-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Andechser Hell
Klosterbrauerei Andechs


- From:
- Klosterbrauerei Andechs
- Germany
- Style:
- Helles
Ranked #20 - ABV:
- 4.8%
- Score:
- 90
Ranked #9,492 - Avg:
- 4.03 | pDev: 10.92%
- Reviews:
- 154
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 17, 2023
- Added:
- Feb 20, 2003
- Wants:
- 31
- Gots:
- 47
Formerly Vollbier Hell
Andechser Hell, brewed using the traditional multiple mashing process, has an appealing luminous straw yellow colour and bright, clear appearance.
The fine-pored foam is long-lasting. It is pure and cellar fresh on the nose with soft malt aromas permeated with floral hop tones.
Lively and pleasant to drink, it has a light and soft body. The mild sweetness combines very well with a velvety soft hop bitterness. It has a round and harmonious finish – a genuine, classic, full-bodied Bavarian beer.
18 IBU
Andechser Hell, brewed using the traditional multiple mashing process, has an appealing luminous straw yellow colour and bright, clear appearance.
The fine-pored foam is long-lasting. It is pure and cellar fresh on the nose with soft malt aromas permeated with floral hop tones.
Lively and pleasant to drink, it has a light and soft body. The mild sweetness combines very well with a velvety soft hop bitterness. It has a round and harmonious finish – a genuine, classic, full-bodied Bavarian beer.
18 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by BillyNoonan from Ireland
4.18/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 500ml bottle. Nice straw gold, lovely carbonation and frothy cap. Pleasant, sweet, grassy notes. Taste is sweet and malty and complex. Feel is velvety smooth and wonderfully crisp. Delicious lager like Helles from a super brewery.
Nov 17, 2023Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
4.06/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
In classic Bavarian fashion, a lighter take on German lager comes with a softer, easy drinking body but with surprisingly full flavor despite such modesty.
Andechs Andescher Hell hits the glass with a bubbly, sprite and straw color while building a cottony white fluff on the rim. As the pleasant floral scents of light fruit, flower arrangements and a sweet herbal tone, a background of baking bread rounds out the beer's aroma. Sweeter in its upstart, a soft and bready malt taste is met with floral tastes of honeysuckle and a wisp of powdered sugar before drying quickly.
Tightening its taste, the middle palate shows rapid transformation from floral and sweet to peppery and bitterness with a dry bready malt structure to keep the developments supported and grounded. A brisk crispness accompanies a turn to hop spices with hints of lemongrass, mint and parsely offering an herbal balance to they ever drying malts as the taste comes to a close.
Light, crisp and highly refreshing, the lager shares pilsner-like roots but with a lighter, crisper and more refreshing form, again without giving up flavor- a tall task for any lighter beer style. As a light drift of floral hops return in aftertaste, anything lingering on the palate is quick and airy.
Sep 13, 2023Andechs Andescher Hell hits the glass with a bubbly, sprite and straw color while building a cottony white fluff on the rim. As the pleasant floral scents of light fruit, flower arrangements and a sweet herbal tone, a background of baking bread rounds out the beer's aroma. Sweeter in its upstart, a soft and bready malt taste is met with floral tastes of honeysuckle and a wisp of powdered sugar before drying quickly.
Tightening its taste, the middle palate shows rapid transformation from floral and sweet to peppery and bitterness with a dry bready malt structure to keep the developments supported and grounded. A brisk crispness accompanies a turn to hop spices with hints of lemongrass, mint and parsely offering an herbal balance to they ever drying malts as the taste comes to a close.
Light, crisp and highly refreshing, the lager shares pilsner-like roots but with a lighter, crisper and more refreshing form, again without giving up flavor- a tall task for any lighter beer style. As a light drift of floral hops return in aftertaste, anything lingering on the palate is quick and airy.
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.23/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I had this on draft 6/19/23 @ the Hopleaf.
Mostly see-through orange/yellow appearance.
Small off-white head; decent lacing remained.
Cereal grain, mild honey & fresh flower notes in the nose.
Medium thick mouthfeel.
Cereal grain & fresh flower flavors up front; honey notes on the finish.
A bit too thick / syrup-y, but overall a damn good time. I'd have another!
Jun 26, 2023Mostly see-through orange/yellow appearance.
Small off-white head; decent lacing remained.
Cereal grain, mild honey & fresh flower notes in the nose.
Medium thick mouthfeel.
Cereal grain & fresh flower flavors up front; honey notes on the finish.
A bit too thick / syrup-y, but overall a damn good time. I'd have another!
Reviewed by Spike from England
4.04/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
500ml bottle. A very nicely crafted helles: clear & bright yellow, clean and dry with a lemony aftertaste and a soft mouthfeel. Perfect summer beer but has sufficient complexity to suit the colder months as well.
Jun 03, 2023Reviewed by Mr_Brown from Pennsylvania
4.75/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
classical helles looks. clean pale golde. smells sweet toffies, malt. Low to medium carbonation, light body. As easy to drink as water. Sweet, floral, refreshing like jasmin tee. No malty lingering aftertaste. The best helles I tried so far.
