Rhode Island Beer Snobs

A week or so back, around the time Dan the Man and I first decided we should have a beer blog, we decided to celebrate with (obviously) a few beers. Dan the Man, Mrs. Dan the Man, and the two little Dan the Man’s (Dan the boys?) came over to my place for dinner with myself and Mrs. Mikey D. I headed out to our local package store to grab a few interesting beers to try, and we sat and drank them, notebook at hand, over the evening.

In this post, I wanted to talk about the first beer we tried - Sam Adams Imperial White Ale. I picked up a 4-pack at my local beer store for $9.99.

In case you don’t know about Sam Adam’s Imperial Series, they have three beers in the series, and plan to have them available year-round. In addition to the White Ale, you will find Imperial Stout and Imperial Double Bock at better package stores near you. As you probably know, “imperial” in terms of beer means simply that it is a beer with an alcohol percentage over 8%. Since your “average” craft beer runs around 5% and your average piss-colored commercial light beer runs anywhere from 3-4.5%, it’s obvoius anything imperial is not to be triffled with.

The Sam Adams Imperial White is a Wheat Ale with spices (Witbeer) and packs a 10.3% alcohol content.

Here is what Sam Adam’s has to say about the Imperial White:

10.3% ABV. Samuel Adams Imperial White expands the boundaries of the
witbier style. While showcasing the traditional witbier aromas and
hazy appearance, it delivers a bigger mouthfeel and body.This beer has a lot going on. Brewed with 50% malted wheat and
two-row Harrington and Metcalfe malted barley, Imperial White also
includes a number of brewing spices, highlighted by the orange peel
and coriander. The rest of the flavors come from the yeast and the
alcohol. As this beer warms and opens up, you start to get complex
flavors of dry fruits, exotic spices, and floral blossoms. These are
flavors typically associated with wine and spirits, but they are
showcased in Samuel Adams Imperial White as a bouquet of flavors. We
thrilled with the result.

If you’re like me, that description got your mouth watering. I’m happy to report that both Dan the Man and I enjoyed the Sam White. Our notes are a bit sparse from that night (and got worse as the night went on), but here’s a few thoughts I was able to read between the food stains and beer drippings on my notebook:

Dan the Man: Orange, corriander, and a hint of vanilla, plus something I can’t quite place. Drinkable despite being quite strong.

Mikey D.: Clean start with a bit of a high alcohol taste towards the back, but still very drinkable, especially for something that is a 10.3% ABV. I wouldn’t have guessed the ABV was that high based on the flavor and mouthful.

All in all, a very drinkable beer. Dan the Man and I made short work of the 4 pack and would have drank more if it was there. If you’re a fan of Witbeers, or just like trying new things, I’d suggest you give the Sam Imperial White a try. I look forward to trying the other beers in the Imperial series and reporting back. Keep watching the blgo for more reviews.

Also, I’m going to eventually put up a post on Sam Adams in general. Some beer snobs aren’t a fan of the company, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it. I’ll try to get that post up within the next few days.

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