Helles
Camba Bavaria

 

 

Poured from a can marked "Chiemsee Hell" with an ABV of 5%, but I assume it's the same stuff. I appreciate that the can names the malts, hops, and even yeast included, and all the ingredients indicate this should be a good traditional Bavarian helles. There's a good doughy malt aroma with an undercurrent of toast, and a bit more yeast esters as it warms up. The yeast esters are prominent in the taste at first, almost like a Weissbier, though more subtle, and then comes the doughy malt flavour, and an undercurrent if, I suppose, earthy hops, but these are muted. The malt and hops fade on the finish, and the yeast esters linger, slightly overstaying their welcome in my opinion. The mouthfeel is decent, but slightly thin and watery on the finish. Overall it's a fairly good and serviceable helles, respectful of the traditional style, but not quite as clean in its execution as the best of the best from Bavaria.

Poured from 500ml bottle, ABV marked 5.0%. Nice straw gold coloured body, medium head, mid carbonation. Not overly complex on nose, slight notes of biscuit, malt and spice. Taste follows with classic Helles sweetness and grain, dry finish topped with spice, mostly white pepper coming through. Decent beer, nice enough to repeat.

Pours a fairly clear yellow with fine head.

Smell is crackery and crisp with notes of citrus, rye, wheat dough and some floral hints.

Taste is crackery, crisp and clean. Notes of citrus, rye, wheat dough and some floral hints. Soft bitterness with a mineral tinge on the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium, a bit creamy and well carbonated.

Overall, a very nice, crisp lager.

 

A: Golden, slightly hazy, no real head, didn't leave much lacing.

S: Tettenanger hop, quite fruity, hints of tomato.

T: Followed the nose, finished with some sweetness.

M: Light body, slightly coarse edge.

O: A modern take on a classic style, not bad.

 

 

L:
-pours a clear straw golden with a small,foamy,white head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-fresh grain,biscuity,malty
T:
-Follows the nose + spicy,herbal
-very dry
F:
-medium carbonation
-light body
O:
A fairly mild Helles.OK but nothing fancy.

 

Clear golden color. Aroma has earthy hops with a bit of booze and sugary malt. Taste follows with grassy/earthy hops, bready malts and a bit of astringent booze.

 

 

 

I was gifted this 0.5l bottle from BA Jamesw on my most recent visit to Deutschland in September. Has a "best by" date of 25JAN14. Just getting around to trying it now...

Popped the swing-top and poured it all into an imperial nonic pint glass. Color is a light golden, straw-like hue. It is a bit hazy, and carbo present is scattered and lazy. The head is a fine and thin layer of white bubbles, with some decent lacing. The aroma is a bit crackery and bready, with some light hopping present. Seems quite typical for the style. Body is a good medium, with minimal prickle present.

Flavor has some light sweetness, with a solid base of crackery malt with a bit of bread dough thrown in. Hopping is a smidge on the grassy side, with a hint of spiciness thrown in. This is a solid rendition of the style. Also, it's a nice change of pace from the myriad Imperial Stouts and DIPAs I've had lately... Thnx Iain!! Prosit!

3.99/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1618

The color is a very light orange, not quite bronze as advertised, but hints of red, too. It's slightly cloudy, not crystal clear, but it's still virtually transparent. I actually expected more cloudiness with what a big deal the website made of it.

The aroma is very malty, mostly Pils malts but additionally lots Münchner or roasted malts, which is quite unusual in a Helles. It's thick, as you'd expect, lovely mouthfeel as all Camba beers have exhibited.

The front has a tad tartness, the middle dry and full of malt flavor and some bitterness, but not sweetness. In back is where all the fun starts. You basically getting a Märzen-light here, by which I mean a lower slightly lower alcohol (0.7% less) and toned down München malts with extra Pils malts thrown in for balance. If they'd called it a Märzen, I'd believe it. It'd be a really weak Märzen, lacking in the malt bon bon flavor, but I imagine if Warsteiner made a Märzen, this'd be it. Nonetheless, it's got more bitterness in the back, too. I taste a slight grassiness of Noble hops. Overall, it's either a VERY-Märzen-light or a Müchner-malt infused Helles. It's not at all like a normal Helles, IMO, though it has the dryness and slightly more bitterness up front and in the middle. It's really, really good, verging on WOW, but what holds it back is it's almost too similar to the Märzen style. I wish they'd kept the Müchner maltiness, added more Pils like they've done, but slightly amp the Noble hops to give it more of a Helles character.