Munich Helles
Bad Weather Brewing Company

 

Pale yellow...Good clarity..pretty sweetish malt aroma and flavor...honied cereal grains...maybe a little under attenuated ...hops bring a little dryness on the finish but not a lot of added flavor which is fine...

Good drinker... for me it pushed the line a little close to cloying for the style...

Appearance: Pours a bright and light yellow color color. Mostly clear. A small white fizzy head forms that fades quickly. SRM of 6. It's bright and light. (4.0)

Aroma: Moderate aromas of lemonflower and honey upfront. Biscuit, honey, creamed corn. Light lemon. Slightly hoppy. (3.75)

Flavor: Mild lemonflower upfront that soon dissolves into a flowery yeast. . This is followed by lots of yeast and white bread. Pale malts all the way. Biscuit, creamed corn, an The malt profile is nice and bready and biscuity without having too much sweetness. Really allows the bread to come through. Slightly buttery with an American citrus and biscuit malt flavor. (4.00)

Feel: Light and crisp, yet has a strong enough body to provide nice biscuit flavors. (3.75)

Overall: I really do appreciate Helles lagers. In these hoppy days, it is sometimes hard for me to characterize and appreciate malts underneath the wave of hops that are present. Overlooked by many, but the subtle flavors and the lack of hops in helles like these allow the malt flavors to shine. Great pale, biscuit malt flavors with a good body. A helles I would drink again.

 

On Tap... Pours a Clear bright lemon golden color with a nice white head . Smell is grassy herbal with lemon bread malts and grain. A floral spicy and grassy start some citrus ,grain baked bread . Mouth feel is sweet , crisp lemon citrus ,with good carbonation, very tasty.

16oz can. No dating information found. Label has ABV% as 5.0.
Clear, pale gold colored body. Two fingers of white head quickly settle to a partial cap. Leaves some partial rings of lacing.
Aroma of cracker malt and floral hops.
Taste is very slightly sweet from the malt, and has a flavor of floral hops. Quick to fade in the dry aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel. Crisp and clean texture. Good carbonation.
Well balanced lager, and drinks easily.

 

This is from July notes, so not drinking it months old.

This is the best American made Helles I have ever had. Don't really need to describe as it is on point for style in every way. Maybe Bad Weather needs to make more lagers?

Appearance: Pours a bright and light yellow color color. Mostly clear. A small white fizzy head forms that fades quickly. SRM of 6. It's bright and light. (4.0)

Aroma: Huge aromas of honey Munich biscuit malts, honeycomb, lemonflower. Biscuit, honey, creamed corn. Light lemon. Slightly hoppy. (4.50)

Flavor: Strong flavors of pale bread malt and biscuit malt. Some lemon citrus. . This is followed by lots of yeast and white bread. Pale malts all the way. Honey biscuit and bread. The malt profile is nice and bready and biscuity without having too much sweetness. Really allows the bread and honey biscuit flavor to come through. Slightly buttery with an American citrus and biscuit malt flavor. (4.25)

Feel: Light and crisp, yet has a strong enough body to provide nice biscuit flavors. (4.00)

Compared to a German Pilsner: it has similar color. Slightly lighter. Less lemon hops and more of a yeasty, biscuit, and white bread malt profile. Less bitterness, but also fuller bodied.

Compared to Maui Brewing Bikini Blonde 8/21: Pours slightly darker. Similar aromas. More bread malts and honey. Less lemon citrus. Smoother, but similar.

Compared to Paulaner Helles 11/2021: Pours similar. More lemonflower and hops. Less rustic and earthy Munich malts. More yeast and honey on the finish. Leans more American in terms of flavors.

Compared to MORE Huntley Helles 11/2022: Pours similar. Stronger, heavier aromas. More honey and biscuit flavor. Less pale bread and yeast. More smooth and sweeter.

Compared to Fair State Side Pull 11/2022: Pours similar, similar aromas. More intense honey and biscuit sweetness. Less pale bread and yeast. Heavier and sweeter.

Compared to Utepils Helles 5/2023: Pours a lighter color. Stronger aromas. More biscuit and bread malt. Less earthy bread and grassy notes, but more honey biscuit malt. Slightly more flavor and sweeter.
7/2023: Pours simliar, stronger head. More sweet honey and bread malts.
10/2023: Pours similar, more yeasty and bready. Less honey sweetness. The recipe seems to have changed.

Compared to Giesenbrau Hildy Helles 7/2023: Pours lighter, stronger head. More sweet honey and bread malts. Less bread yeast. Heavier, sweeter.

Overall: Great German Helles. Tons of earthy bread and honey flavors. Honeycomb and cracker are accentuated here.
I really do appreciate Helles lagers. In these hoppy days, it is sometimes hard for me to characterize and appreciate malts underneath the wave of hops that are present. Overlooked by many, but the subtle flavors and the lack of hops in helles like these allow the malt flavors to shine. Great pale, honey biscuit malt flavors with a great body. One of the best from the states. (Rating: 4.22)
2023 update: Looked like they tamed the ABV down a bit from last year and also the sweetness. Lots of bready and yeasty flavors here. Almost like a Hefeweizen without the spices. Very enjoyable.

Served on tap at Stub and Herb's in Minneapolis.

Look - Crystal clear pale straw color with minimal bone white lacing. Looks like a typical German style light lager.

Smell - Lightly metallic and herbal, but almost impossible to pick up. The smell is very faint and nearly nonexistent.

Taste - Like a saltine cracker. Sharp and refreshing with a bit of tongue clicking saltiness. The hops give a pleasant flavor with very little added bitterness.

Feel - Medium-thin body and a just peppy enough carbonation. Fits the beer well, doesn't get in the way at all. Way too easy to drink.

Overall - It's a beer. I'll drink it, but I won't seek it out. Refreshing while it's here, forgettable when it isn't.

This is really a nice, easy drinking lager. Maybe a bit too dry for a Helles but that is how I like my beers. Nice spicy hop flavors as well. Just enough bitterness for balance. Light and crisp body and carbonation. Impressed by Bad Weather Brewing with this beer.

 

 

This beer pours a clear yellow with a solid head. The aroma is crisp yet malty, with cracker malts, black pepper, lemon grass, wet earth, and chamomille. The flavor is clean and slightly sweet, with cracker and very light toasty malts, butterscotch, lemon peel, and rye cracker. The mouthfeel is light but creamy soft with refreshing carbonation. Overall this is a pretty excellent beer, very subtle and understated, but with good heft behind it.