Smoky Mountain Velas Helles Lager

Brewed by Smoky Mountain Brewery & Restaurant
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Gatlinburg, Tennessee USA

On tap at the brewery/restaurant in Gatlinburg. Typical fizzy yellow lager that so many go gaga over (e.g. the ones that think Bud is real beer). Reasonable attempt at the style. Certianly more fresh and drinkable than a Bud, and who can complain about those exceptional happy-hour prices and 32 oz mugs? Probably a slight step above the Cherokee, but totally lacking compared to the Thunder Road. Dry, frizzy, little head, a bit malty, too light on the hops.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with suttree, thanks Phil!) This is just a bad smelling beer. It’s extremely vegetal and somewhat spicy, like rotting chili peppers and asparagus, and maybe a dead animal or two. Whew, just brutal. Things improve with the flavor, but how couldn’t they? The rotting vegetables are pretty pervasive in the flavor as well, but at least there is a lightly sweet breadiness and vague bitterness to this. Light-medium bodied, but the spiciness (or whatever that is) is a bit sharp on the palate. Pale gold in color, fully clear, capped by a small off-white head, at least initially. That head fades away to nothing, not even a small ring, and leaves no lacing either. I’m praying that there’s something wrong with this beer because if not, then asparagus beer really sucks.

Thanks to OhioDad for this beer.

Poured an effervescent gold with a tall fizzy white head. Sour lemon aroma. Taste is highly acidic like rotten lemons. I suspect an infection here... certainly not the fault of OhioDad.

Bottle. Clear golden-straw body with substantial carbonation and a loose sudsy white head. Aroma of a serious electrical fire, very phenolic, with elements of grain husks and butter. Plastic flavor with sweet, cloying malt and corn syrup flavors. Medium-light body with some slickness. This tastes cooked and gross. Thanks SpringsLicker, I guess. ;)

Draught at brewpub. Pours transparent gold with a thin, white, fizzy head. Faint hop aroma. Dry with flavors of hops and some yeast. Not awful, but quite boring.

From a kegger on my roommate’s b-day. This is what all the BMC drinkers resort to in our little town if they want something different or microbrewed. Well, this or the Smoky Mountain Light. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this one. Mr. Velas brews three yellow lagers regularly, this one is in the middle. Not "hoppy" or as "full" as the Thunderroad, but not the light beer either. That pretty much sums up the brew. The pour is a light gold with a faint white head. It’s not crystal clear, but not much color depth either. The aroma is weak, but packs plenty of corny sweetness. It’s comparitively clean for a pissy lager. It has a noteable flavor of sourdough, a semblance of papery hops. It is actually rather balanced and crisp. The sugary notes are not overbearing and there are no repulsing flavors present. Not nauseating, but certainly not my glass of beer.

Bottle thanks to santa suttree: And it’s bottle conditioned! I’m excited now. Cloudy golden straw body with a small white foamy head that quickly dies. The aroma has a bit of tangerine, light lemon, a hint of grassy hops hidden in there somewhere, and DAAS nailed it when he noted canteloupes. There’s a very slight acidic tartness to the the flavor of this beer, but it’s subtle. There’s unripened tangerine, mild lemon, melons, light bready malts, a hint of earthy yeast, and finishes with a touch of citrus/grassy hops that are barely discernable. Light bodied, medium carbonation that really feels quite lively on the tongue though it isn’t so in the rest of the mouth.

This beer pours a clear golden color with little to no head and islandy lacing, pretty much irrelavent. The aroma is...strange..thats the easiest way to describe it. Never in my life would I think of describing a beer as having an aroma of canteloupes.....until now! Heavy vegetable aroma, sweet canteloupe with sour fruits as well, maybe lemon. Heavily citrusy aroma. The flavor is light bodied with mild carbonation and once again heavy canteloupe taste... vegetable mid sip with sweet melony aftertaste..sugars and sweet fruits. Dry but not cloying. An interesting beer but not that exceptional.