I just had my bottle and I would agree with this.
For pils there is too much hops.
Other then that I think it is fine beer.
May be if you buy beer in two months it will be just right ;D
I just tried this beer for the first time today and it was good. The Noble German hop flavor is pretty good, but I think it’s missing that spicy element that is typically found in that particular variety. I give it a “real nice try” and enjoyed it but not a “German” Pils by any means.
This was the first SA beer that I thought was tad “homebrewey”- and it appears a trifle over-hopped. It’s good but not spectacular.
Definitely go out and get a sixxer. Good with BBQ.
Agree with the last several reviewers - not quite an authentic pilsner. Two years ago I spent a month drinking my way from Prague, across northern Austria, then southern Germany. None of the Bohemian / Bavarian pils I tried had nearly as much hop bite as SA Noble Pils. That said, it’s still a fine beer that’s quite enjoyable to drink.
And a note to those debating the authenticity of Hersbrucker as a true “noble hop”: One of my beer geek sources tells me that Hersbrucker (both the Hallertauer and Hersbrucker regional varieties) were used extensively in place of Hallertauer in years when whole harvests of Hallertauer were wiped out by the verticillium fungus. It took twenty-some years for better, disease resistant strains of Hallertauer to be developed, and during that time, Hersbrucker was used in place of Hallertauer as necessary. Hersbrucker proponents feel that, (1) since Hersbruck is an old, traditional hop growing region, and (2) Hersbrucker filled in admirably when Hallertauer couldn’t answer the bell, Hersbrucker has earned the distinction of being a “noble hop.” Their point of view, not mine. Y’all can decide on your own.
I think the question is, where AREN"T we finding it. It’s every where here in NE Ohio. Gonna have o snag a sixer this weekend.
A good beer, IMO.
So, I finally had this beer and must say it is more a display of noble hops than a typical German Pilsner. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be the latter but German Pilsners don’t tend to have the fresh hops taste and aroma that this beer exhibited. German Pilsners don’t tend to smell like a bag of hops.
I just read through the latter part of the thread and it seems that others got the same impression. I second Euge’s statement of being “homebrewy”.
I still think it is a good beer, though.
Kai
Funny you mention that because I could pick up on the same thing as well.
It was certainly enjoyable eventhough it really doesn’t represent an authentic German Pils. Maybe they don’t even care to represent that. :-\
I think with this beer it is more about the Noble Hops than the vehicle they arrive in. Of course it has to be a Pils but obviously the style is secondary.
Let me make a controversial statement though:
If home brew judges out there happen to consider this beer as a good example of the German Pilsner style because of its name, doesn’t that change what taste aroma is expected from a German Pilsner in competitions. Let’s assume I was to enter a competition with a more subtle and possibly more authentic version and someone else brews a bee along the lines of SA’s Noble Pilsner. I could easily see the Noble Pilsner like beer win b/c its traits are more pronounced.
Kai
with a lot more time now to have had some and consider, I agree with what euge said - its about noble hop showcase, witha pilsner malt stage - I don’t really like the term “homebrewey” though.
I’ll pose this to you though kai (and I agree with your assessment of the beer) - I don’t really find this all that much different from Victory’s Prima, which many, many people use as their benchmark for the style. To me, VPP has never tasted anything like Bitburger or some of the other examples (though I’ve never had Jever). I guess what I’m saying is, if not SA Noble, then why Victory?
Disclaimer/Disclosure: Victory Prima is my favorite pils.
I have to agree this beer is missing something? It is not a bad beer and I will drink all that I have. I truly was looking forward to a really good summer drinking beer. If you are over 40 and remember the original Strohs beer in Detroit (Not the crap made now) that is what I think of when it comes to Bohemian Pilsner. My taste may have changed but that was my first beer, and you always remember your first 
I never had Prima Pils but it’s not brewered by a German brewery either.
More food for though. And don’t get this the wrong way. I’m not here to bash American brewing or taste preferences. It is almost a philosophical discussion:
Who should decide how a particular style is supposed to taste? Fact is that beer styles evolve as consumer taste and technology changes. But that change may not go into a direction that we beer geeks like. Let’s look at the German Pils. Most of them are getting more and more bland. They loose their hop bitterness and their hop aroma. But is this a trend that should be encouraged by judges? I guess no. But then, where is the balance between too much and too little? Who’s going to be the guru on the hill who decides this?
In Germany the DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts Gesellschaft – German Agriculture Society) issues each year a book listing the best beers in each style. You could see the beers listed as the current benchmark of the style. I don’t own it but want to get it in the future. But even that list will be influenced by personal preferences and possibly by industry trends.
This becomes even more complicated once you judge those styles as non native beers. Since it is a hobby you cannot require that judges travel to the native country of these beers (be it Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, UK…) to get a full understanding what the beer tastes like over there. So inevitably you’ll get local taste preferences mixed into these styles and something that may win here in the US may not do so well in its native country or ice versa. But I just see this as the nature of the beast.
My local pizza house makes an awesome buffalo chicken pizza. I don’t care that this may have little to do with an authentic Italian pizza. But I love it and don’t want to have it any other way.
Kai
Agreed
Who makes the best car…or who makes the best pizza…or who makes the best of anything.
What is the standard?
The standard is that which everything is gaged by. The standard for beer in the homebrewing hobby is what? The BJCP Style Guidelines.
I’m not telling anyone anything they don’t already know, but as many know beers are judged by beer judges and measured against the BJCP standards… and every beer judge has their own personal preferences and palates that are unique to one another. The beer judging process is very subjective. If you have ever competed you know what I’m talking about.
But I guess we have to have some standard by which we can all agree upon and by the way I do tend to agree with the BJCP standards for the most part. That being the case, the examples for a German Pils according to the BJCP style guidelines are:
Victory Prima Pils, Bitburger, Warsteiner, Trumer Pils, Old Dominion Tupper’s Hop Pocket Pils, König Pilsener, Jever Pils, Left Hand Polestar Pilsner, Holsten Pils, Spaten Pils, Brooklyn Pilsner
So if we are measuring SA Noble Pils against the standard… then the aforementioned examples are those by which it should be measured.
Personally I want to do a blind tasting to satisfy my own curiosity. However my opinion …well you know what they say about opinions.
OK…now taste them for yourselves. 8)
Quaffable beer. Pleasant to drink. I liked my samples. 
Picked up a 12 pack the other weekend and it is a nice pils - looking forward to some warm spring day around the smoker and I will probably pick this up again. Didn’t have great head retention though. Reminded me strongly of the Golden Pils but with more up front hop flavor. I bet it is way better on draft.
Little Freudian slip there, buddy? I could fix it for you but I want to be sure you mean what you mean. 8)
Gosh darn it. Speaking about a meaning changing typo. Thanks.
Kai
Personally, I loved it. I did detect a citrusy tinge that I assumed was from either the yeast strain or the combination of hops or both. However, to compare it to a German (or even German-style) pils is misleading. I simply let it stand on its own merits, which I find to be strong enough.
I mentioned it to one of my brewclub friends - most of the rest of them had already tried it - and he asked where he could get it. We explained that it was all gone and he said, “What? In this weather?” (It was 95-plus degrees that day). I had to agree - if you’re going to make a seasonal pils, try to keep it available all season long. And yes, I’d like to see it available year-round, although I’d drink more of it in the summertime than any other.
I agree - they should have kept it along all summer long. I dislike their Summer Ale.