Quench your own thirst. That’s not just good advice, it’s also the title of a new book by Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company. In the book, Koch offers business advice from his own personal experience, recounting how his interest in his family brewing history prompted him to quit his day job and launch the Samuel Adams brand. Koch begins the book by asking readers to pull up a chair, crack open a Sam Adams beer and begin to read-which I did with a bottle of Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles.
Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles is a German-style Helles (light) lager, very apropos in this the year of the 500th anniversary of the German Reinheitsgebot beer purity law. It’s readily apparent Jim Koch has a love for German beer-many of his brews feature German noble hops and malts, and many follow the Reinheitsgebot. It’s also a “Zwickelbier”, meaning the beer is bottled with a bit of yeast to keep it fresh longer. Zwickelbier aka Kellerbier seems to be the in thing for Reinheitsgebot, most likely because lagers as we know them today didn’t exist yet 500 years ago. So far, I’ve tasted Weihenstepahner 1516 Kellerbier and Radeberger Zwickel introduced this year to celebrate.
For now, if you want to try Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles you’ll have to buy the 2016 Beers of Summer Sampler. Here’s what you’ll get:
2 bottles each of:
· Samuel Adams Belgian Session
· Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles
From the bottle label:
In German, ‘helles” means light, bright & blonde-a perfect description for our uncomplicated hazy lager. With its balance of soft honey malt notes and floral grassy hops you will be left asking yourself is this Heave or Helles?
Ingredients from the website:
HOP VARIETIES Saaz and Tettnang Tettnanger Noble hops
MALT VARIETIES Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Bohemian Pilsner Malt
YEAST STRAIN Samuel Adams lager yeast
Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles has an alcohol content of 5% by volume with 20 IBUs. I paid $13.29 for my sampler 12-pack at Target.
Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles pours to a pale yellow, slightly hazy color with a medium head of foam and a soft biscuit and gentle herbal citric hop nose. Taking a sip, the beer has more of that biscuit up front, its bready and clean malty with a balancing grassy slightly bitter hop finish. It also has the freshness and ever so lightly yeasty flavor (also found in fresh bread) that is unique to a Zwickel.
I really Love the balance of malt and hop here with neither dominating and the oh so fresh biscuity malt. So many beers today are missing in the malt department. This is a style that demands it, and Samuel Adams heaven or Helles certainly delivers, and for a great price too.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft