Helles Lager
Powderhaus Brewing Company

16oz can from Boise Co-op. Cloudy golden pour, fast receding head. Aroma is sweet, honey, pale malts. Taste is bready, malty with the honey bringing a touch of sweetness and the Buell melon hops adding some light tropical fruit. Smooth, slick. Finished it before I realized. Easy drinker.

one of their best labels yet on this one, super sharp looking, although i like it from the tap a little better here in the early going, the honey comes out a little more, and it seems a tad brighter, but this is nice lager at its base, made just a little bit different with the local honey and the choice of huell melon hops, clever and exciting even those these elements are subtle! the beer is straw yellow, nearly perfectly clear, and really bubbly in both formats. it smells a little floral, a little herbal, things like nettle and honeysuckle and orange blossom come to mind, the honey contribution is evident, its nice with this european pils type malt base, and the lager yeast is unifying, fresh and bready to me, simple but interesting at the same time. its hard to make a traditional style both traditional and inventive, its a very fine line, and they walked it brilliantly here i think. more honey than hops in the flavor, mostly towards the end, its an authentic helles lager until then, and the hops rise up late too, somewhat delicate, but elderflower and honeydew notes in the mix for sure, still some noble grassiness and bitterness to offset the honey sweet. its really well balanced, super light to drink, and flavorful in cool places without sacrificing its german lager soul. much respect for this, great to see these growing up a little bit, this would play nationally in terms of quality. perfect for the dog days of summer.