(September 15, 2009 – TMRZoo.com) Limited-Edition Extreme Beer Pushes Boundaries of Flavor with 12 lbs per Barrel of Bavarian Noble Hallertau Mittelfrueh Hops
BOSTON, MA, September 2008 – It’s no secret that hops are the signature of good beer, adding to its aroma, character, and robust flavor. This September, Samuel Adams is once again celebrating great, Noble hops by offering beer lovers the distinct, full-flavored taste they crave in the latest release of Samuel Adams® Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. This one-of-a-kind beer uses enormous, almost reckless, quantities of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh hop, a rare Bavarian Noble hop variety prized for its distinct taste and aroma. The result is an innovative beer with unmatched flavor and complexity.
“Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner is brewed for the hungry-for-hops beer lover and the entire community of great beer connoisseurs who are always on the hunt for a brew that unabashedly pushes the boundaries of flavor,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams® beers. “Each fall, I travel to Bavaria and personally hand select the highest quality Noble hops used in the Hallertau Imperial Pilsner to ensure every bottle is bursting with the distinct bitter taste and floral aromas typical of Noble hops from this region, and necessary to support the bold, extreme flavor found in this beer,” Koch added.
Just as different grape varieties lend distinct characteristics to wine, hop varietals offer their own distinguishing flavor and aroma character to beer. While average beers use an ounce and a half of hops per barrel and a big, full-flavored beer like Samuel Adams Boston Lager uses a full pound, Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner — one of the “hoppiest” beers available — is brewed with approximately 12 pounds per barrel of Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. These prized hops are only grown in the Bavarian region in Germany, considered one of the best hop-growing regions in the world.
With the first sip, drinkers will experience an explosion of deep citrus, spicy flavor from the abundance of Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. The extreme hop flavor is pleasantly balanced from beginning to end with a slight sweetness from the malt. The lingering “hop signature” is a treat for hops lovers. The beer’s deep golden color and rich creamy head give off an intense and complex Noble hops aroma, very similar to what Jim experiences when he rubs the hops together in his hands to release the essence of the hops flowers during hop selection in Germany.
At a time when craft beer and food pairing experimentation is at an all time high, Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner also brings a full-flavored, aromatic brew to the dinner table that pairs well with rich, equally flavorful cuisine. Creamy dishes such as beef stroganoff, grilled steak smothered with a thick mushroom cream sauce, or a traditional Tuscan-style braised meat, such as Osso Bucco pair well. Pungent or creamy cheeses like Roquefort, Brie, or Camembert would also stand up in flavor complexity.
Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner will be available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles at select specialty beer retailers beginning late September 2008, for a suggested retail price of $9.99.
THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.
Today, the Company brews more than 21 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world’s finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the “extreme beer” movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers’ perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country’s largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.
