Samuel Adams Noble Pils

Aroma: “Distinct orange-blossom aroma and some honey. More emphasis on the malt than hops. Floral, bready, light toast, with a little spice in the background.” Flavor: “Like the nose, the focus is on the floral. The sweet balance makes it even more like orange-blossom honey. Light bitterness and a pleasantly dry finish.” Overall: “The orange blossoms come through giving it a big floral kick. It’s one of the few additions to a helles that doesn’t completely overshadow the clean, subtle helles character. One way to approach this beer is that they substituted the orange blossom for hops flavor/aroma. From that perspective, this is in style even though it’s half a world away from Germany. On top of that, it’s a beautiful beer.”

Aroma: “Moderate Pils malt sweetness with a touch of sulfur. Very subtle floral and herbal hops with a touch of noble spice, a touch of malt breadiness. More Pils malt on retronasal. Light sulfur as it warms. Overall, somewhat muted.” Flavor: “Clean Pils malt throughout. Falls slightly sweet on the palate, but the finish is crisp and carries enough bitterness to cut through. Floral and spicy hops notes play well with the malt and bring a nice complexity. Finishes fairly dry with a slight grain-husk tannic bitterness.” Overall: “Nice beer, although a touch sweet for some. Easy drinking. A more aggressively hopped Pilsner that isn’t shy about what it’s trying to do with highlighting the spicy and floral hops.”

**Aroma:** “Caramel malt sweetness with toffee and biscuit notes followed by subtle spices—cinnamon, clove, allspice, and ginger. Burnt sugar on top of ale-yeast fruitiness with plums and burnt pumpkin, yet very light for a pumpkin beer.” **Flavor:** “Caramel malt sweetness and a hint of pumpkin open, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger or clove to support. Spices are full and all well-represented, but I would love a touch more weight behind them. Grassy hops are very low and appropriately restrained. A hint of sweetness in the finish.” **Overall:** “Nice full-bodied pumpkin beer that goes tastefully lighter on the spices—a refreshing choice for a style filled with sometimes over-spiced beers. Great caramel malt notes and a perceivable pumpkin flavor that many pumpkin beers lack. Finishes a touch sweet, which is perfect for the style. Great beer that immediately brings up thoughts of autumn.”