Beer Styles

What is a Helles? A bottom-fermented, golden full beer with mild hop spice and a soft malt body, invented in Munich and turned into an everyday beer in the Oberland. Compared to a Pilsner, it's less bitter and rounder.

Tegernseer Export takes its name from Dortmunder Export beer. It's a touch stronger and drier than a Helles, but stays pale and clear. The name "Export" dates from an era when stronger beers held up better during travel.

Doppelbock is the style for winter and Lent. Ayinger's Celebrator is the best-known example from the region, with about 6.7 percent alcohol according to retailers, which is relatively modest for a Doppelbock. Under German beer law, a beer may only be called Starkbier if its original gravity is at least 16 percent.

Helles and Doppelbock share the same yeast, but not the same character: one tastes of bread crust, the other of plum, caramel and bread rind.

What's the difference between Helles and Pilsner? Pilsner is noticeably more bitter, with more hop aroma and usually a clearer bitter finish, while Helles puts the malt front and center. For many Munich and Oberland locals, Helles is simply the everyday beer, while Pilsner arrived from elsewhere and only slowly caught on in the south. Export sits appealingly in between: a bit more body and spice than Helles, without Pilsner's sharp hop edge. So fans of Doppelbock will find a whole staircase in the Oberland, running from mild to mighty.