Keller Helles
Brooklyn Brewery

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From:
Brooklyn Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
Kellerbier / Zwickelbier
ABV:
5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 10.91%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
29
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 21, 2012
Added:
May 28, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Nickls:
Photo of Nickls
Reviewed by Nickls from District of Columbia

3.36/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
On-tap at d.b.a.

A - Really nice light golden color, thin but nice head

S - Not much to report on, a bit fruity or citrusy at times

T - Light citrus notes, small hops, and an OK malt presence. Didn't knock me out

M - Refreshing over the palate, spritzy carbonation was actually nice

D - I could definitely do more than one of these b/c it's a pretty balanced beer, even though it's a bit middle-of-the road.

Much respect to Brooklyn Brewery for taking on this style that is not something that I run across to often in the U.S., but nothing that really knocked me out.
Jul 14, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by KaitLee from Pennsylvania

Nov 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by dllman25 from New Jersey

Aug 26, 2012
Photo of WCBCFrank
Reviewed by WCBCFrank from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tasted at the brewery - 2008.

Brooklyn Keller Helles pours a golden straw-yellow color, some cloudy white head in the courtesy cups they give you at the brewery.

It was a bloody hot that day in Brooklyn and this was the just the right beer for the right occasion. The brew has a totally refreshing bitterness with some pilsner malt smoothness - not too light to underwhelm the palate. The flavor this beer had really knocked our socks off, no one expected this to be as good as it was - complex shifting flavors of hoppy, malty, bubbly citrus and sweet.

Personally: I really hope they bottle this brew.
Aug 14, 2009
Photo of Gambrinus1184
Reviewed by Gambrinus1184 from Connecticut

4.07/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Served on-tap at Delaney's Tap Room in New Haven, Conn.

A: Poured a golden, straw yellow with great clarity which developed a thin cap of sudsy white foam leaving little lacing.

S: Smells of soft, toasted grain with a thin, crisp herbal bitterness and a hint of spices.

T: Taste is very mild, but developed and interesting. A crisp blend of lightly toasted bread malts combines with a bit of spice and white pepper before a slight citrus flavor is washed away with a quick snap of herbal hop bitterness. Just a great, light, drinkably balanced brew.

M: Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied, crisp at first, yet creamier at mid palate and not filling at all.

D: So smooth and drinkable, with a very sessionable ABV and a mass-friendly flavor make this brew a great drinker. People of all tastes will find something to like with this keller.

A great session beer, very drinkable, slightly sweet and all around satisfying. A must-try for a lighter lager with a bunch of character to it.
Oct 31, 2008
Photo of gregc
Reviewed by gregc from New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Spuyten Duyvil

Beer pours a light golden color, looks like your typical pilsner.
Smells like yeasty fresh baked bread, some citrus and grass.
Taste is wonderful, yeasty goodness, citrus and some hops.

Nice refreshing summer beer, enjoyable in this 90 degree heat.
Aug 29, 2008
Photo of pwoods
Reviewed by pwoods from Ohio

4.07/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
20oz. imperial pint from the Dilly Deli. Review via notes

A: Light straw. Decent head,some retention and lacing.

S: Lightly sweet, a bit grainy. Has a subtle dampness... not funk but more cellar like.

T/M: More from the nose. Floral hops come out a bit. The dampness(or whatever) adds depth and makes this brew very interesting. Body is light and crisp with good carbonation. Finishes rather dry

D: Tasty and interesting brew. Very sessionable.
Aug 13, 2008
Photo of SIRIUS2
Reviewed by SIRIUS2 from North Carolina

4.24/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Served in a Brooklyn tulip style glass at Tyler's Tap Room (Apex)

When they presented this brew to me, I wasn't sure it was mine. It was a very bright golden color with just perhaps a bit of haze. Nice white fluffy head of at least two fingers topped this brew. Great lacing. I can't imagine a better looking specimen for the style.

Aromas were subtle, mostly a fruity floral aromatic but with some underlying pale malt. Nice but not the most attractive attribute to this brew.

What made my first pull interesting wasn't a flavor intensity, but rather the how the subtle complexities of the beer unfolded over my tongue in a period of several seconds. Initial malts give way to a slightly juicy citrus center and then finishes clean and mostly dry. Carbonation was light, but perfectly matched the textures of the beer. Very nice.

I very much enjoyed this and found it highly drinkable. I was a little taken back by the presentation at first as it looked like something more upscale than I expected but I have to say, I think I could drink these all day long. Definitely recommended!
Aug 11, 2008
Photo of FtownThrowDown
Reviewed by FtownThrowDown from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Draft at the Dilly Deli.
Pours a very light gold in color with a nice two inch head. Crystal clear. Smell is lager yeast and a bit of hops. Taste is the same as the smell. Decent amount of hopping. Very crisp and refreshing. Very, very easy to drink. Great session beer for the summer.
Aug 11, 2008
Photo of Proteus93
Reviewed by Proteus93 from Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Pale yellow with a spot of haziness. A nice, finger-five rich head. Nice retention, great sticky lacing.

S: Soft floral aromas, along with subtle pale malts. Quite a straight forward, but nice smelling brew.

T + M: Pleasant malts have a light flavour, but the body and taste are well-defined and tastefully made. A touch of citrus lemon splashed in for good measure. Finishes semi-dry.

