Burgerbrau Wolznacher Hell

When most people think about light beer, they think about Lite beer. That’s pretty much a given in today’s beer market, where Miller Lite, Bud Light, and Coors Light have defined light beer as a reduced calorie, fairly flavorless brew aimed at the calorie conscious. Just about every major brand on the market has a light version. Even Samuel Adams has gotten in on the act, although their version is a marked departure from the rest of the pack. You can throw some hops in your beer, after all, without affecting the caloric content.

Long before anyone ever debated the relative merits of great taste versus less filling, however, beer drinkers were enjoying light lagers. Quite frequently, you will hear a beer enthusiast refer to a pale cold conditioned brew as a light lager, even though the brew in question certainly is not what one would consider diet fare. What is being discussed, then, is the color of the beer, and light lagers are as much of a departure from Lite beers as summer is from winter.

The Germans seem to have a hand in this. In Germany, a Helles beer is simply a light lager, in contrast to a Dunkel, which is a dark brew. There’s even a style called Munich Helles, a soft and malty treat that is a wonderfully enjoyable summertime brew.

The beer in question today, Burgerbrau Wolnzacher Hell, isn’t really a Munich Helles, but it is a much lighter brew than their Altfrankisches Dunkel. Wolznacher Hell is a delightful, flavorful, and very quenching beer that’s a great refresher on a hot day, and this past weekend I popped open a bottle after a very hot and tiring day stomping around Atlanta enjoying this year’s Dragoncon event.

Wolznacher Hell is brewed by a tiny German specialty brewer and imported by B. United International, arguably America’s preeminent importer of fine and rare brews. A decoction mash is employed here, and the beer is hopped with Hallertaus and Perles. It has the soft maltiness and bold hop character of an Export style beer, but at the same time is bottle conditioned, a process few German lagers undergo. This makes Wolnzacher Hell a bit different from your average light lager.

Burgerbrau Wolnzacher Hell pours to a hazy yellow gold color with a thick creamy head and an enticing fresh malt nose. The palate is very crisp with lots of biscuity malt flavor and an underlying soft malt body. A gentle hop aroma permeates the beer, while the bitterness slowly emerges and intensifies into the finish, becoming minty-grassy and depositing a lingering bitter hop buzz on the tongue.

If you choose, you can add the yeast into your beer. It will impart a slight nuttiness, but does detract slightly from the malt flavor. I think I prefer this one sans yeast. Overall, this is a delightfully fresh tasting, flavorful, and refreshing beer. When I go to Germany, I imagine this is what fresh beer there should taste like.

Home