Samuel Adams Noble Pils - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

swizzlenuts

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

When opening the beer I get a nice spicy/floral hop aroma with a tad bit of grainy malts. A slight lemon note comes through from the hops as well. The balance from the malts and hops is pretty damn good. I like my pilsners to be more on the hoppy side like Victory Prima Pils and Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils. This one is definitely up there and quite pleasing to my nose. Sam Adams Noble Pils has a nice straw yellow colour and very very clear. The one disappointment is the lack of head. I poured the beer fairly vigorously, yet the one finger head dissipated faster than I would have liked. However, it looks like there will be a decent lacing to this. After the beer is poured, I get more of a grainy pils flavour coming through in the nose, but that could be because I'm used to the hop aroma already.

When sipping on this yellow fuzzy beer, I get a great balance between the hops and the malts. The malts are perfectly balanced with the hops to to give a crisp bready flavour mixed with a spicy/floral note. I don't get the lemon I smelled in the nose, but there is a slight fruitiness that I can't really pick up. The lager characteristics in the beer are slightly perceivable, but it's pretty much the same thing that Boston Lager has. It's not bad, per se, but something that diverts attention from the great balance. The hops in this beer are just juicy and tasty. I am surprised this has been released in the winter, because this would be absolutely perfect after a hot day or grilling in the summer. One of my favourite things about pilsners is the balance, but this isn't as balance as a Spaten Pils; however, this is better than the Spaten Pils because of this absolutely stunning hop character. As I'm writing this review the hop character shines through the entire time; sometimes with hooppy pilsners the grainy malt starts to comes through, but this is so well hopped that the different hop flavours shine at different times. For example, I wrote earlier that I got mostly floral/spicy notes, but now I'm starting to get and sweet fruity flavour, almost reminiscent of a fruity ester. This mixed with the malt sweetness is simply fantastic. This could possibly be the best Sam Adams beer I've had (excluding the American Pale Ale I had at a beer fest).

The head quickly dissipated after a few sips, and I didn't get much lacing (could have been my glass pint glass); I'm not going to fault the beer because of this, but I'd like to see a bit more head because it doesn't look as appealing as before. Taking a nice drink and the beer's mouthfeel is almost perfect. Enough to be light and refreshing, but creamy enough to make me want to have more sips.

How is the drinkability? It's pretty damn good. I could easily drink this all night and drink many. With the ABV that is probably around five (I couldn't find the exact number, but I've seen 5.2% around), this is a fantastic session beer. I will be purchasing another six pack!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 01:45:47 | More by swizzlenuts

nasastrums

New York

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-17-2013 01:33:21 | More by nasastrums

Satsuma

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-16-2013 03:53:54 | More by Satsuma

horsecorosous

Michigan

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-16-2013 01:10:57 | More by horsecorosous

SarcasticAaron

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

06-15-2013 13:06:11 | More by SarcasticAaron

SenorHops

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-15-2013 00:38:55 | More by SenorHops

MPSTARR

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-13-2013 01:58:08 | More by MPSTARR

Brew33

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-12-2013 17:20:07 | More by Brew33

DenverHopHead

Colorado

3/5  rDev -21.1%

06-12-2013 12:05:56 | More by DenverHopHead

TravisR

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

06-12-2013 05:17:43 | More by TravisR

Cleaver35

Oklahoma

3/5  rDev -21.1%

06-12-2013 00:50:32 | More by Cleaver35

I_BYE_MI_BEER

Michigan

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-11-2013 18:10:05 | More by I_BYE_MI_BEER

Evoforen

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-09-2013 15:20:01 | More by Evoforen

CaptainStubing

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-07-2013 18:12:21 | More by CaptainStubing

Inspired

Maryland

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-07-2013 17:11:10 | More by Inspired

blastoderm55

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

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DuffmanSaysALotOfThings

New York

2.5/5  rDev -34.2%

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ghowehattrick

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-05-2013 20:20:49 | More by ghowehattrick

One2Remeber

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Straw yellow, crystal clear body. Dense white foam, excellent retention. Wonderful lacing.

S: Earthy, soapy, floral noble hops.

T/M: Floral hoppiness with smooth malts sliding in the back for a pleasantly sweet lingering finish. Touch of metallic taste, picked up in many SA bottles. Clean like a lager, no fruity esters. Light body with an intense hoppy flavor.

O: A true stand out for such a large brewery. Hop flavors are remarkably pronounced while nailing the style to the tee. Highly suggest to try on tap as the hop profile tends to be even more pungent.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 00:58:55 | More by One2Remeber

ryanbayv

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -34.2%

06-04-2013 22:48:29 | More by ryanbayv

dsnyder61

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-04-2013 22:38:41 | More by dsnyder61

amandapants

Washington

3/5  rDev -21.1%

06-04-2013 17:41:14 | More by amandapants

VirtueVsVice

Illinois

3/5  rDev -21.1%

06-04-2013 17:34:50 | More by VirtueVsVice

pisano

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-04-2013 16:13:38 | More by pisano

dochs

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +25%

06-04-2013 03:32:16 | More by dochs