Smoky Mountain Velas Helles Lager

bottled. As much as this beer is average, the soft palate and pleasant linger on the palate really set it apart from its peers.

Had this on tap at a brewpub while visiting TN, but I didn’t take good tasting notes, unfortunately. I was with my fiancee and she gets bored with my notes!

A solid pour into my 25cl glass yields a billowing, initially four-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. The beer is a clear, gold copper color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, lighter version of the same color when held up to the light. The aroma is a mix of herbal honey malt notes, a touch of grassiness and a lemon herb hop character. There is a touch of grassy grain in the finish as well. This has a fairly nice aroma for a Helles that is pretty spot on for the style (except for that herbal honey note perhaps).

This beer is dry tasting up front, with an almost tart note that lingers into the finish. There is a light bitterness that mingles with the tartness in the finish; the tartness seems to be just a bit more noticeable than the hop bitterness though. The beer is also a bit over-carbonated, which is why it started to foam up as soon as I popped the cap, the effervescence is a bit too much for this beer to stand up to, but luckily this is easily remedied. A touch of tart green apple flavors up front seem to be what the herbal honey notes in the nose have turned into. This is quite light bodied, though not out of style.

The tartness in this beer is quite light, but it is distinct, this would certainly point to an infection of some sort (the over-carbonation could be a sign of this as well), and it certainly does take this beer out of style. As the beer warms up the honey notes in the nose start to take on a bit more fruitiness. Not bad, but certainly not what I was expecting or hoping for; in many ways it reminds me of a Berliner Weiss, it is not quite there though as the sourness would need to be a bit more gripping. Actually if this was labled as a Berliner Weiss I would have enjoyed it quite a bit more as it does have a nice, clean tartness to it.

Sample at Calhoun’s, Knoxville, TN. pours golden, white head. aroma is malty, wheat. taste, some fruits, grainy, wheat, spices, orange peel, thick mouthfeel but very one dimensional. Retained some light hops in teh finish.

Via trade with tronraner. The pour was clear and golden. Short white head with spotty lacing. The aroma was malty, light sugars and a bit of spicy hop bite. The flavor was a well balanced mix of malts, lighter floral and grassy notes and some almost saaz like hops on the finish. Easy drinking. Clean. Not bad.

Smells of bread and wheat, and tasted pretty much the same as it smelt. For a lighter beer, it wasn’t bad.

Light gold, thin white head. Some corny sweetness on the nose, light hops. Dusty stale corn, dry and abrasive.

12 oz bottle courtesy of Lithy. Pours a yellow color with a thin white head. Aroma is grain, corn and mild malt. Palate is thin and dry. Flavor is corn, bready grains and a little malt in the background.