D: A great, easily accessible drink - a nice summer selection, certainly a great session brew. For the days when keeping things simple is in order.
Aug 08, 2008
Photo of atsprings
Reviewed by atsprings from North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at The Raleigh Times. Served a bubbly crisp straw yellow with a thin head. Aroma was some sweet fruits and sweet malts. The taste was an abundance of sweet malts in the initial that switches to bitter fruit in the finish. The beer is light with decent carbonation. This makes for a very enjoyable summer brew.
Aug 07, 2008
Photo of HopDerek
Reviewed by HopDerek from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at The Drafting Room, Exton 7/25/08

Poured a clear light golden yellow with 2 fingers of fluffy bright white head. Good retention left spotty lacing. Smells of lemon, oranges, pale malts, floral hops, and a touch of yeast. Taste starts out fruity with notes of lemon, oranges, and apricot. Pale grainy malt and biscuit flavors come next along with some honey notes and a hint of yeast. Finishes crisp with a flowery hop presence. Medium in body with good carbonation. Fruity and sweet with a nice crispness in the finish. Refreshing and easy to drink, a good different kind of Summer time sessionable.
Jul 29, 2008
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.8/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours sunlight golden with a small,decent head and tight lace. The aroma is citrus and light hops,not much else.
The taste is citrus hints,light hops and some background malts.
The overall feel is crisp,smooth with medium carbonation. A good balance with light body and this has the drinkability of a good summer beer.
Jul 28, 2008
Photo of cvstrickland
Reviewed by cvstrickland from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Draft offering arrives in a shaker pint glass sporting a sunny golden body with a touch of haze and a soft white finger of foam that recedes quickly leaving a bit of lacing on the glass.

Smell is dry and malty with a spicy hop note.

Taste is crisply dry and bitter with just enough maltiness to keep the solid grassy bitterness from being the only thing I taste.

Crisp, dry, and wonderfully drinkable.
Jul 27, 2008
Photo of CrellMoset
Reviewed by CrellMoset from Virginia

3.77/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On tap at Beer Run, Charlottesville, VA. Served in a traditional pint glass.

Appearance: Slow, medium carbonation in a filtered, straw-gold body. Thin white head that fades quickly. Not much lacing.

Aroma: Grainy malt, grassy, spicy hops, a few light fruit esters - grape and sweet cherries. Mild.

Taste: More spicy, floral hops, lots of simple, sweet grainy malt (pilsner-esque), those same light, sweet fruits. Very interesting.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied but with medium-thickness, even bubbles - very nice.

Drinkability: My first instance of the style, and thankful I tried - it's very easygoing and interesting (a hopped up, grassier, fruitier pilsner), and at 5.0% abv, it's extraordinarily sessionable.
Jul 26, 2008
Photo of BeerFan
Reviewed by BeerFan from New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
I just kicked a sixtel of this. Was on tap in my basement. Poured a ever so slighty cloudy golden yellow. Being unfiltered, I was expecting (and hoping) it to be a little more cloudy. Cereal malty aroma which is expected from a Helles. Touch of floral hops gives some nice balance. Excellent drinkability for this 5% beer. Goes down very easy on some warmer days. While I did kick the keg before sharing it with many friends, it would make a good cross-over beer for the macro-drinkers.
Jul 22, 2008
Photo of auxiliary
Reviewed by auxiliary from Rhode Island

3.2/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
appearance - Straw yellow and a nice white head with some lace. Looks like a macro lager beer.

smell - Smells of sweet malt and grains.

taste - Sweet malt and corn here with some bitterness from the hops, not a lot though.

mouthfeel - Medium-light body.

drinkability - It was a refreshing beer, kinda light, wasn't impressed on the style. This is only on tap.
Jul 20, 2008
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I had a sample of this at a bar when "someone" brought it in for someone else to try. I am very glad I will have a chance to drink more and really dwell on it now.

Pours a slightly foggy gold with a frothy white head. Nose is earthy with an almost grassy thing to it. Very crisp. Flavor is excellent. So well balanced with sweet tones. Not overly complex, but just supremely smooth. Very minor earth characteristics on the back side. Feel has a full carbonation and the liquid is nice too. This is an exceptional brew in all senses. Drinkability is very high as you could go on this all day. Especially during the hot summer ones. I'd love to just sit at a table of friends and relax with this while feeling the vibe on some slow jazz while I give a "you're number one" salute to the rest of the world. Excellent and worth seeking out. Too bad this will vanish soon. It really should be in regular rotation.
Jul 18, 2008
Photo of chemmie
Reviewed by chemmie from Florida

2.81/5  rDev -27%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
It looks, tastes and drinks like a skunky bottle of Euro-pilsner on steroids.

Pours a clear yellow with a nice head.
Taste is a little skunky, it reminds me a lot of a the typical European pilsner out of a green bottle. Honestly, I don't really like it.

10 minutes later, it's leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
Jul 12, 2008
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

2.71/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
On tap at Max's

A: Pale yellow with lots of carbonation and a dense, white head

S: Smells light with a combination of hops, bugglegum and (oh no!) butter. I dislike the butter in the brew :-(

T: Quite terrible with corn, butter and a mild sweetness.

M: Good carbonation, nice finish but tastes quite bad

D: One and done (barely)
Jul 05, 2008
Keller Helles from Brooklyn Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 29 ratings