Imperialize This!

by John Mizer
July 1, 2008

The concept of bigger, stronger, faster has not escaped the beer community. One way the brewer has chosen to reinvent, reinvigorate and reintroduce themselves is by way of imperialization of their beers. This sounds much more complicated than it really is. Imperial styles of beer date back centuries and were created more so as a safeguard for the beer rather than for the benefits we groggers now enjoy.

Put simply, to create an imperial style one must increase the hop bill and bump up the alcohol content. Brewers did this back in the day to ensure the brew could travel great distances without spoiling. The Russian Imperial Stout was once commisioned by the then Tsar of Russia to be brewed in London and subsequently shipped to Russia. Additional hops and alcohol were added to preserve the beer on its long trip east. Nowadays beers are imperialized essentially to create a new styles as many hopheads like their IBUs as well as the change in flavor profiles that additional alcohol will bring.

Imperial stouts and Imperial IPAs were among the first styles to be introduced whereas now all bets are off. You can find such styles as porters, pilsners, and most recently, hefe-weizens to be receiving the imperial treatment with very good results. In essence you can imperialize any style and brewers seem to be leaving no stone left unturned.