Schlafly says:
“Our Imperial Pilsner is designed and brewed by co-founder Dan Kopman and our first brewing team, Dave Miller and Stephen Hale. This Pilsner is a tribute to both original Head Brewer Dave Miller, author of Continental Pilsner, and to Schlafly Beer’s commitment to brewing classic beer styles.
A wallop of malt and hops in the classic style of the world’s most famous beer, our Imperial Pilsner is meant for savoring, sharing and enjoying anytime.”
Schlafly Imperial Pilsner
Imperial Pilsner, ABV 9%
*This beer was provided by the brewer for purposes of a review
Karl: Before we cracked into this beer, I honestly didn’t have any idea what the actual purpose of an imperial pilsner was. The style, for me, is supposed to be light-bodied and crisp and generally unchallenging, a turn-your-brain-off style of beer to simply swig and enjoy. Our last effort at an Imperial pilsner (and one of our very first reviews), the Boulevard offering of months ago, didn’t do much to change that opinion.
The Schlafly Imperial Pilsner did.
Opinions varied amongst us as to whether this was an IPA without the hops, or if it was a Belgian style beer without all those pesky cloves and banana flavors floating around. Either way, it was a winner, light and a little sticky, sweet in a good way and hinting mildly at bubblegum tastes or even a touch of cotton candy. It would be an afternoon at the carnival in one bottle, if Schalfly could have only distilled some funnel cakes to add to the mix. (Note to self: figure out how to distill funnel cakes.)
A definite winner, and one I anticipate going back to. It’s always nice to find that one bottle of beer that can redefine your perspective of an entire style of brewing.
Andrew: Usually when we get to the last beer of the night, my notes are a huge jumbled mess and don’t make a lot of sense. Luckily for me I took good notes on the Schlafly Imperial Pilsner because it was the best beer we had on a night of big, heavy beers.
This was a fantastic clean, crisp and fresh pilsner that made me ask, “Where’s the booze?” Like Karl, I questioned whether this was simply a Belgian without the cloves or an IPA without the bitter hops. Regardless, the citrus notes of oranges or apricots make this a beer that would be perfect for a summer afternoon.
Ryan: I’ve had a handful of imperial pilsners over the last year and have found the style to be a high octane version of its former self. The pleasant, clean and crisp hops and water-thin body are replaced by an abrasive alcohol burn and thick, cloying almost syrupy mouthfeel. The Schlafly Imperial Pilsner was nothing like the latter, thankfully, or the former for that matter. It was an style-bending blend of a pilsner, an IPA and a Belgian ale. And as the title of this post implies, this beer completely redefined the style for us.
The initial nose of this beer reminded of me of all things pure; a mountain stream, freshly dried laundry or a clean baby. While I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what I smelled, I felt assured that there is nothing but good things in this beer – something my palate was able to back up. The first sip brought my taste buds to life. Mixed in with a frothy and almost yeasty body were tangerines peaches and apricots. The hops were there but just enough to cleanse the palate for the bubblegum, clove and banana.
While the body was a bit thicker than a traditional pilsner, by no means was it as hefty as past imperial pils I’ve sampled. And the 9% ABV was nowhere to be found, which is refreshing – and also a bit scary.
Karl is right, a pilsner is a turn-your-brain-off kind of beer. Thankfully we all had our brains on for this one.