Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner
A- fiery glowing orange with bright golden highlights, the lightly hazy color of this brew is amazing. foam is perfect as well, cream colored with an orange-ish tint. ridiculous retention and lace is no surprise, and i can tell already that this bottle speaks the truth. S- citrus grapefruit, some lemon, pine, and the background toasty sweetness of some pale malt. quality reefer, pineapple, and other unimaginable tropical fruits converge into a bitter slurry of delight, and i don't believe i've ever smelled a noble hop in this way. T- fresh piney citrusy burst right away, grapefruit and orange peel, tangerine, lemon zest, apricot, pineapple, white pepper, with aromatic underlying woodsy and somewhat sweet pale malt flavor. clearly the showcasing of hallertau hops has resulted in something of a glorious magnitude. the fundamentally simple flavor profile seemingly uses each element in perfect harmony. a bit of chalky earthy yeast flavor, beneath toasty caramelized grain sweetness, beneath pungent herbal citrus bold brash unrelenting hop flavor. true to the marketing, it is insanely hoppy without being overly bitter. finishes with a touch of sweetness and a sharp bite that recurs with every slight move of a mouth muscle. MF- evidence of this baby's viscosity is revealed as it is poured showing off some slo-mo cascade action. mildly powdery, and carbonation is nestled perfectly at medium rare, dispersing alpha oils around the palate and achieving a resinous, slightly dry medicinal feeling that almost has me stoned. and by medicinal i mean high-octane codeine cough syrup. roll me away. D- hallelujah, a savior is born, and i would like to hereby express my sincere christmas gratitude to mr. koch and the good folks at BBC for putting forth this endeavor, and to nate for being ballsy enough to grab a few cases. entirely drinkable for any hopster, 10 seconds after each sip i'm clutching the glass like a humulus fiend as i tremble whilst bumping up to revisit my fix. deserves a perfect score here but i don't think i could drink more than a couple before experiencing the feline feeling of catnip. incredible.