The Last of the Summer Beers

Hopefully, you lighter beer lovers have found something in the craft or import beer realm that interests you. If not, this might be your last chance, as the fall beers are hitting the shelves and boredom sets in with these bright, clear lagers, and the cloudy, fruity, creamy wheat beers.
I was in the grocery store this week, and I can’t even tell you how many pumpkin beers and rich, malty, fall lagers (Oktoberfests) are out already. It’s the August dilemma and it happens every year, so you can either embrace it or wait, but there’s no going back now.
At a time centuries ago when Pilsner beers were all the rage in Europe, German brewers decided they needed a rival beer to compete. As most German offerings, even in the lager category, were at least moderately thick and amber to dark, there were no lighter lagers to compare to the Czech’s tangy and bubbly pilsners.
It was in 1895 at the Spaten brewery in Munich that Gabriel Sedlmayr brewed a style of beer that was light yet flavorful, clear, yet aromatic. The Germans now had a beer to go head to head with Czech light lager, before they later completely copied the style with their own version of pilsner.
Enter Munich Helles lager, a bright, clear, tangy beer that could contend with the beers from Germany’s southern neighbor. Although similar in appearance to the Czech creation, Munich’s new lagers were more malt based, and while keeping a light and gentle nature compared with many of Bavaria’s finest brews, the grain and bread flavors and smells dominate in these beers. Hops are in the background in both the aroma and taste, but help to give a crisp finish to these beers.
All of the large Munich brewers offer a Helles lager: Ayinger, Weihenstephaner, Paulaner, Löwenbräu, and of course Spaten. However, Hacker-Pschorr bräu (brewery) of Munich offers two Helles lagers, a standard Münchner Hell and a lighter Edelhell.
The Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Hell is a bit stronger in taste, with sweet malt and fruit smells and flavors. Oddly, at 4.9 percent  ABV, this is the weaker of the two lagers. Medium in the mouth, and a bit creamier than the more carbonated Edelhell.
In the glass, Hacker-Pschorr’s Edelhell Munich lager is clear and golden, with a huge fluffy white head of foam. Smells are gentle, of spicy grain and grass. The taste is light and prickly on the tongue, with hints of hops and dry grass. A clean finish follows a quick and bitter hop bite at the back of the mouth before the beer is gone, hiding the 5.5% ABV. Relish these amazing German lagers while the weather is warm. Such beers will not sustain you in the cool months to come. Enjoy the brews…Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.