Try?
Re-buy?
Most of the
“Imperial Pilsners” I’ve tried over the years seem to me to suffer from the
same problem that plagues “double” and “imperial” IPAs-they often come out
so big that they lose their character and the sense of identity for the
style they’re derived from. I found that to be the case with
Terrapin
All-American Pilsner
Which is sold here in Georgia, less so with Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest .
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner has sometimes been called the original example of the style, though until the other day I had never tried it. To be sure, I had seen it in the liquor store, but just never picked it. The beer is sold in an attractive ceramic bottles. But at about $12 each, Morimoto Imperial Pilsner seemed a bit overpriced.
This is another beer in Rogue’s “Morimoto” series of brews, some of which are merely beers that had already existed in the Rogue line ( Morimoto Hazelnut Ale is an example of that). The beers are actually “selected” by Morimoto, not formulated by him.
From the Rogue website:
Brewed with four ingredients: 100% French Pilsner Malt, 100% Sterling Hops, Free Range Coastal Water and Czech Pilsner Yeast. Imperial Pilsner is golden in color with a dry hop floral aroma and intense hop bitterness supported by a big malty backbone.
Measurements: 18 degrees Plato, IBU 74, Apparent Attenuation 80, Lovibond 16 degrees, 8.8% ABV.
So, this is a pilsner style beer with more malt than your average pilsner (which would be maybe in the 12.5 Plato range in gravity) and more hops too at 74 IBUs. With more malt, though, you need more hops to balance off the sweetness inherent in the converted grain.
The other night I was sipping a beer at my favorite local watering hole and they had the Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner on tap, so I bit the bullet and ordered a pint. It was still on the expensive side at $5 for a ten ounce glass, but hey, I wanted to try it.
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner poured to a brilliant golden color with a light creamy head formation and a surprisingly light sweet malt nose. I thought I was going to smell hops right off the bat, as with a big hoppy IPA like Victory’s Prima Pils , but that wasn’t the case. Was this an older keg? It hadn’t been on tap long.
When I sipped, I got a nice biscuity malt flavor, bigger than in most pilsners and decidedly richer, but not overly chewy and caramelly as in some beers calling themselves imperial pilsners. That was a plus. It was fairly clean of fruity esters, too, as a lager should be.
The only downside I found was the relative lack of hops in the finish. I got a touch, but not a lot, and in a pilsner (especially an imperial one), I want hops. The alcohol in the finish did manage to balance the beer, however, and leave a warm sensation in the mouth after sipping.
Not a bad beer, and kudos for getting the malt right, but the dearth of hops detracts enough to bring this to 3 ½ stars. Closer to three than four as I thought this was worth trying, but not something I’d go out of my way to seek out again.
Which is sold here in Georgia, less so with Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner 2005 Harvest .
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner has sometimes been called the original example of the style, though until the other day I had never tried it. To be sure, I had seen it in the liquor store, but just never picked it. The beer is sold in an attractive ceramic bottles. But at about $12 each, Morimoto Imperial Pilsner seemed a bit overpriced.
This is another beer in Rogue’s “Morimoto” series of brews, some of which are merely beers that had already existed in the Rogue line ( Morimoto Hazelnut Ale is an example of that). The beers are actually “selected” by Morimoto, not formulated by him.
From the Rogue website:
Brewed with four ingredients: 100% French Pilsner Malt, 100% Sterling Hops, Free Range Coastal Water and Czech Pilsner Yeast. Imperial Pilsner is golden in color with a dry hop floral aroma and intense hop bitterness supported by a big malty backbone.
Measurements: 18 degrees Plato, IBU 74, Apparent Attenuation 80, Lovibond 16 degrees, 8.8% ABV.
So, this is a pilsner style beer with more malt than your average pilsner (which would be maybe in the 12.5 Plato range in gravity) and more hops too at 74 IBUs. With more malt, though, you need more hops to balance off the sweetness inherent in the converted grain.
The other night I was sipping a beer at my favorite local watering hole and they had the Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner on tap, so I bit the bullet and ordered a pint. It was still on the expensive side at $5 for a ten ounce glass, but hey, I wanted to try it.
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner poured to a brilliant golden color with a light creamy head formation and a surprisingly light sweet malt nose. I thought I was going to smell hops right off the bat, as with a big hoppy IPA like Victory’s Prima Pils , but that wasn’t the case. Was this an older keg? It hadn’t been on tap long.
When I sipped, I got a nice biscuity malt flavor, bigger than in most pilsners and decidedly richer, but not overly chewy and caramelly as in some beers calling themselves imperial pilsners. That was a plus. It was fairly clean of fruity esters, too, as a lager should be.
The only downside I found was the relative lack of hops in the finish. I got a touch, but not a lot, and in a pilsner (especially an imperial one), I want hops. The alcohol in the finish did manage to balance the beer, however, and leave a warm sensation in the mouth after sipping.
Not a bad beer, and kudos for getting the malt right, but the dearth of hops detracts enough to bring this to 3 ½ stars. Closer to three than four as I thought this was worth trying, but not something I’d go out of my way to seek out again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
