Three Floyds Gorch Fock Helles

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Munster, Indiana USA

Date: May 24, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ticker Tasting
Appearance: hazy gold, wispy white head
Aroma: sweet fresh grain aroma, light floral hops
Flavor: sweet candy flavor, nice balancing floral hops keep it from being too sweet, light bitter finish
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

(22oz bottle, thanks CaptainCougar) Small white head atop lightly hazed apple juice body. Aroma is medium sweet, grassy, some apple, bread. Taste is medium sweet, bread, some apple, light grass, grain. Clean light body.

(22oz bottle) Pours a lightly hazy golden body with a small white head. Aroma of grass, corn grain, and light florals. Flavor of toasted grain, toffee, caramel malt, nuts, and mild hops (some floral, light grass) with a moderately dry finish.

22oz bottle shared courtesy of axilla. Poured a medium to deep and cloudy golden color with a small sizzed white head. Aromas and tastes of grass, grainy, floral and light citrus. Thinner body.

Clear dull pale golden hue covered by minimal head. Very timid aroma mostly focuses on faint brady notes. Mostly clean at least outside of those light and tart vegetal notes (artichoke’s hearts or turnip). Watery palate and texture. The grainy acidity is not very pleasant. I expected them to denature the pale lager with a strong amount of hops, but it appears they aimed at something more authentic which is unfortunately not their strenght,

Bottle… Mostly clear golden lager with a small, creamy, white head. Decent retention. The nose provides lots of pale grain, honey and peppery hops. Full-bodied with a thick, creamy mouthfeel and stinging carbonation. Malty-sweet, grainy, mashy flavor with mild hop bitterness. Moderately sweet finish. Incredible viscosity. Thanks to scubarex for providing the bottle!

My Bottom Line:
This modest Helles proposes lightly toasted malts and feeble hoppiness enlivened by a soft prickling for a polite but mostly forgettable session.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surrounds the hazy blond.
-The malt character is not very "Franconian" at all, and the hoppiness is not well developed enough for me to know what it’s trying to offer. Could be a freshness issue too?
-The subtle cereal sweetness is sometimes approached by watery notions.
-A distant citrusy spiciness comes from the hops.
-This is not very authentic and lacks inspiration, but it remains a clean and quaffable example of the style.

Bottle.

Bottle courtesy of yjb. Pours copper with a thin white head. Smells of straw, some skunk (literally), matly. Tastes of dry malt with some citrussy qualities.