Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier - Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla

PorterLambic

Florida

2.18/5  rDev -44.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a foggy, darkish yellow with a white head atop. Retention is pretty good holding at a thick film for quite a long time.
Smell is a faint smoked meat note overridden by a musty hop and malt mix. Not what I was expecting or hoping for. I really like the rauchbiers and hope the flavor is better than the nose.
Taste is malt, hops and a light mustiness, all in decent balance. None of the smokiness sadly.
Almost medium bodied with a tart, sharp carbonation up front. Dry, clean finish. Sadly, I've got nothing to recommend in this beer. That's disappointing considering how much I've liked the other four Schlenkerla brews I've had prior.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 02:40:10 | More by PorterLambic

mizx

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +1%

06-18-2013 19:07:41 | More by mizx

AngusOg

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

06-16-2013 19:11:12 | More by AngusOg

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: Pale, honey color; huge fluffy long-lasting white head

Aroma: Light malt; bready; slight citrus

Taste: Slightly bitter up front, through the mid and finish; juicy and refreshing, but not balanced with sweetness; much like a Pils, which is not my favorite style

Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 01:17:24 | More by IchLiebeBier

oline73

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

06-12-2013 03:05:32 | More by oline73

fmccormi

New York

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Straight pour from a 500ml / 16.9oz pry-off bottle to an oversized wineglass (Tired Hands stemware). No freshness or bottling date is evident on the bottle, but I picked this up the first time I saw it in this area, just a few weeks ago, so I’m assuming it’s still relatively fresh-ish enough.

Appearance (4.0): Pours with nearly three fingers of light, sudsy, bone-white foam that dies down at a moderate pace. The body is a pale golden color, not quite as pale as straw tones and not as rich as honey tones. Just a slight chill haze. Moderate retention, leaving a thin layer of foam on the surface of the beer. It does leave some fat suds all over the near side of the glass—not a ton of lacing, but it’s nice enough.

Smell (3.75): Juicy, modestly sweet bread aromas, like fresh-baked sweet buns with some light grape and pear scents, nice and light and sweet and lovely. Some floral hops, not so much grassy, herbal, or lemony as I might have expected from the style, but nice and veeery lightly floral.

Taste (4.0): Starts off with the same kind of almost floral, lightly sweet bready tones in the nose, but dryer. The pale, grainy malt character is light and bready, like fresh biscuits but toned down (without losing any character). There’s a modest bitterness that comes through in the mid-palate, grassy and slightly herbal, very classic German hop notes. On the finish, there’s just the slightest, but still quite rich in character, smokiness—the kind of smoke character you get from smoked cheese (without the cheese, obviously. Point is, not like bacon or charred grain).

Mouthfeel (4.5): Soft, full carbonation that foams easily but dies out well enough on its own, too. A nice little tingle here and there, but nothing aggressive. The body is well on the light side of medium and finishes juuust barely on the dry side (though there’s nothing about it that’s particularly thick or syrupy, either—just incredibly well-balanced in terms of feel).

Overall (4.25): This is a nice beer, well-crafted and on point for the style. The little bit of smokiness towards the end gets washed away if you’re not careful, but if you pair it with food it gets more noticeable and offers a very nice, unique edge that definitely sets it apart from the field. Very nice, subtle, well-crafted, and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 01:45:07 | More by fmccormi

Luiz0930

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-31-2013 07:38:55 | More by Luiz0930

LambicPentameter

Kansas

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a brown 16.9 oz bottle into a pokal glass. No bottling date or "freshness" date, but it does guarantee that it was brewed according to the purity law, etc...

Appearance - Pours a glowing golden body with ample carbonation bubbles rising up through the glass to a pillowy, stark white head. The head gets up to 2-2.5 fingers and dissipates at a leisurely pace, leaving leopard-print lacing

Smell - Grain and yeast are the most present aromas, but there is also a hint of smokiness, like open-fire baked bread.

Taste - Yep, there's fulfillment of the aroma's smoky essence. Notes of smoke-cured light meats, like salmon and turkey, but it's faint. Flavor profile seems a little conflicted between a rich, complex lager and a crisp, refreshing one. I sense elements of both.

Mouthfeel - Again, a bit confusing. Body is medium, reminding me a bit of juice, but finishes crisp and clean, like a lager.

