Having just drunk a St Georgen Helles and then its Pils, I am slightly at odds with what is the difference. The Helles has a fresh and even fragrant nose and a malty snap, while the Pilsner seems to be cleaner in the palate though there is still some fragrance on the nose with bitter notes in the finish. Good beers both of them, but is this the German equivalent of the difference between Best Bitter and Bitter?
It isn't a bad analogy that.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the terms are not very precise. I find that a helles often is less hoppy and tend to be fairly dull, a Spaten Hell comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteAs for St. Georgen, their whole range is fine, it looks like they are getting some distribution across Europe.