Tamanend Helles
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, little else. Taste is of malts, grains, hops are in the house. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent and easy drinking beer. By the way, great job on the approved pic.

(12 oz can, code 15419 - 116 days; purchased sixer off shelf... poured into 500 ml mug)

L: brilliantly-clear, gold liquid; dense pad of yellow-tinged foam on pour, slow recede... not much lace

S: fresh-baked white bread, hint of mashed banana, soft phenolic accent; things seem on point, fair-moderate potency

T: pancake-y malt front-to-back, thread of banana and spice trailing along; grassy-herbal back-end lingering bitterness keeps palate awake and alert; grassy aftertaste, hints of bread crust... residual bitterness builds, floral/clove essence hums

F: silky-foamy backwash, satin-smooth residual viscosity; lightly luscious and lovely... bitterness (maybe bolstered by booze) leaves an invigorating numbing sting on the tongue

O: had a 4 oz pour of this last night at the brewery, only took scant notes, but was impressed enough to seek out a sixer... the sample was one of the brighter, fresher, snappier, more dynamic Helles I've had in awhile; this can shows noticeable fade, but not terribly so... I'll be keeping an eye out for this on draft; baffled by the overall lukewarm rating (1526)

The slightly chill hazed but clear bright golden amber-colored beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 1 1/2 dense fluffy white head that persists fairly well but eventually becomes a cap on the liquid before slowly becoming a ring and a thin irregular island of foam. There is little lacing left on the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Sipping creates a couple of arches and lots of patches of lacing that quickly become small patches and legs of lacing.

The aromas are clean and full of herbal earthy hops and toasted bready/biscuity malt.

The flavors are a bit different from the nose in that they include the toasted bready/biscuity malt and its sweetness but in the presence of upfront and easily noticeable herbal/earthy hops and their bitterness that remains fairly well forward even as the beer warms.

The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium-bodied, clean and smooth with light persistent carbonation. The finish begins as the malt flavors and sweetness begin to fade away first to leave the long ending to the dry earthy herbal bitterness that finishes out the show and lingers a relatively long time before disappearing.

Overall this was a very drinkable and enjoyable beer that I’ll definitely be seeking out to have again. The malt flavors are both subtle and full. While the hops have more forward herbal, earthy bitterness than I’d normally It works fairly well for me as a variation on the style. A nice beer that is fairly light and refreshing even if the hops are more forward than expected from an Helles.

Whoa! Nice approved pic! I am happy to keep both my Summer of Lager & The CANQuest (tm) rolling along. I strayed off of the beaten path last night & paid for it mightily. Today, I am back on track.

From the CAN: "Munich-style Helles Lager".

Oh, man, I really needed to get right so I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle Glug so as to keep the noise to a minimum. The onrush of foam led to the formation of just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with very good retention. Color was solid Gold (SRM = 5) with NE-quality clarity, enticing The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Mammon & Midas to tiptoe into my kitchen for a taste. We were all kinda hurtin' after last night's Pirates @ Reds brawl so there was no need for explanation. Nose was beautiful - toasted malt leading to a biscuitiness that made me long for some breakfast. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium, big for a Lager. The taste was wonderful - lightly sweet, but definitely malt-driven with a toasty, bready biscuitiness with just a kiss of the hops! I CAN drink something like this ALL DAY, yo! It might have been a wee bit too bitter for the style, but at this point in time, if you CAN't handle some extra hops, I'm throwing you outta the moving vehicle & you CAN walk home! Man, this was just what the doc wrote a scrip for. Baby, I was getting better with every sip. How's the cooler looking, headed to the beach later? CAN we jam some of these CANs in there for good measure? Cool, cool. Finish was semi-dry, again a little bitter for the style, but just right for this cat. Man, this had me licking my chops, my whiskers, my elbow (a neat trick) & CANtemplating my next beer. Dig me now or dig me later, yer choice.

 

Golden yellow in color with a heavy haze. Poured with a moderate, creamy, bright white foam that reduced to a soapy cap with medium low retention. Clean, medium light malty aroma with light bready notes. Medium light bodied with medium carbonation and a delicate, creamy smooth feel. Malty and lightly bready flavors up front followed by earthy, herbal hop flavors and bitterness that expands from the middle to the end. Finished semi-dryly with lingering herbal hop flavor and bitterness. Great, delicate malt character with more hop character than is typical for the style. Nonetheless, light, tasty, refreshing and very drinkable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-tap @ Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. in Croydon, PA.

Pale gold color and clear with a slight haze. Medium-sized white head.

Bready malt aroma balanced nicely by noble hops. It's more on the mild side, and I don't get that initial impression of sweet malt that some of the best Helles lagers give off. Freshly cracked malt flavor, but again it's subtle as opposed to rich.

Medium-light bodied and dry in the finish. Lively and quenching. I'd like to see this one canned and added as a year-round offering.

 

 

Hazed yellow with a thin white head.

Bready, almost cake-like malts in the nose with a distant hint of lemon. Taste follows the aroma with a mild bitterness and slight metallic tinge.

Medium bodied with a creamy feel. Delicious.