Is the Helles style making a craft comeback?

Agreed.

For what it's worth, they did do a proper Helles Spezial, called "Modern Hell" as part of their Kellerbier series.

https://jacksabby.com/beers/modern-hell/

Ha, glad this got cleared up. I was reading all these posts thinking, "I think @TongoRad wasn't talking about the Festbier..."

And actually, were you talking about the Helles or Festbier when you wrote...

 

Except when the American version is shit.

 

Our local Food Lion, for some reason has started carrying Hofbrau Original Lager.
Cold.
Cheers if you spent time in Germany as a 17 year old Alkie.

 

The Whole Foods down the street from my apartment in DC carries HB Original and Spaten Premium, and occasionally Optimator. All of it is cheaper than Stella - that’s the real kicker!

 

It is amazing that I can not find Alpenflo in Pennsylvania. I travel fro Pittsburgh to Middletown and Hamburg, I have never seen this on shelves. The Crisp is difficult to find too.

 

Not to forget, there simply is any coherence to one type of 'Helles'. The region radiating out from Munich has somewhat of a clear set of markers that distinguish a local 'Helles' as a style, but Germany beyond that it simply means pale and more often then not is named that in reference to the breweries other beers. The term is more common in the south, and you'll find beer in Baden-Wurtemberg, Franken, Sachsen, .. that are called Hell/Helles and barely resemble the Munich ones.

Helles Lagerbier
Helles Maerzen
Helles Bock(bier)
Helles Schankbier
Helles Vollbier
Helles Spezial
...

 

Only seen this now - reading back. You're hitting at a key difference - the German/Czech categorisation/descriptors aren't synonym with a system of style categorisation (especially in 2020). The limited tree-like and hierachic german beer categories exist separatly from the more rhizomatic nature of the local german beers. Due to the breadth and speed of craft beer this way of knowing is not feasonable until the point that newly genericed beer type becomes common place, at which point it can be broaded (and often 'invents' history). Which is the reason I believe we should leave behind a simplistic separation between traditional/contemporary beers.

 

Or The Import has set on a shelf, in the light, at room temperature for many months over it's fresh date.
Both can be good, when they are fresh.
Is a Helles USA Craft always completely faithful to the style? No. Is is good? Most of the time, yes.
We're lucky in NC that we have Red Oak and Old Mecklenburg brewing some very nice German style beers.
Unfortunately, we also have imports that sit on the shelf at one particular store way too long.

 

I am fortunate to have Schulz Brau in nearby Knoxville, Tennessee. Their Helles is excellent and always fresh. I enjoy it a great deal.

 

Wibby Sunshine Helles is worthy and although I scored it about the same as Bierstadt, I would give the nod to Bierstadt for ultimate taste but buy Wibby because of value.