Andechser Vollbier Hell
Klosterbrauerei Andechs

GarrettB from Colorado

3.91/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

July 30th, 2016 Here's a beer I wish I could have enjoyed while lounging on a hay bale somewhere in the Belgian countryside. That's partially because it both looks the part, and smells a little like hay, with a wafting aroma of bread and wet dog. That alone paints a beautiful rural picture, but there's also some richness in the aroma of wet flour or pizza dough and pretzel, but fresh and full of life, like a block of Irish sod. The body is medium-light, with a semi-sweet flavor featuring cashew, honey and white grape. And the wet hay returns with wet stone in the finish, rounding out the night-at-the-farm flavor, sipping on golden grains next to animals stabled for the evening.

Wednesday at 06:06 AM

rmcnealy from Illinois

4.31/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Been on a Czech and German/Bavarian kick recently.

This is a great example of a Helles Lager. Usual golden color with a dense, quickly fleeting spongy head. Solid depth, great mix of hops and barleys. This is how the genre should taste. I really enjoy this example.

Dec 18, 2020

Tilley4 from Tennessee

4.71/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Jeezus...

Not sure I can imagine a better example of a delicious German beer than this....

Ample carbonation...

Gorgeous aromas...

The minerality of the water..

The perfect amalgamation of hops and barley..

Until Hell froze over.. pun intended...

If you are a German beer fan or a fan of lagers in general...you need to give this a try..

Dec 05, 2020

ZenAgnostic from Texas

4.97/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

500mL bottled poured into Lindemans flute. No obvious date anywhere but L 1287 printed on the bottom of the back label. Picked up from the liquor store for around $3 to 4 USD.

Appearance - Pours very large and tight pearly white head with great retention. Hazy, pale straw and white body with small to medium sized floating particulates. Very faint, occasional bubbling. Slight stick, but that kind of seems irrelevant for a flute beer. 4.5

Smell - Soft, bready, and malty. A swirl gives some distinct honey spice. So complex and inviting. Light and fruity in general, but also some hints of dark fruit. 5

Taste - Honey. Lots of honey. Some bread. Lots of complexity unfolding at each stage. 5

Mouthfeel - Light to medium. Softness above all. Everything is so rounded and palatable. But has some hidden body to it. This is one of the most complex beers I've ever had that happens to also be this light in character. 5

Overall - Complex, delicious, and yet very drinkable. Well worth the price of admission. Would have been satisfying paying 3x as much. Okay STOP THE PRESSES. I just saw that the ingredients are simply Water, Barley Malt, Hops. Reinheitsgebot verified? This is the most basic beer possible, yet it has complexity and finesse that way more overproduced beers can't touch. Actually shocked. The biggest WTF moment I've had with beer in years. 5

Oct 26, 2020

Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

L0200 on the label.

Pours a sparkling bright and clear gold with a smallish head of foam.

Smells malty, somewhat hoppy, a little fruity, with some notes of bread.

Bready malt taste, some light hop bitterness, semisweet, clean and refreshing.

Medium body and carbonation.

Wonderful refreshing beer!

Oct 24, 2020

MrOH from Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear light gold, thick white head, excellent retention and lace
Honeyed bread malt aroma, a hint of noble hop
Sweet malt flavor, very light noble hop flavor
Light bodied and effervescent
Really nice Helles

Aug 16, 2020

Hatchjaw from Washington

4.84/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Holy hell would be more apt, because this might be the Big Kahuna burger of Bavarian helleses. Looks a little murky, which weird, but it goes down the throat like liquid might being poured down your gullet by some minor Nordic deity. Must be rare in the PNW at any rate, since I've scoured fine beer shops and just had it randomly appear at my local TW. Should've bought them all.

May 06, 2020

REVZEB from Illinois

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Clear bright gold with a finger of white foam. Flowers and grass linger on the honey, bread, and malt body. Taste follows this trajectory with good grains. Feel is lighter and more floral than the normal, but has good bready depth, decently carbonated. Perfect helles for late spring. The wife loved it

Apr 25, 2020

hopsputin from New Jersey

4.32/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

a: clear golden yellow grain color with a hint of chill haze. 2-3 finger frothy off-white head

s: clean, crisp earthy herbal hops. sweet grains and sweet grass. lemongrass, and something slightly floral. nice big bready crackery malt with some pepper spice to make it so crisp

t: sweet grains, grass, lemongrass, and earthy noble hops with moderate bitterness. real nice presence of fresh dough with a little bit of dry crackers. finish is a touch of lager crispness

m: light mouthfeel with high carbonation

o: awesome beer here. awesome for the style - everything in here that you want with fantastic balance and harmonization. extremely refreshing with nice flavor profiles. do yourself a favor and pick this up

Apr 11, 2020

Reidrover from Oregon

4.21/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

500ml bottle from Capital Market in State St. Salem OR
$3.75
L3029 date code.
Pours a nice glowing gold coloured body..clear as crystal. Small bubbly white head. That goes fast but leaves good lace.
Husky, caramel malts..slight sea salt and some cereal and honey tones.Classic.
Taste same..semi sweet clover honey , biscuits and melon..good strong malts. Tough of grassy hop in the end.
Mouth feel is perfect for "quaffing"..as it is meant to be.
Fantastic tasty simple helles .

