Piece Bat Out of Helles

Brewed by Piece Brewery & Pizzeria
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Chicago, Illinois USA

On tap at the brewpub. Golden beer with a thin white head in the mug they served. Light cereal grain and citrus nose. Very lively on the tongue. I noticed the pepper that others have commented on, with some citrus, chalk and an almost dead campfire smoke in the finish. Tastey with the pizza.

Draught at the brewpub
Hazy blond color; creamy head. It’s a sweetish Helles, with light malt flavor, light cereals and unfortunately also light chemicals. But not bad overall.

From January 2007. Clear golden-amber body, small white head that leaves some dense lacing. Clear cereal aroma. The flavor brings in a strong malty, pale grain element that’s complimented by flavorful zesy lime and plant stem hops. The finish is similarly balanced with each flavor component swinging back and forth over time. Medium mouthfeel with an acidic, tingly carbonation. A good step up from your usual lager. Characterful hopping.

on tap from a small sampler. pours clear golden with white head. nose is really peppery and grainy. flavor is extremely peppery for a helles, it actually lingers on the palate for a long time it’s very cloying. not a good example of the style. is it me or is this latest version really peppery?

not a particularly good example of a helles. It was definitely a lager, though not really much of a malt character, too fruity and a bit tinny. Probably the worse I’ve had from this pub...

Draft at Piece. Looks deceptively like the same ol’ Bud when poured in a lager stein. Golden pils color, short frothy head. "Clean" lager beer smell. The taste is pretty yeasty for now, but otherwise clean. Sweet with an equal share of bitterness. All I can really say is that it is "lagery."

#997, On tap at the brewery at the Jan 2007 Chicago Area Gathering. Clear yellow, thin rim of a white head. Nose has lots of bannanas, yeast and sharp and fruity. Taste very sharp, nearly acidy and good amount of yeast. Taste is sweet with good alcohol presence with some carbonation and sugar. Drinkable and good.

Clear golden with a small, fluffy white head. Grainy and mildly hoppy nose with clean malt and earthy, Noble hops adding just a touch of crispness to the nose. The body is smooth and light, and a reasonably enjoyable change from the heavy beers of late. The flavor shows the mild, biscuity malt up front before a wave of mild hop bitterness washes through. Clean, refreshing and frankly, somewhat boring.