Hell
Memminger Brauerei

I found this on the clearance rack a couple weeks ago. It was past the date freshness date, probably why my rating is a bit lower than the average.
The brewery (dated 1866) is permanently closed according to Google Maps.

From a 500ml can, 4.9% ABV
Pale straw colored pour with decent clarity, and a thick head that has some retention before a collar forms and leaves some patchy lacing.
Somewhat weak and neutral on the nose.
Lightly toasted malt, bright, with soft caramel flavor. Lightly bodied mouthfeel, with a weak hops profile and mild bitterness.

From the 16 oz can in a snifter. This decent little helles pours a pale
straw color with a nice head of white foam that settles to a thin ring,
thin dusty layer, and sports some decent lacing. Nose of light grains
and subtle herbal hops. Flavors surpass the nose with light grains,
subtle breaded malts, mildly bitter herbal hops, and faint honey malts.
Mouth feel is medium light, medium light carbonation, smooth, and finishing
moderately clean with a light grain and subtle hop note.

Overall, a decent but not stand out brew for the style.

Bring on the lawn mower!

Cheers

Pours a light golden color with a small head. Aroma is German Lager, kind of non-distinct. Taste is sweet malts & very mild hops. Tasty and easy drinking. BB 5-20-2026. Costco Advent 2024 beer pack.

 

One of the better Helles I have had to date.

What made this stand out more than all the others I've had is the apricot scent that wafted into my nose - sweet and distinct. But the rest of this was very tasty and very sessionable and I wish I had more of this....

Poured from an aluminum can, stored in a refrigerator at 38 degrees. The ale/beer was poured into an insulated pint glass. The beer was allowed to warm a bit before tasting it.

It poured a clear golden with slight head. The scent had grain and German malt notes. Easy to drink with crisp malt base with grain and finishing hop presence.

Good but won't buy again.

I loved it.
This beer was available at Costco in a 12 pack of pint sized cans of various German beers.

Hell from Memminger Brauerei. 500 mL (16.9 fl oz) can. Part of “12 German Beer Specialities” box. $ 4.25 (Including tax)/can, $ 0.251/fl oz. from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, picked up 02/11/24. Reviewed 24/12/24 (Review 3428). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “EXP 2025/03” Stored at 39 degrees F at home. Served at 43.7 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 51.9 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Straw (SRM 3), clear. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, same.
Head: Average (Maximum 4.2 cm, aggressive center pour), white. Medium density. Rapidly drops to a 0.8 – 1.0 cm crown and a thin, rocky cap.
Lacing – Fair. Quickly forms badly torn curtains.
Aroma – 3.5 – Weak nose, barely noticeable hops other than slightly bitter smell. Faint and not unpleasant sulfur. No malt, no ethanol (4.9 % ABV, as marked on label). No diacetyl.
Flavor – 4 – Begins crisp. No malt, no ethanol. No disulfides, no diacetyl. Finishes mildly bitter and a bit grainy. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Thin; watery; soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 Good example of a German Helles.

500 ml can poured into a mug.
EXP 2025/03

L: Clear yellow, 2 finger white head, foam is persistent and leaves lace.
S: Big whiff of spicy hops with some light bread grain to open, some mineral aroma, settles to a lighter and balanced bread grain and hop aroma.
T: Toasted barley, a touch of lemon and some honey malt flavor, spicy hops are a bit floral, overall rich and malty, low sweetness, mild bitterness.
F: Medium body, mild carbonation, soft frothy feel.
O: Well done, wish I had more than one.

 

Review: 2221
Name: Hell
Brewery: Memminger Brauerei
Location: Memmingen, Germany
Style: Helles
A.B.V.: 4.9%
Canned: B.B. 05/2026
Date: 16 Oct 2024
I am down to the last Helles in the twelve-pack. I used my old Michelob glass for this review and served the beer at 42 degrees. The pour resulted in a frothy, airy, two-fingered white head with average retention, leaving no lacing on the glass. The beer's color is light straw with a pale golden yellow charting at SRM4 and is translucent. The appearance of the beer is average for this style.
Nosing the glass, I smell floral blossoms, soft toasted malts, crackers, and honey-like sweetness. The aromas are less intense than in the last Helles. I noticed a malty sweetness and a light earthiness. A subtle phenolic clove and band-aid note linger in the background.
The flavors start with notes of floral, white pepper, light herbal, and crackers. The malt profile has more depth, too, with notes of biscuits, malty sweetness, and lightly toasted bread. A slight mineral, lemons, yeasty, and phenol(cloves) finish on the end of the flavors.
The body is light and has high carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth and finishes dry.
The lagering process in this beer is clean and crisp. The beer is refreshing and smooth. Out of the three Helles, this one was the best.

 

 

 

Mostly clear almost orange amber body, short lived off-white head. This is a decent euro hell with grassy and lesser so leafy hops accenting the biscuit malt and mildly skunky yeast which is more obvious in the taste than nose. Feel is higher in carb but has plenty of soft yeast and the euro malts do their job as the crisp backbone, little thin

 

 

 

I got a can of this beer from the 2023 Costco Beer advent calendar pack. It poured a clear golden with thin white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had grain and German malt notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with crisp malt base with grain and finishing hop presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a great beer.

My second from Memminger, both via the Kalea Advent Calendar courtesy of Costco. 3 years I had Memminger's marzen.
By analogy, I think of Memminger as Pabst; German heritage, regional, mass market, 120 years old with many different owners, a customer base that helps with survival, old school lager yeasts, otherwise nondescript beer but that will survive the micro-brew revolution.

Memminger's Hell was decent with lunch, nice blond with lots of foam (dissipates quickly.) Smells are passively mostly malt. Tastes are balanced, with ever so slight semi-dry finish. bubbly and cleansing of my palate. Would I have Hell again? Only if Kalea and Costco served it up and I had no choice (or no Calendar.)