4A Munich Helles

Question 1

4A Munich Helles - Overall Impression

Answer 1

A clean, malty, gold-colored German lager with a smooth grainy-sweet malty flavor and a soft, dry finish. Subtle spicy, floral, or herbal hops and restrained bitterness help keep the balance malty but not sweet, which helps make this beer a refreshing, everyday drink.

Question 2

4A Munich Helles - Aroma

Answer 2

Moderate grainy-sweet malt aroma. Low to moderately-low spicy, floral, or herbal hop aroma. While a clean aroma is most desirable, a very low background note of DMS is not a fault. Pleasant, clean fermentation profile, with malt dominating the balance. The freshest examples will have more of a malty-sweet aroma.

Question 3

4A Munich Helles - Appearance

Answer 3

Medium yellow to pale gold. Clear. Persistent creamy white head.

Question 4

4A Munich Helles - Flavor

Answer 4

Moderately malty start with the suggestion of sweetness, moderate grainy-sweet malt flavor with a soft, rounded palate impression, supported by a low to medium-low hop bitterness. The finish is soft and dry, not crisp and biting. Low to moderately-low spicy, floral or herbal hop flavor. The malt dominates the hops in the palate, finish, and aftertaste, but the hops should be noticeable. No residual sweetness, simply the impression of maltiness with restrained bitterness. Very fresh examples will seem sweeter due to the fresh, rich malt character that can fade with time. Clean fermentation profile.

Question 5

4A Munich Helles - Mouthfeel

Answer 5

Medium body. Medium carbonation. Smooth, well-lagered character.

Question 6

4A Munich Helles - Characteristic Ingredients

Answer 6

Continental Pilsner malt, traditional German Saazer-type hop varieties, clean German lager yeast.

Question 7

4A Munich Helles - Style Comparison

Answer 7

Similar in malt balance and bitterness to Munich Dunkel, but less malty-sweet in nature and pale rather than dark. More body and malt presence than a German Pils, with less hop character throughout. Similar malt profile as a German Exportbier, but with less hops in the balance.

Question 8

4A Munich Helles - Comments

Answer 8

A fully-attenuated Pils malt showcase, Helles is a malt-accentuated beer that is not overly sweet, but rather focuses on malt flavor with underlying hop bitterness in a supporting role. Export examples can quickly lose some of the rich malt character that often suggests sweetness. Helles in Munich tends to be lighter in all aspects than those outside the city, which can be more assertive with more body, flavor, and hop character.

Question 9

4A Munich Helles - History

Answer 9

Created in Munich in 1894 at the Spaten brewery to compete with pale Pilsner-type beers. Currently the most popular style in Southern Germany.

Question 10

4A Munich Helles - Commerical Examples

Answer 10

Augustiner Lagerbier Hell, Bürgerbräu Wolznacher Hell Naturtrüb, Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Gold, Löwenbraü Original, Paulaner Premium Lager, Spaten Premium Lager, Weihenstephaner Original

Question 11

4A Munich Helles - OG

Answer 11

1.044-1.048

Question 12

4A Munich Helles - FG

Answer 12

1.006-1.012

Question 13

4A Munich Helles - ABV

Answer 13

4.7-5.4

Question 14

4A Munich Helles - IBU

Answer 14

16-22

Question 15

4A Munich Helles - SRM

Answer 15

03-May