Helles
Getränkeschmiede Schmidt

Drinking this fresh is a revelation. The fact that it's only available at a couple places in the Frankfurt region and nowhere else makes it even more special. I've had this many times at this point, and while sometimes it's better than other times, it's always fantastic. It's so light and bright, sometimes almost a little hazy, has such a bready, inviting smell, tastes like the standard to what a Helles could and should be, and has a feel that is somehow both full-bodied and exceptionally drinkable. I do not say this lightly: this might be my favorite beer in Germany, and by extension probably the top beer of my entire BeerAdvocate rating career. There have been days I've drank this beer where I would potentially even rate this 5s across the board in every category. But on average, of the times I've drank this, I give it the score seen in my rating.