Weihenstephaner Helles Lager

Weihenstephaner Helles Lager. The Worlds' Oldest Brewery. Brewed in Bavaria, Germany since 1040. 4.8 % ABV. 16 IBU. Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Fresing, Bavaria, Deutschland.

Before  I picked up a 4-pack of cans of this classic Geman lager, I checked to see if I'd reviewed it before. Yes, I had, on beer advocate, back in 2003, from a bottle. But, wait, the description of this one on Untappd says that it debuted in May of 2020. Well, what did I drink eighteen years ago? That was called Original Helles. So, let's take some notes on New-fangled Helles. 

Crystal clear, bright golden hue, short ivory head. 

In the nose: Lightly floral, mildly hopped, slightly sweet cereal grain aromatics. 

In the mouth: Crisp, clean, light and lovely. Quintessence of a Helles lager. Just enough malt for flavor, minimal hops, expertly refreshing. Some amounts of a sweet, grainy taste. Flavorful, even delicious. You can drink a million of these. It's a good German light lager and you can surely drink it. 

Here's what they say: The Weihenstephan Helles was first introduced on the market in May 2020 - a mild, quaffable beer with a subtle hop bouquet. Over a year was taken preparing the beer to perfection – with numerous tastings, fine-tuning and expert opinions.

And here's what I said about the Original, back when I thought I knew it all, and was so holier than thou:

Appearance: clear as a bell, pale yellow, brief white head.

Nose: plain as the nose on your face, dry, with slight citrus and honey, but pleasant.

Citrusy taste, but mild as mild can be in every way possible, mild and light, light and mild, sticking together like Mutt and Jeff, nothing can tear them apart.

Good, tasty, lip-smackin' texture, though, so, it's got that going for it.

Light'n'breezy, so, it's perfect when that's all you what, but frankly, it bores me to bits. 

As good or better than, oh, say, 85% of all the lagers in the world.

....as I get older, I don't mind the "boring"...that's the way it goes....