12th Anniversary - Imperial Pilsener
Carolina Brewing Company

I don't like Imperial Pilsners
Well...not until this one.
Pours a medium yellow with a nice white head that slowly melts to leave behind lots of sticky lacing.

Aromas are sweet pale malts, but not too sweet. Some nice fruity hops follow the sweetness of the malt making a nice and clean aroma.

Taste is a burst of lemon at first. Later you taste the sweet pale malt blended with the fruity malt and then the lemon sweetness (not sour) finishing this brew. Tastes amazingly balanced for an Imperial Pilsner. Normally there is a sickly sweetness to they style...not here at all.

Wonderful strong Pilsner.

Thanks to NCSUdo for the sample.

Pours an insane head into my pilsenser glass. Orange color and yeast sediment is floating around.

The smell is of noble hops and come out even during the pour. Very strong aroma. Pale malts are in the background. Grassy smell comes out strongly as well.

Taste has a lemony twang and some sweet pale malts in the forefront. A sort of grassy flavor is an undertone that is balanced by a nice hop bitterness from what I assume to be noble hops.

Mouthfeel is slightly creami because of the nice carbonation that is moderately low and very smooth.

this is a very balanced beer, not a hop bomb because of a great balance, but I really enjoy this brew. Good thing I have more of it!

Add: banana phenol comes out as the beer warms.

12 oz bottle from the brewery.

A: Smallish head, clear golden body with some hints of amber. Head retention low.

S: Hint of alcohol. Some nice tropical fruitiness with pineapple showing the most. Very little hop character.

T: Nice sweetness up front with very little bitterness to finish. Some alcohol character to finish with warming.

M/D: Prickly on the tongue with slightly high carbonation. Meduim bodied. Good drinkability.

I tasted this along side of DFH Golden Era and Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner. IMO, this was the 2nd best of the 3, behind Sam Adams. This brew seems a little less representative of what an Imperial Pilsner probably should be as it seems to take on a lot of ale characteristics.

bottled 6/28/07

A - Pours a clear golden with a huge soapy white head that leaves sticky lacing behind.

S - Caramel and toffee with tropical fruits, grapefruit and honey.

T - Tropical fruits, grapefruit, a lot of resiny hop flavor, toffee with a honey sweetness and a grassy earthy flavor.

M - Smooth and creamy with a thick mouthfeel.

D - Nicely balanced with sweetness and a good amount of hops. ABV is nicely hidden.

12oz bottle left in my cellar fridge by blackie

bottled 6/28/07 on the generic cbc label

appearance: pours into a snifter....bright golden-straw colour, big snowy froth head with nice soapy lacing...standard for the style

smell: woah there - fantastic aroma....tropical fruit, pineapple, passion fruit, grapefruit hops, sticky dripping hops, nice sweetness in the aroma, honey, grassy and distinct...just a wonderful nose if you ask me

taste: I really like this beer...taste is sharp and fairly boozy. very tropical in the hop profile - grapefruit, pineapple, passionfruit, extremely resinous hops...a beautiful double pils

mouthfeel: fairly heavy body, sharp biting hops, a bit boozy, thick

drinkability: good

Thanks to Blackie for this beer from the original Anniversary BIF.

Pours a dank golden color with a small white head that fades relatively fast and leaves very thin lace that is filmy and carbonated. Medium circumfrence bubbles wonderously float to the top of my BA Mag gift Sam Adams glass!!!

Wonderful candy toffee and caramel nose with a white pepper blast. Very thick and chewy cereal grain aromas. A hint of lemon honey with a bit of a grassy floral quality as well. Very nice and forward.

This is a damn fine Imp Pilsener and a style I'm liking more and more as more are released. Mouthfeel is hugely thick and chewy with a resiny hop on the long finish. Some earthridden grassy hop bitterness, black pepper with white pepper windings. Lemony citrus is light but helps balance the viscous mid palate.

Alcohol is very well hidden in this. Drinkability could be slightly higher if not for the huge mouthfeel which I like. Overall a damn fine beer.

bottled 06-28-07, sixer direct from the brewery today...sampled again on 08-23 and bumped a few scores up a bit

appearance: Pours a huge off white head, too much to fit into my pilsner glass in one pour. Like a light meringue, it persists for quite awhile. Loads of bubbles rise from the bottom, and moderate-heavy lacing is left on the walls of my pilsner glass. The beer is a clear, rich golden color.

smell: A high level of fresh hops is the first thing I notice, and lend floral and tropical notes to the beer...seemingly of some noble variety. Behind that is a moderately sweet aroma of various light malts. Poured from my pilsner glass into a snifter, the aroma really comes alive. Notes of rich corn, honey, and gardenia are now found. Light ethanol note becomes noticeable only as the beer approaches room temperature. Some notes of candied alcohol, whatever that is. Huge tropical presence, specifically fresh, spicy, pulpy mango Almost like a pale barleywine.

mouthfeel: The carbonation is around or just under medium and smooth, and the body a heavier medium. Could be a little more lively on the palate...maybe by way of some more carbonation and/or lighter body...seems to weigh the tongue a bit as is. Really, almost surprisingly clean in the finish.

taste: Moderate sweetness from a liberal use of light malts is first noticeable...could be toned down just a touch, but doesn't really bother me too much. On second thought, I like it. Some strange flavors linger after the swallow, which could just be some of that CBC house character that I'm sure it carries. Hop flavor is pretty peppery, and seems to take over a bit. Bitterness begins to build a few seconds after the swallow, reaching a moderate level. Flavors in general seem quite dulled and subdued when compared to the wonderful aroma. Nice and pulpy hop flavor in the finish, though.

drinkability: A good beer with an only slightly limited drinkability, mainly as a result of the mouthfeel. Of the two Double Pilsners I've had, this one is the superior. I will definitely pick up more if I make it to the brewery before it's gone.