As the winter winds down, we find ourselves thinking fondly of the spring weather on the way and all the refreshing beer that comes with it. But with rain across the nation, sunny days and green grass still seem to be some way off, so we decided to get a jump on spring beers instead. And today that means sipping on the best Helles lagers.
Helles or Hell are popular German lager beers that are widely available in the southern parts of the country, especially Bavaria. While the word hell means something completely different in English, when it’s translated to German, it means pale or light. And that’s exactly what these refreshing, easy-drinking lagers with a touch of sweetness are. They’re so popular in Europe that countless American brewers have also tried their hand at crafting these crisp, full-bodies lagers.
Known for their complex, well-balanced, thirst-quenching flavor profile, Helles lagers are great beer for spring — meaning the time is right to start stocking up on these bangers. Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorites, ranked on overall flavor and thirst-quenching quality.
8) Sly Fox Helles Golden Lager
ABV: 4.9%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 4.9% German-style lager is brewed with German-sourced pilsner malt as well as Hallertau and Saaz hops. The result is a crisp, dry, surprisingly complex, sessionable spring beer.
Tasting Notes:
A classic, soft, and bready lager nose of cereal grains, honey, citrus zest, and lightly floral hops greets you before your first sip. The taste is similar albeit muted. Lemon, grass, light cereal grains, and lightly bitter, floral hops. Overall, it’s a decent, if not unexciting beer.
Bottom:
If you’re looking for a light, almost watery lager, this is a good choice for you. If you’re looking for more flavor, head further down the ranking.
7) Helles Schlenkerla Lagerbier
ABV: 4.3%
Average Price: $5 for a 500ml bottle
The Beer:
Schlenkerla Helles is one of those beers that, when you crack it open, makes you feel like it probably tastes the same way it did when it was brewed the first time hundreds of years ago. Using the same brewing equipment as the more popular Schlenkerla Smokebeer (thus adding some smoke to this beer), it’s crafted to be a classic Bavarian-style Helles lager.
Tasting Notes:
The aroma is surprisingly smoky with honey, grass, biscuit-like malts, and floral hops. On the palate, you’ll find lemon zest, honey, more fresh cut grass, biscuit malts, and light smoke. The finish is dry, bitter, and smoky. It’s definitely not for everyone.
Bottom:
This is a unique Helles lager and this is both a good and a bad thing. If you’re up for trying a lightly smoky lager, grab this one. If you’re more interested in a classic Helles, veer away.
6) Two Roads Cruise Control
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Two Roads Cruise Control is listed on the label as an “easy-riding” lager and that’s exactly what it is. This award-winning, 4.8% ABV Helles-style lager is known for its simple, clean flavor that is reminiscent of the lagers brewed for centuries in Germany.
Tasting Notes:
Traditional aromas of clover honey, biscuit-like malts, grass, hay, and floral, herbal, lightly piney hops make up the nose. Drinking it reveals more biscuit malts, fresh grass, dried hay, honey, and floral, Noble hops. The finish is lightly bitter and spicy. It’s a decent beer, but overall a little thin.
Bottom:
Two Roads Cruise Control is a very flavorful Helles-style lager. It’s just a little lighter and thinner than we’d prefer.
5) Utepils Helles
ABV: 5.1%
Average Price: $10 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This Munich-style Helles lager is as traditional as it gets in the American craft beer world. It’s golden in color, simple and balanced in flavor, and loaded with Pilsner malts as well as Bavarian-grown hops from the capital of the hop universe: Hallertau.
Tasting Notes:
Bready malts, honey, grass, caramel malts, and floral hops make up a very welcoming-yet-subtle nose. The palate is filled with notes of brown bread, honey, citrus zest, and floral, herbal, Noble hops. The finish is crisp, sweet, and lightly bitter.
Bottom:
This beer is clean, crisp, and very easy to drink. If we didn’t know better, we’d assume this was actually a German beer.
4) Buoy Helles Lager
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $12 for a four-pack
The Beer:
While summer drinkers save the Helles lagers for the warmer months, Buoy makes its award-winning Helles-style lager available all year long. Brewed with Pilsner malts, and Magnum hops, it’s cold fermented and lagered for five full weeks.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find scents of freshly baked bread, wet grass, lemon zest, cereal grain sweetness, and floral, earthy, herbal hops. On the palate, you’ll find caramel malts, freshly baked bread, citrus zest, hay, and Noble hops. The finish was dry, crisp, sweet, and lightly bitter.
Bottom:
This isn’t the most spectacular lager ever made. But it’s crisp, refreshing, and does just about everything right.
3) Tucher Helles Lager
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $8 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Tucher might not have the name recognition in the US like other German brewers, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying this epic Helles lager. This unique lager is a blend of oak-aged Helles lager as well as fresh lager. The result is a complex, highly refreshing, memorable lager.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of freshly baked bread, sweet honey, cereal grains, and lightly spicy, herbal, floral hops start the nose off right. The palate continues this trend with cereal grain sweetness, yeasty bread, honey, toasted grains, grass, oaky wood, and floral, Noble hops. The finish is dry and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom:
Tucher Helles is a unique, highly drinkable Helles lager. The oak-aged portion gives it more depth than many of the others on the market.
2) von Trapp Helles Golden Lager
ABV: 4.9%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
You might recognize the von Trapp name from ‘The Sound of Music’. And, to answer the obvious question, yes, it is the same family. They opened a lodge in Vermont decades ago and eventually started a brewery. Known for traditional, European-style beers, its Golden Helles is one of its best. Known for its crisp, dry, refreshing flavor, it’s brewed with Pilsner malt as well as Perle and Tettnanger hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly light but effective with freshly baked bread, toasted grains, citrus zest, honey, and herbal, floral hops. The palate is a symphony of pilsner malts, yeasty bread, caramel, lemongrass, hay, and floral, lightly piney hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and highly refreshing.
Bottom:
This German-style Helles lager is as simple as it is delicious. It’s not overly complex and bogged down by flavors. It’s crisp, snappy, and very thirst-quenching.
1) Weihenstephaner Helles
ABV: 5.1%
Average Price: $11 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Weihenstephaner touts itself as the long, continuously operating brewery in the world with its genesis in the year 1040. In the almost 1,000 years since the brewery has perfected a few beers. While it’s well-known for its Hefe Weissbier, it also makes a really great Helles lager. Although it’s quite a bit younger than some of its counterparts, first being released in 2020. It’s 4.8% ABV and gets its flavor from the addition of hops from Hallertau and Bavarian malting barley.
Tasting Notes:
This beer smells the way you imagine a well-made lager to smell. There are prevalent notes of yeasty bread, honey, light citrus, and a ton of floral, Noble hops. It really draws you in for more. Sipping it brings forth flavors like pilsners malt, cereal sweetness, honey, orange peels, yeast, and more floral, herbal hops. The finish is dry and totally refreshing.
Bottom:
Weihenstephaner’s take on the classic Helles might not have the same history as some of its German counterparts, but it’s a full-flavored, highly complex beer you’ll want to stock all spring and summer long.
