Sam Adams Odyssey part 4 Nobel Pills

Sam Adams Odyssey part 4

Nobel Pills

• Sam Adams
  • Nobel Pills, 1.99 12 oz
    • style: Czech Pilsener, 4.9%
    • rating: ratebeer (84\100), beer advocate (85\100)
    • personal rating: BA style
      • appearance: straw colored yellow. Very clear. 4\5
      • aroma: the soft refreshing aroma of noble hops. It is quite nice, 4.25\5
      • taste: I have to say, one of the better Pilseners I've had before. Hop forward with a stable sweet backbone. Light and easy to drink. Its hops can get a bit aggressive at times, but that is to style and I doubt anyone would have any problems with it. 4.25\5.
      • mouthfeel: Relatively thin, with a good boost of carbonation. Once again,very easy and nice to drink. 4.25\5
      • overall: I'm going to give this one a 4.25\5. I really cant fault it with much at all. I suppose its hopping could be done better, but that's a serious nitpick. Any ber could use a better hopping, and the hop flavor in this beer is its greatest strength, A great Pilsener to give a shot when you can.
        • BA average: (4.24\5)
        • personal score: 88\100
          • Super short review:Buy this beer! Its well worth it.

Style in focus:

Czech Pilsener

Love them or hate them, you cannot deny the importance the lagger has had on the face of beer. It changed the direction of brewing in the world, opened up new and larger market for brewers to target, and became (for better or worse) the brew of choice of the entire world and by the worlds largest brewers. And lager was “invented” in the Czech Republic. I use italics because it is absurd to say that anyone invented the style. Ultimately it was started by the unintentional bonus of storing beer in the cold seasons, which resulted in the selective breeding of yeast to act in a different way. This selective breeding is what really narrowed down what is today known as Lager yeast. To attribute that invention to any brewer is like giving credit to the farmer for inventing the egg. However, the Pilsner was most defiantly invented. And it was invented in the Czech Republic.

The territory that is now the Czech Republic has seen many hardships over time (such as being taken over by many waring nations) they have always maintained a strong history of brewing. Its this territory that saw the birth of the Pilsener. Much of the brewing was done by citizen breweries (Měšt'anský pivovary “burgher’s”), and one of these breweries did what many great breweries today do: they got a excellent brew master from another source to get their beers up to par. That is where Josef Groll enters the equation. The Bavarian brewer was brought in and used his knowledge of bottom fermenting yeast (first used in records in Bavaria) and the new lightly kilned malt (golden malt) to brew the worlds first Pilsener. It is because of this that the brewery was renamed Plzensky Prazdroj, or Pilsener Urquell (or Pilsener Original Source). It is from this that all forms of Pilsener originates from, including the main product from brewing behemoths such as Miller-Coors and AB-InBev (even if their products are quite far off from what was originally brewed by Josef Groll).

Exert from Beer Advocate:

The Czech Pilsner, or sometimes known as the Bohemian Pilsner, is light straw to golden color and crystal clear. Hops are very prevalent usually with a spicy bitterness and or a spicy floral flavor and aroma, notably one of the defining characteristics of the Saaz hop. Smooth and crisp with a clean malty palate, many are grassy. Some of the originals will show some archaic yeast characteristics similar to very mild buttery or fusel (rose like alcohol) flavors and aromas.

Exert from the BJCP

Aroma: Rich with complex malt and a spicy, floral Saaz hop bouquet. Some pleasant, restrained diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Otherwise clean, with no fruity esters.
Appearance: Very pale gold to deep burnished gold, brilliant to very clear, with a dense, long-lasting, creamy white head.
Flavor: Rich, complex maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and spicy flavor from Saaz hops. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh, and does not linger. The aftertaste is balanced between malt and hops. Clean, no fruity esters.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied (although diacetyl, if present, may make it seem medium-full), medium carbonation.
Overall Impression: Crisp, complex and well-rounded yet refreshing.
Comments: Uses Moravian malted barley and a decoction mash for rich, malt character. Saaz hops and low sulfate, low carbonate water provide a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile. Traditional yeast sometimes can provide a background diacetyl note. Dextrins provide additional body, and diacetyl enhances the perception of a fuller palate.
History: First brewed in 1842, this style was the original clear, light-colored beer.
Ingredients: Soft water with low mineral content, Saaz hops, Moravian malted barley, Czech lager yeast.






Well, their you go. Now you have all the information you will need to know about the Czech Pilsener. I hope that you manage to pick yourself up a Nobel Pills and judge for yourself. I am confident that you should enjoy it, assuming that its flavors are to your liking!



Prost!