Hofbräuhaus Traunstein: Helles (Germany: Helles: 5.3% ABV)
Visual: Pale yellow grain body with large white mounded head that leaves some suds. Lots of small bubbled carbonation.
Nose: Sourdough and flour covered fresh dough. Boiled eggs. Palma violets.
Body: Vanilla fudge. Slight sherberty feel. Sherbet lemon flavor. Touch of liquorice if held. Palma violets. Lightly oily. Licking stone feeling hop oil character. Over time a buttery thickness.
Finish: Honey sheen. Slight oily hops. Slight minerally character. Low level bitterness. Brown bread. Palma violets. Buttery touch over time.
Conclusion: Surprising weight to this beer over time. The aroma was very circumspect so I wasn’t expecting a big one here. Then you hit the body and while not BIG it is definitely robust.
Initially it is vanilla sweet on a sip, with a big sherbety feel, but without a soda stream like fizz. It keeps it in the pleasant band. Over time it builds a slight buttery thickness that is both interesting, and also makes this much less easy sipping.
The finish has a light minerally character. It was similarly used in the last beer I did notes on – Graf Toerring Original Urhell but I feel that used it better. Still a reasonable note here. Similarly here in the finish you get the bitterness lightly showing itself. There is moderate hop oiliness throughout the beer, sometimes oddly stone licking like, but it is only in the finish when it feels like the bitterness properly shows itself, if only quite gently.
It is a beer I find more interesting than actively good. It is not bad, just a bit mixed. The minerally and sherbety bits support an easy sipper. The thicker butter touched texture and stone licking hop oils suggest a slower sipper. The vanilla throughout is fine but middle of the road. Its fine, and in fact an interesting mix, but just doesn’t quite hang together.
Background: More grabbing German beers from the massive selection in Independent Spirit at the moment. I was confused about the HB logo for moment, as well, this is how I found out lots of different breweries use that logo. You learn something new every day. Not much else I know about this, another helles, so having a run of easier drinking beers. As before just trying new stuff and kind of vibing it. Drank this on New Years Eve, yes I take ages to get these notes up. Went with Killswitch Engage: This Consequence for music. You know, feel good NYE music.
