My latest article for The Bulletin highlights the newly-canned Bavarian Lager from GoodLife Brewing, and digs into the Helles lager style to understand how its different from pilsner.

Helles lager, like other pale lagers, is all about subtlety and balance. To casual (and even experienced) drinkers it may be indistinguishable from a pilsner, but there are several key differences. Pilsner emphasizes hop character and bitterness and a dry, crisp finish; Helles focuses on the malts, with rounder, sweeter malt flavors and more body while dialing back on the hops.

Or to put it another way (though with less nuance), pilsner is crisp and hoppy, and Helles is sweet and grainy.

I reached out to GoodLife head brewer Tyler West to learn more about why the company chose this style and his approach to brewing it.

“It really comes down to what we like to drink,” he said via email. “We brew beers that we enjoy to imbibe, and that is exactly why we chose to brew a Helles. It is also a very delicate style, so this presents a challenge to us.”

(GoodLife had provided me with a six-pack previously.) Read through for more about the style and my review of the beer (spoiler: it’s good!).