Helles Lager
Imperial City Brew House

473 mL can from the brewery; no canning date and served slightly chilled.

Pours a bright, clear brassy golden colour, kicking up nearly a finger of soapy white head that fades within two or three minutes' time. It deposits a tight band of even lace as it recedes down to a thin collar and some wisps on the surface - a fine-looking lager, indeed. Grains, bready malts and a touch of biscuity sweetness, with subtle hints of grassy hops and apple on the nose.

A forgettable strong lager - hints of apple at the forefront, with grainy, bready pale malt sweetness being the bulk of the flavour profile. Grassy, spicy hops crop up towards the back end, but they're outlasted by the bready malts, which carry on into a weakly boozy aftertaste. Light in body, with assertive carbonation that feels quite prickly and crisp on the palate - refreshing when cold, not so much as the glass warms. I could drink a few of these in a row, but there is no shortage of other German and/or helles-style lagers I'd rather session.

Final Grade: 3.42, a B-. Imperial City's Helles Lager is alright, but there are no superlatives needed here - it tastes like a strong Euro lager, and is a mediocre imitation of the real deal. Think of this as a platinum version of those macro 'ice' beers we all grew up drinking, which (conveniently enough) also weigh in at 5.5%. Alternatively, it sorta reminds me of the Polish lagers I drink on a semi-regular basis - Tyskie, Zubr, that kind of stuff. This is passable at best, but pale German lager styles are very hard to nail, so I feel compelled to applaud the effort nonetheless - I wouldn't discourage others from trying this, but I think I prefer their Bohemian Pils.