Mar 08, 2020

KooVee from Finland

4.86/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

50cl bottle, bb in 6m, so not quite fresh but not old either.

Beautiful light yellow, with a slight golden tinge. Very clear. Pure white fine-grained foam.

Nose is lightly toasted white bread with just the right hint of honey. A whiff of grassy hops.. Hallertau maybe.

Taste matches the aroma, adding emphasized honeyed grain flavors. Medium body, balanced carbonation. Nothing hits you on the nose, but if you stop to enjoy, there is plenty of subtlety to savor.

This is one height of brewers' art. Supremely drinkable while understatedly complex. Technically much harder to do than any IPA. Nothing to hide behind and every error would stick out like a sore thumb. Hats off, this has to be one of the best helles around.

Dec 26, 2019

Nass from Florida

3.8/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

There is no date just a short Julian code on the back of the bottle. The pour is straw colored with a medium level flow of carbonation. The taste is grains, steamed cauliflower, white cracker, & I agree with the slight lemon note as well. It was a good German Helles lager & worth a try if you've not had it yet. Cheers! B

Dec 24, 2019

Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.29/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a glass mug, the appearance was a superb translucent glossy yellow color topped by a small cap of white foamy head. Just a concave wispy lace clings to my glass yet slides with my sips.
The aroma had a beautiful blend of sweet fruity malty lager tones roaming through some toast/white bready notes.
The flavor provided a pure bready sweetness properly flowing into some light grassy to floral hop hints. Mostly a bready aftertaste with some dry toast.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a very good sessionability about it (I could pound this all day if I wanted to). Sturdy carbonation comes in good with a semi-sticky finish with white bread/toast.
Overall, I'd say pretty well brewed Helles lager! Nice and easy going with any flaws. Would definitely pair nicely with German cuisine.

Oct 04, 2019

Fridikledokle from Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

(please note: I don't know all that mouthfeel stuff. I just like beer)

...raising my overall rating, because I totally miss it, and realize how awesome it is...can't find it anymore...

Old German guy named Hans told me to get it when my previous favorite brand stopped exporting to Colorado. I always believe old guys named Hans when shopping for beer. He was also buying a huge jar of pickles.

Wonderful lightish beer (4.8 percent!), with that slightly sweet German Hell taste that hipsters hate. Smells expensive, but isn't.

Great head, wonderful light color. Low on the hop level, which is fine by me: I threw out my fedora out years ago.

When you put it in your mouth, it feels like beer. Not ale, not Coors, not wheat, not dunkel, not lambec, but beer. Good, proper beer.

But seriously, note that when you go to a store frequented by Germans, it's the one that's always sold out…even the other Andechs beers will still be left.

For the price, it's my absolute favorite, it's the one I keep in my fridge. And everyone gives it a 4…all for under 4 bucks a pint!

Feb 03, 2019

DrMullet from Florida

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear medium straw yellow with moderate head.
Smell is light, sweet, malt. Bready and slightly floral.
Taste is grassy with some floral hops. Nice bitter finish.

Dec 23, 2018

woemad from Washington

4.02/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500mL bottle purchased at Pilgrim's in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. No obvious freshness date, although "L 0228" is stamped on the rear label.

Poured into a pilsener flute, this was a clear golden amber color, with a decent, off-white head. Really great clarity!

Crackery malt aroma and a light hop scent somewhere between floral and herbal.

Very well-balanced flavor. The malts lead the charge, but only just. Very subtle and restrained. Crisp and dry at the finish, but only just enough to encourage another sip.

Fairly light bodied, with a mouthfeel very soft and low impact until the finish, where things get lightly crisp and a little dry in comparison to what went before. Clean finish, no lingering aftertaste.

A very drinkable, low key Helles. Takes me back to when in Germany, a little over 19 yrs ago(!). This would easily inspire oneself to have several litres in a Biergarten on a nice day.

Sep 17, 2018

Jugs_McGhee from Louisiana

3.61/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

BOTTLE: 500ml format. Purchased at a reputable beer store in Denver, CO for $3.99 USD. Brown glass with a pry-off crown cap. Appealing green label with a classic Bavarian motif.

"a classical Bavarian Vollbier (11.5% original extract and 4.8% alcohol by volume)." "Super Premium Bavarian Lager."

Served cold into a Paulaner pilsner glass.

HEAD: Fills ~70% of the glass initially, retaining strong over a good 10+ minutes. Foamy, soft, and frothy, inviting the drinker's first sip. ~11cm in height. Leaves mild wisps of lacing as it recedes. Lively and enticing.

BODY: Vibrant clear yellow. Obviously filtered, and boasting glorious clarity. Bright, clean, and lively.

Looks solid for a Munich helles lager...easily a textbook appearance for the style.

