Beer: Helles lagers

Whatever happened to plain old beer? said Greg Kitsock in The Washington Post. If you’re tiring of spices and other odd additives, seek out a good helles. A bit less hoppy than a pilsner, a helles is an “immensely quaffable” golden lager with century-old roots in Munich. A good one “should have that appetizing aroma of biscuits rising in the oven.”

Fordham Gypsy Lager(Dover, Del.)Munich and Vienna specialty malts add “an elegant, almost vanilla-like sweetness” to this recently renamed helles.

Leinenkugel’s Hoppin’ Helles(Chippewa Falls, Wis.)“Aggressive” American hops give this beer a citrusy edge.

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Dogfish Head Piercing Pils(Milton, Del.)This pils is a helles in all but name, “striking a fine balance between the crackery malt and herbal hops.”