Smoked Helles
Marble Brewery

oh boy was this a fun one! the right amount of smoke in something a little lighter than the typical smoked beers, even smoked lagers, which i feel like are more often marzen or at least amber lagers if not darker, i am not sure i have seen much smoked helles before this one, and i was a little concerned that the smoke would overwhelm the lightness of the base beer, render it less drinkable and refreshing, but that isnt the case at all, the smoke is woody not acrid, and its appropriately restrained here, leaving a lot of the light european malt in its original state here, not blasting it out of the mix. the smoke has a nice rich sweetness to it that adds a lot of depth to this, like a nice cigar or something, warming but not forcing the base beer to sacrifice much. i love the dryness in the finish, so often smoke in the end is there with sweet crystal type malts or else something bitter and dark in a porter or stout type, but here its by itself because the light grain is just gone in the finish, it lets a somewhat delicate smoke profile really leave its mark. high carbonation and some compatible lager yeast help it wind down as well. i could drink a lot of this, more than most smoked beers for sure, and overall i think these guys did an awesome job introducing an often abrasive element into something highly drinkable and unique. i will remember this one. do they package this? if not, they should!