May 27, 2023Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri
3.93/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.93/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
500ml bottle. Poured out a clear, straw-yellow color with a small, white head of fluffy foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of caramel, toasted bread, toffee and floral notes. Sweet caramel taste with a mild bitterness and a citrus finish.
May 06, 2023Reviewed by brureview from Massachusetts
3.79/5 rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Light golden color in a Pilsner glass with a 3F head.
Aroma of light malt, no fruit.
Nice MF, easy drinking, light carbonation.
The taste is good, nothing pronounced.
I’ve had other Helles which were more vigorous, but this beer is light, enjoyable, but not memorable.
Apr 26, 2023Aroma of light malt, no fruit.
Nice MF, easy drinking, light carbonation.
The taste is good, nothing pronounced.
I’ve had other Helles which were more vigorous, but this beer is light, enjoyable, but not memorable.
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York
4/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pale straw with leggy white cap of froth; grain sack, a yeasty tang, and hint of flowers on the nose; fresh bread, touch of honey + cracker, bits of earth + tin, spice, and tight finish; clean, dry, bitter.
4x5
Must say from the start that this is pure quality in execution: bits of yeast + water chem peep out from the base of pilsner malt, and the hops bring - as they should - more cleansing IBUs than flavour. The most impressive thing here is the bone dryness, which combined with the bitterness, creates one of the cleanest lagers I can recall.
That said, there’s not much richness to the malts - I’ve sure had breadier Helles. And the end is so snappy as to be almost crisp, which undermines the softness that a Helles should have.
I always feel odd accusing old country breweries of being off style, but this has shades of a Pils more than a Helles for me - not that I mind.
Lean end of the Helles scale, to good effect.
Apr 14, 20234x5
Must say from the start that this is pure quality in execution: bits of yeast + water chem peep out from the base of pilsner malt, and the hops bring - as they should - more cleansing IBUs than flavour. The most impressive thing here is the bone dryness, which combined with the bitterness, creates one of the cleanest lagers I can recall.
That said, there’s not much richness to the malts - I’ve sure had breadier Helles. And the end is so snappy as to be almost crisp, which undermines the softness that a Helles should have.
I always feel odd accusing old country breweries of being off style, but this has shades of a Pils more than a Helles for me - not that I mind.
Lean end of the Helles scale, to good effect.
Rated by DFred from California
4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Excellent Helles!
Jan 24, 2023Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina
4.43/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.43/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up a 500ml bottle at TW-Greenville, SC on 7-27-22 for $4.99. Bottled 3-21-22; consumed 11-11-22. Cold stored since purchase.
Beer poured a clear pale gold with a beautiful long lasting white head.
Nose is very nice, honey malts that have a touch of lemon.
Taste is awesome, a light honey malt pale malt base combines nicely with noble hops that leave a touch of lemon. Finishes balanced with a touch of sweetness appropriate amount of sweetness.
Mouthfeel is awesome, so very light and soft making each sip silky.
Overall a world class Helles!
Nov 11, 2022Beer poured a clear pale gold with a beautiful long lasting white head.
Nose is very nice, honey malts that have a touch of lemon.
Taste is awesome, a light honey malt pale malt base combines nicely with noble hops that leave a touch of lemon. Finishes balanced with a touch of sweetness appropriate amount of sweetness.
Mouthfeel is awesome, so very light and soft making each sip silky.
Overall a world class Helles!
Reviewed by I_got_no_hops from California
4.86/5 rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.86/5 rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
L0102 julian date code poured into willi becher glass. This is the gold standard of German Helles. Only surpassed by Augustiner (non export) and Tegernseer which you will not find in the USA—they’re fragile little ones. This is a sturdier one blessed by the monks of the Andechs monastery. Helles heaven.
Nov 05, 2022Reviewed by Hooded from Texas
3.88/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
500 mL bottle poured into Tulip glass.
Appearance is pale hazy gold with a sliver of white head that quickly dissipates.
Strength of aroma is a little below medium. It smells like white grape juice, wheat bread and floral hops that are a little spicy.
Strength of taste is medium. The taste follows the aroma with the addition of a long light bitter spicy hop finish with a light mineral flavor.
thickness is medium. Carbonation is medium. Astringency is low.
Overall, it's a Helles but it's unlike other Helles from Germany that I've had due to it's flavor. It's very good and I will probably buy it again.
Oct 28, 2022Appearance is pale hazy gold with a sliver of white head that quickly dissipates.
Strength of aroma is a little below medium. It smells like white grape juice, wheat bread and floral hops that are a little spicy.
Strength of taste is medium. The taste follows the aroma with the addition of a long light bitter spicy hop finish with a light mineral flavor.
thickness is medium. Carbonation is medium. Astringency is low.
Overall, it's a Helles but it's unlike other Helles from Germany that I've had due to it's flavor. It's very good and I will probably buy it again.
Reviewed by ANIMOUL from Vermont
4.13/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.13/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16.9 oz bottle; no birth date. Light effervescent taste with clear yellow look; bubbles everywhere (good carbonation). Tastes of light bready malt and crackers. Low abv makes this very refreshing. Very good beer!
Oct 27, 2022
Andechser Hell from Klosterbrauerei Andechs
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
415 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!