Piece Bat Out of Helles

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

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 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.

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 pour with an attractive moderate white head...and then it’s gone. The nose is very mild, hints only of bready malts and light floral hopping. The flavor is mild bread maltiness, straw, light hop bitterness...fkoral hints. The crisp finish is clean and lightly dry.

On tap.
Pours a clear, effervescent rather pale straw-yellow; light-colored even for a helles. Aroma is bready & doughy with a clover and a whiff of alcohol. Flavor is crisp & clean mild-to-medium hop bitterness, bread dough, honey and grassy hay. Thinnish but tingly palate. Probably a better beer than my final score would suggest -- indeed, there wasn’t anything particularly offensive about it -- but it’s a little boring even by Helles standards.

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.