Helles
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

basic but solid, which is how things generally are here, relatively tidy, drinkable, clean but not insanely refined, just a beer really, german enough on the grain side to seem authentic i suppose, but the yeast is light in aroma and flavor to me, approaching neutral even, not quite, and the hops are light. sunny blonde, real clear, decent white head on it from the tap, smells super fresh, like noticeable for a lager, some floral character coming right out, sort of a tea note, a little sweetness as the style permits, rightly elemental, with good water chemistry apparent and some breadiness but not heavy in any way. the flavor is similar, drier than it smells a little bit, and pretty light overall on the palate. faint bitterness on the back end but this has excellent balance, brisk, good minerality, bright with the high carbonation, european pils malt evident, its obviously made by someone who knows what theyre doing, but also, its just a helles, doesnt quite hit like the best imported examples of the style, and has a bit more aftertaste than i need, but on the whole no complaints, these guys make better beer than they get credit for, and they always have.