Beer: “Noble Pils”
Brewery: Boston Beer Company (Boston, MA)
Style: Almost-Spring Seasonal
With winter fading fast and spring lurking right around the corner, the fine brewers at the Boston Beer Company decided to make an “almost-Spring Seasonal.”
Strange, but intriguing. Their creation is Noble Pils, a hoptastic pilsner brewed with all five of the Noble hops. It's a beer that, according to the bottle, “reminds us that the warm days of spring are just a few weeks away.”
Like “Vidalia” onion and “Bourbon” whiskey, “Noble” hop is just a pride classification for a certain thing made in a certain place, in this case five kinds of hops grown in Germany and the Czech Republic. Although this naming system is usually only legal in nature (ie, you could grow a yellow granex onion in Kansas or brew a Bourbon-style liquor in Maine, you just aren't allowed to call it that), hops actually have properties derived from the soil in which they were grown. I couldn't say why Saaz, Spalt, Tettnang, Hallertau and Hersbrucker were specifically chosen to be “noble,” but it's far too late to change them now. Those are your world renowned Noble hops, and you can drink all five at once in Noble Pils.
If there was one thing I could guess about a Sam Adams beer without even prying off the cap, I could tell you that it will look nice. Noble Pils is no exception, pouring a pretty golden color with a nice looking head full of big bubbles. The aroma was surprising; it doesn't smell hoppy, it smells like hops. It smells like I went to a brewing store, bought 2oz of hops, opened the bag, and took a big whiff. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
The taste was along the same lines. Floating along on a bed of nice, malty beer, there were hops. Noble Pils isn't as intense in hop taste as an IPA, but brings home a lot of interesting, individual hop flavors. With samples of the five Noble hops on hand, you might be able to pick out elements of each one. There was a little resin, a hint of spice, some citrus flavor and even a touch of grassiness, all floating back and forth across my palate and my sense memories. It was complicated enough to contemplate alone in a quiet place for twenty minutes, but don't worry, it doesn't necessarily demand that sort of attention. You could drink it without thinking so hard and simply enjoy it at ease.
Overall, Noble Pils is one heck of a beer. Without a doubt, it's good, but only if you want to taste some hops. For those who do, Noble Pils delivers a moderately intense but incredibly complex and wonderful hop buffet that you can really savor. And you had best buy it soon, because this seasonal will be gone before you can say “Saaz-Spalt-Tettnang-Hallertau-Hersbrucker.”
Noble Pils is available in grocery stores and bottle shops all around Gainesville.
