Simple can be surprisingly hard to get right. And when we’re talking light lager, simple is hard enough, but we’re also adding in the idea that mistakes have nowhere to hide. That makes a beer like Munich Helles a challenge—but one that you should look forward to. If you can lock down the grist and ferment it cleanly, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have even your most homebrew-skeptic friends heading back for another liter.
Style
The guidelines call this beer a “Pils malt showcase.” Simple, right? Wrong. The Pils malt is the easy part—so what about the rest? Well, despite being a low-alcohol pale lager, this beer isn’t a pushover in the flavor department. In addition to the grainy, honey-like flavors of the Pils malt we should also taste a noticeable amount of bitterness and a restrained (but noticeable) noble hops character, reminiscent of flowers and herbs. There’s also a noticeable dryness in the finish.
“Noticeable.”