Helles Belles
The Tap Brewing Company

 

 

Yellow gold and clear. Decent head that settles to rim bubbles. Some spotty lace.

The smell reminds me of a macro lager with a good dose of adjunct grains.

Raw barley grain flavor. Very dry. Thin bodied with a high carbonation. Like the smell, this brew comes close to macro-lager except for plentiful peppery biting hop bitter finish.

Had this on tap at Bukowski's Back Bay.
Light pale malt flavors. Extremely similar to a Pilsner. Some light amount of sour fruits in the nose which also carries to the flavor. A spicy hop character finishes out this one. A nice transition from an early light malt and fruity start to a spicy tart finish. Tasty beer at a good Boston area bar.

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub. A light bitterness but not one of the better beers on this beer vacation. Light yellow colour, lacey, however beerish taste and aroma. Less than average mouthfeel, carbonation is appropriate. A decent, light lager, and some days that will do the trick.

Clocking in at 26 IBUs, straight from The Tap into a pint glass...

Tight, almost bluish head that's about a single finger. Moderate head retention is good, as is tight lacing. Light honey chartreuse color. Very clean - crystal clear, almost.

I think the hops are Saaz but I could be wrong - either way, they balance very nicely with the raw Pilsener-ish malt. Almost a little pear or melon note on deep background - maybe something with a little more acidity, but still clean. Honeydew...yeah, that's it! Crisp, spritely and refreshing.

Nicely fresh grains have a raw quality to them that balances the Saaz-ish bite very well. Little bounce in the step - solid, crisp finish.

Much more mellow palate feel than others I've sampled - tight Saaz with only a mild drop of silage. Malt balances nicely and gives this a good straw-like quality with a dry, bouncy finish.

For the style this is very nicely done. Drinks very quickly and overall shows great balance and cleanliness. Solid.