Samuel Adams Fresh as Helles
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What the brewers say
“The soft citrus of orange blossom adds a bright accent to the slightly sweet honey malt notes in this helles lager, leading to a round, smooth finish.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Distinct orange-blossom aroma and some honey. More emphasis on the malt than hops. Floral, bready, light toast, with a little spice in the background.”
Flavor: “Like the nose, the focus is on the floral. The sweet balance makes it even more like orange-blossom honey. Light bitterness and a pleasantly dry finish.”
Overall: “The orange blossoms come through giving it a big floral kick. It’s one of the few additions to a helles that doesn’t completely overshadow the clean, subtle helles character. One way to approach this beer is that they substituted the orange blossom for hops flavor/aroma. From that perspective, this is in style even though it’s half a world away from Germany. On top of that, it’s a beautiful beer.”
