Copper Kettle doesn’t sell their beer in Georgia, of course, but I managed to get a can of the Helles from that beer trader extraordinaire, Dale Roberts. The Helles style is a soft malty lager, and accents the malt much as pilsner accents hops (well, and malt too). As such, I think Helles gets a bad rap among today’s beer geeks. To Helles with them, I say, there’s a place for every well-made beer, and Copper Kettle Helles Lager is really delicious and refreshing on a hot August night. Apologies to Neil Diamond.
On the can label, Copper Kettle alludes to the light bodied nature of the beer, with a pictogram stating it pairs well with mowing the lawn, fighting bears and camping. They claim it’s good For All Day Enjoyment and call it a German style golden lager with a clean, crisp finish.
Copper Kettle Helles Lager has an alcohol content of 4.8% by volume with 16 IBUs. They sell it at the brewery for $11 a six-pack, $12 a growler, and $5 a pint. Not bad for brewery direct pricing.
Copper Kettle Helles Lager pours to a pale yellow golden color with a medium sized head of creamy foam and a soft biscuit malty nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a smooth clean biscuity maltiness up front perfect for a hot summer day (like today). The beer is clean of esters and finishes dry with a gentle hop bitterness (I might like a smidge more hops, but a Helles does lean towards the malt) but otherwise a very tasty example of the style.
Smooth, malty, refreshing, crisp and properly balanced for the style, Copper Kettle Helles Lager is a winner for a malthead like me. Would I buy it again, if I came across it? Damned straight I would.
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