Paulaner Original Münchner Hell (Premium Lager)

Brewed by Paulaner Brauerei (Schörghuber)
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Munich, Germany

Pours a clear golden body with a fading, off-white head. Smells of clean hops and bread. Flavor is bready malt with some hops. Clean finish.

Pours straw colored with a rich and large moderately lasting nicely lacing head. Faint maltiness and hops in aroma. Malty flavor with a dry bitter finish. Overall a rather nice and crisp hot summer session beer.

Small head faded very quickly. Pale golden. Aroma contains a lot of euro hops, which, unfortunately, can’t quite block out the "dirty alley" and vegetal DMS notes. Quite grainy, not pleasant! There’s some sweet biscuity malt flavour upon the first sip. After that my brain seemed to realise this wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience, and hence severed all nerves connecting my taste buds. Next to no bitterness, although there is a misplaced lambic-like funky-ness. Too watery!

I am sorry to say that the dumbed down fizzy lagers of now have smeared the good name of the real golden lager, both of past and of present. Thankfully, there are some who refuse to compromise their principles, standards, tradition, and taste by continuing to brew a tasty lager of quality ingredients and brewing. Paulaner has a long history in Germany, tracing back to the original Paulist himself, Francis of Paola, who started the monastery and brewery. Beer was liquid bread and thus free from the chopping block of fasting, along with being a product they could eventually sell for self-sustaining income.

She pours golden hay with a soft white head resembling cotton fields, their blooms threatening to blow loose in the passing breeze. She sports a lovely white collar, pressed and primped for all to see, while her perfume of honeycomb, soft white bread, white crackers, and green grass are supported by fields of grain basking in the warm summer sun. My first quaff is fresh hay and straw, a brilliant reminder of the cereals and grains of yore that I used to munch on for a fun, tasty snack in-between long bouts playing outside. Her sweet side is a gentle touch of honey with the earthy honeycomb balancing wonderfully with her grainy underbelly. Soft, dry water crackers linger with a delicate dryness of mouth which is easily quenched by another quaff of this fine German lager. I am surprised by her overall soft mouthfeel which shows a snappier side only every now and then with green grass and lemon skins. Clean, tasteful, and easy to session, the Paulaner Lager is an excellent German lager and a fine example of brewing heritage which laughs in the face of conformist mediocrity.

Every now and then I will stumble across a lager which puts a contended smile on my face; the Paulaner Lager was just one of those. It makes all the lackluster lagers before her worthwhile. For one shining moment of inspired satisfaction, my Paulaner Lager bursts with character and flavor.

11.2oz bottle into a glass Big loose head that sticks around a bit. Clear pee yellow. Aroma is slightly skunky with honey, malt, and baked pastry shell. The flavor is malt, grains, honey, and slight metal.

Pales pale golden with a big white head. Good lacing. Nose is faint but crisp and grassy. Taste is a hint of sweet malt up front , followed by hops in the finish. Overall this is crisp, smooth, and refreshing, if not terribly complicated. Good stuff.

Single bottle from Grapevine in Austin. I thought there had been a mistake and a Pils had been put in the Helles bottle. Bitterness of hops that was not pleasent. It really tasted like a mid-flight Pilsner, the malt was not dominant and comforting. Head was full, but disappeared quickly. Not a horrible beer, but I expected more from this brewery.

2009 Bottle - Pours clear yellow with a small white head...aroma is grassy grain and light malt, fruity yeast...flavour is light and grainy, toast and slightly sweet spice on the end...not bad...