Beer Review: Sam Adams Noble Pils Beer Sessions

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated May 2, 2019
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For years, the Sam Adams spring seasonal has been a white ale – a very tasty white ale, we might add. This year, the brewery decided to change things up on us and they’ve put a Czech-style pilsner in their spring spot instead. Say what?! Let’s see how this “Noble Pils” stacks up, shall we?

Beer Details: Noble Pils from Sam Adams/Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts. Available from January through March, this seasonal beer is brewed with bottom-fermenting lager yeast, Bohemian spring barley, and all five of the “noble hops.” (5.2% ABV)

Appearance: The beer is crystal clear and a really gorgeous honey-golden color in the glass. An initial head of sudsy foam dissipated quickly into a thin film that left some light lacing on the glass.

Aroma: The aroma is very light and delicate. We smelled lightly toasted malts with a floral-honey depth and a sweet fresh-cut hay overtone.

Taste: The floral and honey flavors come through right away in the taste, and then even more as the beer warms a little. The malts are light and sweet with a bit of a biscuit quality, and this makes a nice contrast to the piney hops that come through toward the end. The beer finishes with a mineral flavor and a lingering citrus bitterness.

This beer is crisp and bright – like a lemon spritzer. It’s medium-bodied with matching level of carbonation, making it taste smooth and refreshing.

Overall: Well, well, well! Maybe we won’t be moaning over the loss of our white ale for long! This pilsner really surprised us. It’s complex and nuanced, but stays very well-balanced over all. It’s fun to drink, and it definitely keeps all our tastebuds happy!

Noble Pils is a refreshing change from the heavy, high octane beers we’ve been drinking all winter long, and we’ll miss it when barbecue season finally rolls around.

Food Pairings: We kept thinking about spicy foods as we drank this beer: Indian curries, Mexican salsas, spicy Italian sausage dishes, even buffalo wings. The sweet citrus quality of the beer would help lift rich dishes and cleanse the palate between bites.

Have you tried this beer? What do you think?

Related: Quick and Dirty Guide to Lager Beers

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