No matter how you want to define “extreme beers” all three members of Samuel Adams Imperial series must qualify. “The brewers are again answering drinkers’ thirst for bigger, more intense craft brews,” according to a company press release.
In the introduction of the “Eyewitness Companions Beer” the late Michael Jackson wrote “Tomorrow’s classics will evolve from the currently embryonic American brews categorised by their admirers as Extreme Beers. These are the most intense-tasting beers ever produced anywhere in the world.â€
To understand “intense” look for a bottle of the pre-Imperial Samuel Adams Double Bock in your beer cellar and try it opposite the Imperial version. Taste the difference?
Daniel Bradford and company seemed to during a tasting at the All About Beer magazine offices. He writes about the experience in his blog: “Back to the Double Bock after a few minutes and it tastes much richer and fuller, with more candy, less alcohol burn, more texture, more toasted nuts, a greater sense of fireplace and armchair.”
The new Double Bock packs a 9.5% abv punch, comparied to 8.8% in the previous version. The Imperial White, brewed with ten spices, checks in at 10.3% abv, while the chocolate-rich Imperial Stout is a hefty 9.2% abv
“Today, the Big Beer segment in craft brewing offers drinkers a more intense drinking experience. The Samuel Adams Imperial Series, brewed with an aggressive amount of ingredients in each beer, is set to push beer’s boundaries even further,” said Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co., which brews the Samuel Adams beers.
All three beers will be available year round, with a suggested price of $9.99 for a four-pack.
Sam Adams makes awesome brews but I have a new favorite in stouts. Give me the North Coast Rasputin Imperial Stout from Ft. Bragg, CA. I’ve only had it from the tap so I can’t speak for the bottles.
Too expensive. I buy my 12 packs only on sale at a Navy Exchange for $10.99. I see the same at $14.90 a 12 pack outside and that’s plus 7 % tax.
Craft beers aren’t designed for the economist. It is a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. Sam Adams is known for quality craft brews…on a bit larger scale than most micro’s. Cheers!
Joe: These kinds of beers are clearly not for you. Move along now so the adults can have room to talk….
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this new Imperial series Double Bock ON TAP no less, at a bar in Clifton NJ. OK, I’ll name the bar – it was The Shannon Rose – hardly a bar I’d expect to find such a gem on tap. Anyway, they poured it in one of those new, Sam Adams designed glasses (which they let me keep, which was good news considering the steep pint price). Let me tell you that that was a pint to remember – WOW. Awesome stuff.
I didn’t realize the recipe had changed until reading this article. I just thought it was different due to being a different year, and on draught which I never had before.
I have always been a fan of Sam Double Bock and usually have to look out of state to find any. To see it on tap in Jersey no less, was quite a find. That was my favorite pint of ’09. Hurry over there before it’s tapped out. They say they are only getting one keg. Imperial? INDEED.
A really great beer but priced out of my range. What can a guy do that liked the old version and could afford to buy it?
When I first discovered Sam Adams Double Bock I thought I had died & gone to heaven! Since then I ordered enough to last a year each year & drank it exclusively. Now that they changed the formula, I am greatly disappointed. The “new” DB is more bitter, less sweet, and not nearly as good. After drinking one there is no desire to have a second, as there always was with the old formula. I’m now desperately seeking a substitute but without much hope, as many people seem to like the new style.
“Too expensive. I buy my 12 packs only on sale at a Navy Exchange for $10.99. I see the same at $14.90 a 12 pack outside and that’s plus 7 % tax.”
In Norway we have to pay $6 for a bottle of Sam Adams Bosten Lager.. That means $72 for a 12 pack.. Still I buy it almost every friday.
To expensive? $9.99 for a four-pack of Imperial!? That would be a bargain in Norway… I reckon the price would be around $40-44 for a four-pack..