Of the new Samuel Adam’s Imperial series, this one is definitely my favorite.  It’s not that the others were bad, but this one was that much better.  As you can see by browsing our Sam Adam’s reviews, we like the company and review them frequently.   Now to the Imperial White Ale, which is a take on traditional Witbier.

The Pour-Imperial White had a short, white, and stable head.  Below this nice head sat an orange-gold body. The beer was certainly less “white” than I expected to be, but this was not a deterrent from moving forward with the smelling and tasting.  There was some haze to the beer, which is to be expected given its wheat content.

The Nose-Alcohol was definitely a major facet of this beer, being that it weighed in at 10.3%ABV.  Sweet malts (wheat and other), spices, and citrus were also very noticeable.  The beer had a sort of syrupy and fruity aroma to it.

The Taste-This beer had a fair amount of residual sweetness and a fairly full mouth-feel.  Again, the citrus, spices, and wheat malts came through on this beer.  However, there was a healthy dose of vodka-type alcohol (maybe a citrus vodka) in the taste of the beer.  Some fruits and grain came through on the finish of the beer.

Overall, the beer was pretty big and the most enjoyable of the Imperial Series that Sam Adams made.  I found myself wishing the the Imperial Stout would have been as emphatic as this White Ale was.  A good nightcap beer!  The more I think about this one the more I like it.

Mike’s Rating

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★☆ 

Among other White Ales: ★★★★½ 

Among other Ales: ★★★¾☆