainy pale malt and lingering doughiness.

The mouthfeel was clean, with a dry finish.

Overall a tasty hop forward lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 03:29:21 | More by plaid75

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

kojevergas

California

2.4/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with blue pressure cap and generally appealing label acquired as part of the Spring Thaw variety pack at a local Vons (Safeway for ye Northerners/Coloradans) and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live within an hour of acquiring. 5% ABV confirmed. Expectations are above average given the current ratings.

Served chilled. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated. Enjoy before: June. Hopology collection.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour head - somewhat thin - with some slight cream, and of above average retention for the average ABV (~3-4 minutes). Little lacing as the head recedes. Body colour is a vibrant clear pale copper-gold. I really like the body colour, actually. No yeast particles. No bubble show. Translucent as can be. Looks par for the style; I'd say it's above average.

Sm: Shockingly hoppy for a pale lager; great nectary oily hops and floral character. Piney as well. Sticky and a bit fruity. Incredible for a macrobrewed pale lager; I'm damned impressed. Clean malts. It's a bit soapy though, which I despise. No yeast character. No alcohol is detectable. An above average strength aroma. Is the taste as good as the aroma?

T: Not really. Pale malts and soapy hops - bleh. Too long spent in primary. Bubblegum. Light hop oil. An artificial garbage finish of empty bland malts. Imbalanced and forgettable, but as a failed experiment it's interesting. I like that they were bold and went for it with the hops, but unfortunately it's not really working here. Too bitter for the style. Lacks any real complexity or subtlety; it's boring, bland, and simple.

Mf: Awfully thin on the finish. Sharp and overcarbonated. Way too heavy on the palate for a pale lager. Horrible palate presence. Still, it's nicely smooth and wet. A bit sugary. I'd stop short of refreshing, but it's not bad.

Dr: Drinkable but unremarkable. A failed experiment from Sam Adams that I wouldn't get again. Still, some will really like this. I wouldn't recommend it to friends, but I've had far worse for the price.

D+

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 04:20:43 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark golden color with a large head that quickly fades in my glass, leaving some lacing along the sides.

Mild pine hops with a bready feel in the nose. Reminiscent of a regular pale ale but with enough characteristics to be a lager.

Taste is mellow with a good dose of pine upfront followed by buttery bread and a chewy texture. Crisp. Very tasty. Easy drinking.

The lingering texture is a bit off-putting though and that's likely a characteristic of the house yeast. It's like their Boston Lager but with slightly more hop aroma/flavor. Doughy in a sense.

I like it. Might be a good alternative to the Boston Lager for those who find that polarizing (I don't though).

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 21:21:04 | More by Brad007