Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner
Poured a slightly orangish straw color. Was unexpectedly hazy. This was my first foray into the Imperial Pilsner realm so I didn't know if that was normal, but when I see "pilsner" I think crystal clear. Still, had a beautiful, large, rocky, off-white head with great lacing so I went ahead and scored it slightly above average. Wonderful aroma, just an absolutely stellar hop scent. Some malt was in there too but the hops were front and center. About as good a smelling beer as you could find anywhere. Medium-full body. Very malty but lots of hop bitterness to balance. The bitterness lingered in the finish--just a bit too long, in fact, for my taste. Plenty of hop flavor as well. Relatively clean, though the hops were so intense that it was hard to really judge this. Mouthfeel was okay; not as harsh as might be expected given the massive hop presence. Drinkability was slightly above average, which was actually pretty good, considering. Delivers what it promises. If you let it warm up a bit, the malt is more apparent. Try some of this just so you can smell it.