Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner

Nov. 2005 - I really like this one. Typically I don’t think of pilsners among my fav style, but if done right, these things hit the spot. Nice strong sweet aroma jumped from the glass. Beer poured slightly darker than some other pils, with nice head and lacing. Flavor was a lot sweeter than other pilsners, but nicely so. Probably my fav Rogue to date. Well done!

Pours a dirty golden color with a small white creamy head. Aroma shows some grass, hay, pepper, cookie dough, white chocolate, and a slight flowery or perfume-like quality. A lot going on for one malt and one hop. Taste is earthy, peppery, slightly bitter, with a bit of white chocolate sweetness and some unmistakable pilsner funk. Finishes with plenty of earthy hop flavor, some slight citrus flavors, and a nice flavorful bitter grassy earthy aftertaste. Despite the small head, the beer was well carbonated and felt medium to slightly thick. Creamy enough, but kinda light on the tongue, which a nice nod to regular pilsners. Good stuff.

Had to buy it just casue of the bottle; I’ve never seen a bottle that looks even remotely like this one. Pours an ultra-hazy gold with a large, sudsy white head. Aroma is of floral hops, lager yeast and sweet grain, pear/apple and a bit of must with some alcohol coming through. The flavour is hoppy, sweet and slightly vinous. The finish is bitter hopps that come across as slightly metalic. I also taste an earthy citrus, like lemon grass, which probably comes from the hops used. The palate is very full for the slyle and is oily and slick.

A) This is probably the coolest bottle I have. Worth it for that alone. B) Last time I had an imperial pils (DFH Golden Shower), I ended that night by yakking all over. Those two things seemed to balance each other out, leading me to like this beer but not love it. I can’t really explain it any better than that.

Name: Imperial Pilsner
Date: 10/29/1999
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Sandy Springs

golden yellow, strong sweet but hoppy aroma, slight alcohol hint, big bitter hop flavor, light body but lots of complex flavor, long lingering bitter finish

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Score: **4
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The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Bottle. Light grain notes for the malt, moderate notes of flowers and pine for the hops, and leather for the yeast with apple and white wine in the background. Head is frothy white, mostly lasting and has excellent lacing. Color is a murky amber. Flavor starts lightly sweet and moderately acidic then finishes lightly acidic and moderately bitter. Palate is very nice, medium bodied, oily in texture with soft carbonation. Another nice offering from Rogue.

One of the finest pilsner I have ever had, delicious with sushi or tuna tartar. Fantastic that you can have a delicous crafted beer at a top-notch restaurant (Morimoto 7th and Chestnut, Philly). Cheers to Rogue for creating another classic beer.

When I tried it on tap at the Seattle Intl. Beerfest, I found this to be exceptional and wish I could have pint after pint. I hate to say it but I was disappointed with this promising attempt at the Imperial Pilsner when I bought the gorgeous ceramic flip-top bottle. I do believe there is potential here, because pilsners can be underappreciated for their clean simplicity. Either Rogue can do better or this one should be aged to mellow out. Certainly it’s floral and has a sturdy build but the beer seemed all hopped up--and not in the right ways. However, I aprpeciated the enthusiastic foamy head and rich golden color. The aroma and aftertaste both burst with hops. Would love to try it at the brewery someday to see what the tap version is like away from the brewfest.