Helles
Dovetail Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Beer Drop. Not fresh...

Pours a hazy light orange, 2 finger head of foam, lacing and retention excellent.

Smell is bready, lemon, light hoppiness, tartness?

Taste is lemon tartness, some bread, ugh, hard to drink. September 2024 canning, this is off.

Not interested in this again unless it's fresh.

 

Served on tap in a shaker pint at Beer Run.

A: Clear, medium gold hue with short cap of white foamy head with appropriate lacing.

S: Aroma is light overall with some bread, pills, multi and light noble, herbal hop notes.

T: Flavor is on target for the style, but still misses on peak Reddy Martinez. A rather unobtrusive helles. Just

M: Light body, and easy to drink with moderate carbonation and dry finish.

O: Dovetail Helles is a solid helles that could use a little more malt character to my taste but no flaws and an eminently drinkable lager.

 

 

A - Pours a lightly hazed gold with a fizzy white head. The head fades into a thin ring leaving some light soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is floral hops, yeasty esters and

T - The taste is crackery malts, white bread, lemon and a nice floral finish,

M - Light body with medium carbonation. Soft mouthfeel with a big crisp finish.

O - Really solid Helles. This would make a great warm weather beer.

Crisp and clear I could have 100

 

 

 

Dovetail's best-seller gives an interesting window into what makes them tick. Dovetail is rare because it is a lager house that takes the Lambic tradition seriously. It is almost like two personalities: one making clean and classic lagers, the other complex fruity-tart ales.

This Helles is easy to appreciate and comes close to the Bavarian masters. The malt/hop balance is classic. But there also are mineral after-tastes. And this gives me pause to ask: is Lake Michigan's mineral-like water better to brew lagers and help explain why so many German brewers made it in Chicago and Milwaukee. Maybe it is the water.

Speculation aside, Dovetail's Helles innovates this traditional Bavarian style just enough -- particularly its mildly lingering bitter hops -- to make it more interesting and give me good cause to want another. I suppose that helps make a cash cow.

 

 

Can:
Fluffy white head atop a lightly hazed straw golden body. Nose strength is just a tad light, but seems in line with many good interpretations of German lagers with a mix of bread and noble hops. The hops seem grassy and there is a hint of hard water minerals mixed in, as well. I've often gotten a hint of fruitiness in other Helles, but I'm not getting it here.

Flavors start of with a nice bready aspect backed by a floral sweetness. Bitter notes counter with the flower stems, while sitting on the edge is a flavor somewhere between grass and mint. Carbonation and perhaps a little spicy bitterness give the feel an effervescent lift up front before it settles in with the aforementioned bitter notes. Overall, though, it feels a little more bold and aggressive than others I've had in the style, to me being more along the lines with a somewhat floral take on a German Pilsner.