Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Brewed by Brauerei Heller
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Bamberg, Bayern, Germany

Pale gold in colour with medium carbonation. Light malt aroma with notes of honey, a bit of smoke, and a bit of fresh cut grass. The flavor starts out very Helles like with very minimal smoke: more light rounded malt notes backed up by some mild grassy/earthy hops. On the back end, the smoke re-asserts itself, and integrates with a light mineral bitterness. A touch watery, but I think the smoke residue really adds some nice character to a style that is often at risk of being a little uninteresting.

Clear gold with a lasting white head. Nose of wheat and malt with a taste much the same. Some subtle smokey hints in there that add some character. Has quite a decent creamy mouthfeel. Not at all bad for a style of beer I don’t generally like.

Clear golden pour with a thin but lasting white head. Lightly malty, smokey aroma. Nice grainy hops up front, dough and a bit of that smoke throughout. Not overpowering and it adds a nice element to what would be a pretty decent pilsner.

Pours a crystal clear gold with a small, bubbly white head. Smells a little grainy, some mild malts, and very subtle hops. Nothing special there. The flavor was a little more complex. You get some of that Schlenkerla smoke in there, but it is pretty controlled. It is mixed in with some mild maltiness and crisp hops in the finish. Slight bitterness in the aftertaste mixed in with the smoke. Easy to drink and refreshing brew. Went great with my pizza slice.

Tap, Town Hall Brewpub. Pale shiny copper, nice dense cap of fine white foam. Deep clean malt, a nice leathery touch, but not particularly full-on smokey aroma. But in the flavor, the gentle bright malt flavor blends seamlessly with a big leafy layer of smoke. Some underlying pear notes. Delicate palate. Interesting, well-crafted beer. Less intense than I expected, but I suppose that makes it a lager for an evening session, rather than just one glass. As a side note, it’s cool when a brewpub like Town Hall not only makes great beer, but also gets in really top-notch examples of beer from around the world.

Pours a pale golden with a respectable, although small, white head that coats the glass.. Mild aroma of bread dough and hop flowers. Crisp clean refreshing pilsener style German beer; perfect blend of sweet malts, mild hop bitterness and an interesting smokiness. More in the Czech style than the more hoppy and ubiquitous northern German pils. This is very good and loyal to the style, in spite of the smoke. Perfect summer beer!

Name: Helles Lagerbier
Date: 04/02/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brewfest, Athens

pale yellow, nice light smoked aroma, light malt with great smoked flavor, light bitterness, it’s all about the great smoked flavor but it’s not too big to be overwhelming
-------- /> Name: Helles Lagerbier
Date: 06/25/2006
Mode: bottle

after having a whole bottle I can say that the original rating from the brewfest thimble was spot on

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 4/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **4

Clear straw hued body with a small and fleeting white head. Aroma of spicy hops, subtle smoke, and sweetish malt. The smoke is picked up more in the taste, but is still quite restrained compared to the brewery’s other offerings. Very well balanced and extremely drinkable. The smoke is more of an aftertaste than an intrusion.