Sudwerk Helles

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

a fairly flavorful lager. fuller flavored and fuller bodied than the pils, but not as crisp and clean. overall, a nice session beer, neither good nor bad.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Aroma is light apricot jam, slightly metallic and a touch of apple juice. Flavor is light grains, medium sweetness with a very delicate mouthfeel. Body is a medium golden color, cloudy with some bits fallen to the bottom, soft carbonation floating upwards. Head is white in color, light drippy lacing with minimal retention.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle Date of 07.31.07, Sampled September 2007
The beer pours with a frothy, initially three-finger thick, fairly large bubbled consistency, light tan colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, rich gold color. The aroma has a nice mix of spicy hops and clean malt notes. The hop character provides aromatic notes of fresh cut herbs, some grassiness and a touch of lemon zest. The malt character provides aromas of toasty grain dust, soda crackers, biscuit, and lightly toasted grain.

Quite crisp up front, with a solid hop bite. The beer finishes with a slightly astringent, almost herbal, bitterness that lingers on for quite some time. There is also some bready malt notes in the finish that are quite dry and austere in some ways, but does provide a quite noticeable note of toasty-bread flavors as well as touches of fresh cooked soda crackers. Up front there is a very light malty sweetness, which provides a touch of honey flavors. This has a fair amount of body to it; it is of course quite light feeling and easy drinking, but it does have a noticeable body and does not seem thin at all. The hop flavors at times contribute notes of mint, fresh cut / slightly green hay, and a definite herbal note.

This is quite hoppy and I am enjoying the interplay between malt and hop flavors quite a bit. I will admit that at first I thought this beer was a bit week, but I think that was due to just having woken from a nap. The beer certainly has a decent body to it and I like how both the malt and hops cling to the palate at first, but then cleanly disappear. This is a really solid example of a Helles.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Medium orange color. Small head. Aroma is nutty and bready. A medium bodied helles/dortmunder. Malts are nutty and a touch fruity. Spicy hops, with a touch of honey sweetness. Well balanced. Light and refreshing, very drinkable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Medium golden in color (almost copper) with a thin white head and medium effervescence. Aroma is light and mostly nondescript. Light maltiness and very subtle hops are noticeable in the scent. Mouthfeel is thin-to-average and a little "plain". Flavor is subtle and smooth, with a slight maltiness to it...finishing only slightly bitter. Only slightly above average in my opinion overall.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

The appearance of this beer is attractive..nice darkish golden colour to the beer..with a clean white head that disapates to some lacing. The smell for me was pretty run of the mill lager..though I may be coming down with a cold! I like the taste of this beer..has big hoppy taste above the malt..i like this. This beer feels good and smooth on the palate only the back of the throat getting "hit" All in all a good solid Helles...surprisinglly its getting better as it gets hotter! strange indeed