Beer Styles

Pils and Helles are the two faces of beer at Lake Constance. Both are bottom-fermented and pale, but they aim for different things: Pils should be bitter and hoppy, Helles soft and malty.

What is a German Pils? A golden, clear lager with pronounced hop bitterness and a firm head. According to BJCP style guidelines, the original gravity (the content of dissolved substances in the wort, measured before fermentation) ranges from 11 to 12.4 degrees Plato, with alcohol content between 4.4 and 5.2 percent. The hops contribute 22 to 40 IBU, the scale used to measure bitterness.

How does Helles differ? It has less bitterness—just 16 to 22 IBU—giving it a round, bready character. Original gravity runs from 11 to 11.9 degrees Plato, with alcohol between 4.7 and 5.4 percent. It's the beer people in southern Germany drink with their meals, without making a fuss about it.

At the lake, the hops make all the difference: according to the brewery, Fürstenberg Premium Pilsener contains a blend of Hallertau and Tettnang aroma hops, while Ruppaner Bodensee Pils uses five varieties, per the brewery. Both are Pils, but their aroma comes from Tettnang hops, not from the yeast.

There's no separate beer style called "Tettnanger." The name refers only to the hop variety, and a beer can carry it without having its own distinct style. Anyone wanting to tell Pils and Helles apart should try both side by side: the Pils bites on the finish, while the Helles lets go.