Overall, an odd but strangely tasty beer. I'd label this a gateway for getting into smoked beers, because while it doesn't actually use smoked malts, they boil it in the same kettles and use the same yeast as the other smoked beers, so the smoke element is very much there. However, it's not overpowering, and so very approachable.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 17:00:29 | More by LambicPentameter

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev +1%

05-20-2013 23:49:17 | More by johntfox

SpongeRuiner

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-17-2013 01:05:03 | More by SpongeRuiner

JSchock7

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%

04-28-2013 20:02:10 | More by JSchock7

beergoot

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pale, straw yellow body, crystal clear, with excellent carbonation and a thick white head. Bright, grainy lager aroma. Biscuit and light cracker malt flavors with a crisp hop bitterness near the end. Light bodied with a crisp, clean, dry finish.

An extraordinary German lager that hits all the style marks in excellent fashion. Well-balanced combines with nice, low-key complexity throughout. I've always liked their smoked beers and was hoping their helles lager would provide similar satisfaction. I was not disappointed and would recommend this beer to anyone without hesitation.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 23:35:21 | More by beergoot

mrebeka

Michigan

4/5  rDev +1%

04-21-2013 14:49:24 | More by mrebeka

navinsula

Indiana

5/5  rDev +26.3%

04-21-2013 01:10:51 | More by navinsula

sirsteve42

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-15-2013 04:06:15 | More by sirsteve42

thewimperoo

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1%

04-12-2013 23:15:40 | More by thewimperoo

tectactoe

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was at the beer store purchasing a dimpled German beer mug when I thought it would only be fitting to buy a German lager to dump into it for its first usage. I picked up a Schlenkerla Helles Lager based on a few suggestions and the fact that I generally enjoy their rauchbiers; I figured I'd try one of their non-smoked malt beers.

This one pours a color halfway between yellow and straw with a mild chill haze that settles in the middle and eventually fades once the beer approaches slightly warmer temps to reveal a decent amount of clarity. A puffy and cloudy white head pillows up and shows excellent retention, not to mention the huge amounts of chunky lace it leaves behind. Very nice looking beer, especially in this dimpled German mug. All I need now is a warm pretzel.

Schlenkerla Helles Lager has one of the best aromas in lager-town. Humongous bread and grain filled framework upon which an excellently fresh, crisp, and pure display of aromas is laid out. Barley, thick yeast, mildly musky hops, and an uplifting dose of smokiness. The smoke in this is more akin to a sweet, subtle, liquid smoke aroma as opposed to the heavier, full-force meatiness provided by Schlenkerla's rauchbiers. This beer does not actually use smoked malt, however due to the use of the same brewing equipment between this and the rauchbiers, some of the residual smokiness makes it's way into the helles lager.

The taste follows right along with the aroma as a nice wave a bread-like malts and softly toasted grains wash over my palate. The smokiness is perhaps even a bit lighter on the palate, but still very much an integral part of what makes this beer so great; a nice, light sweet smoke flavor that sets this lager apart from others. Light citrus zest in the finish along with heavy grains and fresh, lager-type yeast. Each sip that goes down leaves your mouth begging for more. Lighter bodied with a tight and crisp mouth feel thanks to a plentiful amount of carbonation.

This beer is so fundamentally simple yet executed so admirably. Drinkability is insanely high - I couldn't get enough of this beer. You can bet that I'll be picking this one up from now on, every time I'm looking for something to sit back and relax with. Definitely one of the best lagers I've had to date, especially considering the helles style. It opened my eyes to what helles lagers could taste like.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 20:46:16 | More by tectactoe

aztraz

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-27-2013 23:48:29 | More by aztraz

apintofknowledge

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-26-2013 23:01:34 | More by apintofknowledge

TheBishopco

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +1%

03-07-2013 23:32:55 | More by TheBishopco

Shatter

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -24.2%

03-04-2013 03:44:47 | More by Shatter

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-01-2013 04:23:06 | More by marlinsfan4

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Had this on 2013-02-16 in Bowling Green, KY

A - Clear golden-yellow with a 2-finger head that fades quickly leaving mild lace.

S - Sourdough, citrus, light earthy spice

T - Yeasty bread, citrus, light smoke, grass, earthy spice. Finishes with a light flourish of bitterness. Not over-the-top but quite tasty.

M - Light-medium body and carbonation. Soft, lightly creamy, finishes on the crisp side.

O - A very nice Helles. Good flavor for low ABV. Wouldn't be a go-to for me but would enjoy it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 18:23:04 | More by Tucquan

JDavidRice

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

02-12-2013 02:38:46 | More by JDavidRice

Koralin

Colorado

4/5  rDev +1%

02-07-2013 22:58:49 | More by Koralin