German beer series: Schanzenbräu Helles
The fifth beer from Costco's Biergarten Collection is Schanzenbräu Helles, the second beer in the box from the Nuremberg brewery behind the Rotbier. It's a clean, easy pale lager that leans maltier than I expect from a Helles, in a good way.
The beer#
Schanzenbräu Helles is 4.9% ABV and 20 IBU and comes in a 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) can. The brewery lists Pilsner malt with Hallertauer Tradition and Mandarina Bavaria hops. It calls the beer unfiltered, and its description ends with "A saubere Sach!", local slang for "a proper job." The brewery only lists bottles at home, so the can looks like it's made for export.
The brewery#
I covered Schanzenbräu in the Rotbier post. Stefan Stretz started it in 2004 in a backyard cellar in Nuremberg's Gostenhof district, and he still runs it. The Rotbier came first, but the Helles is now the brewery's best seller. It won a bronze at the World Beer Awards in 2021, where it was entered as a Zwickl, an unfiltered style.
The style#
Helles is younger than most people assume. Pilsner, the pale lager from Bohemia, was taking market share across Germany in the late 1800s, and Munich's brewers mostly still made dark lager. Spaten brewed the first Helles on March 21, 1894. It shipped the beer north for test marketing first and started selling it in Munich on June 20, 1895.
Not every Munich brewer was happy about it. At a heated meeting in November 1895, some of the big breweries proposed banding together against pale lager to protect their dark beer. The plan went nowhere, though Paulaner held out on brewing a Helles until 1928.
The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) describes Munich Helles as "a gold-colored German lager with a smooth, malty flavor and a soft, dry finish." Its range is 4.7 to 5.4% ABV and 16 to 22 IBU, so this beer fits right in.
Appearance#
Clear and clean, despite the brewery calling it unfiltered.
Aroma#
Malt forward, with notes of honey and bread.
Taste and mouthfeel#
The front is surprisingly malty for a Helles. That's stronger than I expected, but I liked it. The aftertaste is pleasant, with notes of light hops and honey. There's no bitterness beyond that hop note at the end.
The mouthfeel is smooth and light.
Verdict#
Gut. It's a pretty good Helles and I'd happily have another, even if it doesn't quite reach Parallel 45's Helles Ja, which is still my standout example of the style.
So far I've been impressed with the box. These beers aren't cheap throwaways, and they aren't the best examples of their styles either, but every one has been solid.
Previous in the series: Eibauer Hefeweizen Dunkel