Tasting

Tasting a Munich Helles means paying attention to the details. The beer pours pale gold with a dense white head. The nose offers grain and bread crust, the palate runs soft with almost no bitterness, and a light sweetness lingers on the finish. Good examples to compare are Augustiner Edelstoff, Spaten Münchner Hell and Paulaner Münchner Hell.

Dunkel presents a different picture. Hofbräu Dunkel represents the style well: dark brown, smelling of bread and caramel, tasting round and slightly sweet. Taste Helles and Dunkel side by side and you'll notice how little color reveals about strength—both hover around five percent alcohol. To compare properly, taste in small amounts and pay attention first to the aroma, then the body, then the aftertaste.

Temperature matters. Helles tastes best at around seven degrees Celsius, while Dunkel can be served a touch warmer so its malt aromas open up. Served too cold, they simply disappear. In Munich, beer is served in a Halbe, a half-liter mug or glass, or in a Maß holding a full liter.

Pouring involves the foam too. The glass is tilted, the beer runs down the side, and a firm, stable head forms at the end. Some Munich inns still pour Helles straight from the wooden cask. The beer tastes a touch softer that way, since it's tapped more gently, though the pour is measured by feel and tradition rather than precision.