One New York Life

Name: Samuel Adams Imperial White (Imperial Series)
Brewed By: Boston Brewing Company
Brewed In: Boston, MA (but probably Ohio)
Type: Witbier
ABV: 10.3%

What they say: On the bottle: Samuel Adams Imperial White pushed the boundaries of a witbier. While the brew delivers orange and coriander notes, typical of witbiers, it has a bigger mouthfeel and body. It is a truly unique brew. On the website: Samuel Adams Imperial White is a new perspective on the classic witbier style. Witbiers are normally light and refreshing with a fruity finish and we wanted to see how these characteristics would stand up when we amped up the recipe. We were totally blown away by the flavors that were created by this beer. This is not just a more intense version of our spring seasonal Samuel Adams White Ale. Imperial White is a new recipe that stands on it own merits. In fact, it is more of a wine substitute than just another refreshing witbier. This is a beer that should be sipped and savored and you’ll be amazed at the flavors you’ll discover as the beer warms and opens up.

Website: The Sam website has added a second birthyear confirmation screen, just in case the 18-year-old has a bout of honesty after he lies about his birthday the first time. For sake of completelness, the Imperial Series has its own section on the website. I like that Sam is ahead of the curve (for larger breweries) here offering each beer its own distinct page with full brewing information and food pairings. Each beer also offers a future section for aging notes. I love this whole concept and hope other breweries adopt this idea. Making a website is the cheapest, easiest bit of marketing you can do — having one looked like it was designed by a fifth-grader is unacceptable.

Why I chose it: I’m a Sam Adams whore. I might goof on them occasionally for their corporateness, but they’re still the gateway drug for people who want to get in to beers. When I found out that Double Bock was getting released with two others as a series, I was on board. I went White here because it’s spring and I just can’t do stouts in the spring.

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Presentation: I like that they took a page out of Brooklyn’s marketing book by highlighting the fact it’s part of a special series over their own logo. The Sam Adams guy takes a back seat to the big Imperial Series banner. That’s good. I like when special offerings are differentiated from the core. That said, the labeling is a bit bland and sadly the bottle doesn’t glow like is suggested on the website. 3

Originality: I’m probably wrong in this, but it seems Imperial beers tend toward stouts, bocks, and porters. I can’t remember many Imperial ales or lagers. Maybe the brewing process doesn’t lend to it? I don’t know. Regardless, I like the introduction of this beer and I love it as part of a whole new series. 4

Taste: Specifically mentioning that this isn’t just a beefed up version of their White Ale is telling as that’s the go-to comment here. The coriander and orange mentioned in their blurb are the most noticeable flavors. I’m not going to pretend to be able to pick up any of the other “complex spices” in the beer; just to say they all blend together as well as any witbier. To borrow a line I’ve heard somewhere: it’s vaguely Belgian. The fact I had it on really the first nice day of 2009 didn’t hurt either. It’s a nice, big beer that’s actually a better spring beer than their current spring beer. 10

Body: I expect Imperial stuff to be cloying and tough to drink after a couple because of their necessarily burly bodies. That isn’t the case here. It manages to stay a little bit bigger than ale consistency without going crossing over into too much. I have no idea how they pulled this off because the big beer is evident. After half I caught a buzz. After a full one, I wondered if I was going to be able to finish the four-pack without interrupting the consumption process with dinner. On the other hand, after having two I found I could still EAT dinner which is a pleasant change in the Big Beer world. 9

Efficiency: I think this was just over $10 for the 4-pack. I would normally complain about the four pack presentation but it’s tough to argue with the 10.3% ABV. The fantastic, drinkable flavor and high ABV is huge for efficiency. Offering these in anything more than a 4-pack is inviting death. 10

Versatility: Big Beers usually have issues here because of very distinct, problematic flavors that prevent the drinker from indulging too much. Not an issue with this. This beer is as smooth and drinkable as any regular beer. The only issue really preventing this from getting full points is the absolute impossibility of driving after one of these. We here at Beer Snobs don’t ever recommend drinking and driving, but we even extra don’t recommend drinking and driving on big beers. 8

Final Score: 45 – Great beer. New entry in to Tom’s Top Ten.