Beer Styles

Helles is the city's everyday style. A Helles is a golden, bottom-fermented beer from Munich and Bavaria. It's considered a milder answer to Bohemian Pils, with a soft, malty taste and delicate hops.

How does Helles differ from Pils? A Pils is drier and sharper, with noticeably more hop bitterness. Helles stays soft, with a short, slightly sweet finish. Both are bottom-fermented and pale in color, but Helles is the beer for a long evening, while Pils is the one for that first thirst.

Weissbier is the second style. A pale Weissbier or Hefeweizen is top-fermented, contains at least half wheat malt by common industry standard, and tastes of banana and clove. The head is tall and creamy, the color cloudy and pale yellow. A Kristallweizen is the filtered, clear version.

The Landshuter Hochzeits Weisse turns this into a festive beer. With an original gravity of 13.6 percent according to the brewery, it's stronger than an ordinary Weissbier, though still within the style guidelines for Weissbier. Set it beside a regular Weissbier and you'll immediately notice the fuller body and subtly sweet note. The brewery also markets it with certified organic ingredients.

There's also a difference in mouthfeel between the two styles. Helles drinks smooth and lean, while Weissbier feels livelier and fuller thanks to its yeast and carbonation. Fans of one often find the other a nice complement, since the brewers link both to the same city's brewhouse.