Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner

From the label:

"Yes, we’re a little obsessed with hops. Every autumn for over 20 years, I have traveled to one of the oldest hop-growing regions of the world, the Hallertau region of Bavaria in Germany, to hand-select the prized Noble Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops.

We are celebrating these extraordinary hops with our Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. This one-of-a-kind brew uses enormous, almost reckless, quantities of Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops, which give the beer an unmatched flavor dimension and complexity."

Okay, let’s go with first impressions. This beer has a good head on it, a head that clings to the sides of the glass. The aroma is nothing special. It’s very subtle, but nice. Floral tones slightly masked by, well, a beer smell. The color is a light, murky amber, but it’s not off-putting.

Oh, holy moley, the label wasn’t lying when it said it used an enormous amount of hops. This is one of the bitterest beers I have ever tasted. But the experience is short-lived. It kicks you in the mouth up front, but leaves a pleasant yet very faint aftertaste.

I can’t say this is an overall GOOD beer, but I’m glad I tried it. At least I can say I did. It’s just too damn bitter for me. But if that’s your thing, then this is your beer.

----------------
Listening to: The Fratellis - Babydoll
via FoxyTunes

Recent Beers

Just a list of recent beers I've had that have been added to the master list on the right:

Budweiser American Ale
Chimay Ale Peres Trapistes Cinq Cents
Fort Collins Brewery Big Shot Seasonal Ale
Hitachino Nest White Ale
Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner
Terrapin Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Sam Adams Double Bock (Beer Review)

This is the first Sam Adams I’ve bought in a liquor store. If you’re not familiar with Tennessee law, it is illegal to sell anything but liquor in a liquor store, and liquor is only able to be sold in liquor stores. So that means no wine or whiskey or the like can be found in grocery stores, and beer can’t be found in liquor stores. As with all rules, though, exceptions can be made. If a beer has a high enough alcohol content, it has to be sold in a liquor store. Ridiculous, no? The double bock has an 8.6% alcohol content.

The aroma of the beer hits you right out of the bottle. It’s a sweet, syrupy kind of smell that sets you up well for the first taste. It’s just too damn sweet on the front end, and too heavy on the alcohol on the back. It’s a smooth beer with very little carbonation, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. I like my beer to have a little bubbly to it, but with the pervasive alcohol taste, I’d probably just find it undrinkable. As it is, one glass of this will last me most of the night, and I always end up very sleepy.

Personally, I found this to be a waste of $12. That’s right. Twelve dollars for a 6-pack of this stuff. Not the most expensive beer I’ve bought ($20 for a 4-pack of Samiclaus), but definitely not the cheapest. I’m a big Sam Adams fan, but I’d have to say that this stuff ties their regular Boston Lager as my least favorite beer that they produce.