I have to thank all the buzz and chatter online, or I would have been really late to the party that is Samuel Adam’s spring seasonal release “Noble Pils”. I picked up a six-pack earlier today at Kroger and couldn’t wait to taste it for myself. I didn’t go it alone, however. One of the esteemed members of the “Beers to You” tasting panel also happens to be my next door neighbor, so I called Charles Bockway to invite him over for a spontaneous tasting and luckily he was available.

So you may be wondering why it’s called “Noble” and what’s the big deal, it’s just another Pilsner, right? Well first of all, good pilsner beers are very tasty finds. Don’t be fooled by the years of brainwashing by the macro brewers, Bud and Miller are nothing like an actual Bohemian (Czech) Pilsner beer. This beer’s “Nobility” is bestowed upon it by the generous use of the finest hops in the world, grown on German and Czech soil and commonly referred to as “Noble Hops”. There are four basic varieties of noble hops, Tettnager, Hallertau, Saaz and Spalt. Samuel Adams uses all of these along with a closely related off-shoot of Bavarian Hallertau called Hersbrucker (The same finishing hop used in Samuel Adams Boston Lager).  

“Noble” hop varieties are known for their very high aroma and flavor qualities and not so much on their bittering powers. Just a few years ago, there was a worldwide hop shortage due to a perfect storm of factors and these noble varieties were especially scarce; if those shortages were still in effect, this beer would cost three times more than I paid. I am thankful the hop supply is bouncing back and we can celebrate with a fine, nobly-hopped beer!

We poured the Noble Pils into a genuine Samuel Adams Boston lager glass, figuring that it would work its magic on this beer just as well as it does for the Boston Lager. The beer was crystal clear and was deep-golden in color, with pin-head sized bubbles forming a white, frothy head. We took our beer’s temperature and it measured 53 degrees F, a tiny bit on the warm side for such a beer, but a good temperature to test drink-ability.  The aroma of earthy hops was evident before I even picked-up the glass.  The very fresh aroma of hops could transport your imagination to the hop fields of Bavaria or Bohemia.

The beer is medium bodied and does have a firm malt character, though it is near perfect in balance, epitomizing the brewer’s art. This is “drink-ability” folks, not the flavorless swill that has been purveyed to us for years as “you fill in the buzz word”. This beer packs in so much rounded hop and malt flavor and yet still posts a respectably “session-able” 5.2%abv, just a little stronger than your typical macro-swill.

This beer is a tribute to the finest “old world” beers that are brewed in local breweries all over Bavaria and the Czech Republic. These “old world” styles are often under-appreciated, especially by many of the recently converted “hop-heads” here in the USA. I am not trying to impugn the sensibilities of the average American beer-geek or the American craft brewer who explores the realm of uber-hoppiness; these beers have their place and are enjoyed my many, including myself. Samuel Adams Noble Pils explores the subtle flavors and aromas of “Humulus Lupulus”, working well within the palate and olfactory sensory range. This beer puts the emphasis on the quality of the hops, not the quantity (though it is amply hopped)!  Charles made the comment that the typical German would like this beer and I agree. This is the stuff of a sunny afternoon in a shady biergarten, with the ability to “drink-well” from the first cool sip to the last warm one! Well done Boston Beer! We love this beer!

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