Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection -- Imperial White

My last post began the adventure into Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection and the Third Voyage Double IPA.  As I mentioned, Costco has a four pack for a penny under $20.

Sam Adams brewed it's first bold beer in 1988 with a double bock.  It wasn't until 2009 when Sam Adams came out with the imperial series.  After trying a bunch of different recipes they came up with this unique beer. Supposedly you can make a "Samosa" with this with 2/3 orange juice and 1/3 Imperial White -- I'll have to get another bottle so I can try that.

Imperial White is 10.3% ABV and 15 IBUs -- the alcohol content for this beer is up there with barley wines.  It pours a hazy-golden with a little bit of foam.  The color comes from the extraordinary amount of malts used -- none of them are roasted, it's just a lot of malt that give it the darker color.  Like many of the white-genera on the first sip you can immediately taste citrus and spices; however, as an "imperial" white it's amped up so it is almost syrupy.  The term imperial comes from beers in the 1800s shipped from England to imperial Russia's royalty.  The term came to mean luxury, and eventually beers that are bolder and fuller.  Sam Adam's Imperial White is no exception.  It's a strong wheat beer brewed with orange and lemon peel, hibiscus, coriander, dried plum, anise, rose hips, and vanilla.  All these ingredients make it extremely complex and you can pick up different flavors on each sip.  There are lots of fruit flavors with the orange, lemon, and plum.  The spices blend with the vanilla for a mellow and sweat aftertaste.

Given the sweetness and strength it makes a good desert beer.  I'm pairing it with some Atlantic salmon.  This is great for anyone looking for a unique beer or to share with others.  Cheers!

Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection -- Third Voyage Double IPA

The Boston Beer Company is best known for its Samuel Adams brand.  They've made limited edition small batch collections of bold and unconventional beers.  While at Costco I stumbled upon this collection for $19.99, which is not bad for four quality large bottle brews.

Third Voyage Double IPA is meant to take the IPA style back to its origins.  India Pale Ales were made by the British as beers that were strong and hoppy so the beer would last on long ship voyages to far away parts of the British Empire.  In the 1700s malts were roasted pretty dark (i.e. brown ale, stouts, and porters), so making a beer that was copper color was considered pale.  Third Voyage was inspired by "Captain James Cook whose 3rd voyage made him the first to navigate a treacherous route from England to New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest."  In that spirit, Sam Adams has used Cascade hops from each of those areas.

This beer is rated at 8.0% ABV, 85 IBUs and is a nice copper color.  It pours with quite a bit of head, but that eventually dissipates to a trace.  It smells hoppy and floral, but with a deeper and richer characteristic that I find only in strong and hoppy beers.  It is lightly carbonated and full of bitterness that leaves a long aftertaste which eventually turns a little chalky from the malts that try to balance this beer.  The hops give it a touch of citrus and pine.  It's almost like a combination of Stone's IPA and Arrogant Bastard -- it's big bodied and big on the hop profile.  In my experience, Sam Adams beers usually don't stray very far from the Boston Lager mainstay, even when they're trying to brew something completely different.  This is definitely an exception and is probably the boldest beer from Sam Adams I've ever had.  It's so bold you can just enjoy it on its own.  Hops will cut through with spicy food or pair nicely with red meat.  I'm going to grill up some tri-tip to enjoy the last half of it.  Cheers!