AROMA: Grassy Noble hops, biscuit, clean pilsner malt, minerals, fresh 2-row. A kiss of bread dough from German yeast.

Not finding any toast or lemon. Has no off-notes based on the aroma.

Suggests a clean easy drinking helles lager with no faults whatsoever. I'm eager to try it.

Aromatic intensity is average (typical for the style). Seems mellow and approachable.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Clean yet husky, hitting on mellow yet crisp pale malts and 2-row/pilsner malt. It's refreshing but finishes surprisingly dry and coarse, encouraging the next sip. I get no toasty or Munich malt character from the malt backbone.

Hop profile is grassy and a bit floral, seemingly classically Noble in character. Not fruity or lemony.

Balanced if a bit neutral - certainly an approachable and inoffensive beer. It'd be easy to imagine quaffing it by the litre if not for its dry finish, which does impede its otherwise insane drinkability.

Crisply carbonated yet soft on the palate. Light to medium-bodied with a clean mellow presence on the palate.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, or scratchy. I do wish it didn't finish so rough, but I doubt it'd be as such if I tried it fresh on-draught.

OVERALL: A delightfully drinkable well-balanced helles lager that adheres about as firmly to traditional style conventions as probably any beer out there. I have to imagine it's a marvelous beer fresh on-draught, as even the bottle I bought in Colorado that's sat on shelves for who knows how long at tepid temperatures is still drinking real nice, but my current rating reflects the state of the beer as it is. I'd encourage Andechs to do transparent date coding and to advise retailers to refrigerate. Definitely a beer I'd love to revisit back in Germany.

B (3.61) / GOOD

Would pair well with a buttered (soft) pretzel.

Serve quite cold.

Jul 28, 2018

detgfrsh from Texas

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From a 500ml bottle. Golden color with a finger of white head. Smells of grass. Soft, pillowy feel. Light malt and floral hop flavors. Nicely balanced, great example of the style.

Jun 30, 2018

RaulMondesi from California

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Like Luis Rainer taking a hot spritz after a long day of filming The Good Earth, this dang sucker is surprisingly clean. When thinking of the best of the best, Weihenstephaner always comes to mind, but Raul decided to get out of his comfort zone and boy was he rewarded! Super balanced like Philip Pettite on a tight rope, this is just a beautiful libation.

Prost!

Jun 20, 2018

SomethingClever from Ohio

4.76/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

12 oz pour into a can glass

A: Bright clear gold yellow body with decent carbonation. The head is a tiny tight knit small bubbled thing.

S: Lots of herbal grass and floral notes, then you get a lot of bread and soft doughy sweetness accompanied by just the right amount of carbonation.

M: Nice crisp feel lighter to slightly medium bodied.

O: Exceptional beer flavor is right where you want it to be and the mouthfeel makes it so you could drink it for days.

May 26, 2018

Wasatch from Colorado

4.12/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16.9 oz. Bottle
Code: L3276

Pours a pretty nice clean/clear pale yellow color, with some pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, with a nice citrus complex (lemon, grapefruit). The taste is pretty nice, malty, hoppy, with a nice citrus complex (lemon, grapefruit), nice little sweetness. Medium body, ABV hidden pretty nicely. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.

Apr 22, 2018

Parmesan from Colorado

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Pours a pale straw yellow, with a very creamy white head that dissipates rather quickly but leaves some lacing on the glass.

S: Toasted cereal sweet malt, mixed with some fresh bread dough, and some nice floral hops. Very inviting aroma.

T: Toasted sweet cereal malt, mixed with some fresh bread dough and a strong floral hop with a light bitterness, very pleasant and easy drinking.

F: Crisp, clean and easy drinking.

O: A very nicely balanced and drinkable Helles lager.

Apr 22, 2018

lastmango from Pennsylvania

3.96/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a pale straw color with thin white head. Very clear. Moderate lacing. Nose is fresh and very light toast and flowery. Taste is sweet followed by light dough and balanced hop bitterness. Very refreshing. Light to moderate feel and carbonation. Crisp. This is a very good Helles Lager!

Mar 04, 2018

oberon from North Carolina

4.17/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours into a half liter stein a clear shimmering lighter golden with a large blooming bone white head that settles very nicely into a frothy mass.Toasted grains,slight mineral,and floral hops in the nose,very delicate in nature.Very dry and crisp on the palate,almost toasted cereal-like, with just a hint of sweetish pizza dough that lingers,there is a mineral element and slightly sharp hoppy finish.What a great delicate lager,great subtle flavor nuances and great to look at.A gem of a helles lager here.

Feb 15, 2018

DefenCorps from Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Upper Lip.

A limpid light yellow with a suffuse white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is brilliant. Soft, doughy, lemony , earthy with honey, a little dust and bread, this is excellent. The palate opens soft, doughy and mildly bitter, a blend of honey, earth and lemon. Mildly dusty with cotton candy, lemon zest and dough. Soft, mildly bitter on the finish, this beer is light in body, softly carbonated and exceptional.

Dec 23, 2017