Grasser Huppendorfer Urtyp Hell
Brewery: Grasser
Town: Huppendorf
Style: Helles 5.2%
Color: golden
Head: white, creamy
Nose: nice mix of grain and hops
Body: medium
Palate: balanced, nice grain element, hoppy
Finish: clean, semi-dry, semi-bitter
Served: on tap at Biersalon Coburg.
Impression: Grasser Huppendorfer Urtyp Hell looks the deep golden hue example of the Munich style, but it’s hoppier in both the nose and palate. I’m one of the people warning of a Helles takeover in Franconia so I was apprehensive when Grasser released theirs. The bottle I had a couple years ago, poured gorgeously. The nose of grain and hops was my first clue it wasn’t going to be a Munich Helles clone. It’s got the rich malty fullness of a Helles but there’s a really nice grainy element and lots more hops from the get go. The clean, semi-dry finish is more bitter than most but I really like it just the way it is.
Don’t judge a book by its cover or a beer by its style. If this is how Helles is going to taste in Franconia, I’m not going to complain. I was happy to find it on tap at Biersalon Coburg a few years later. It didn’t disapppoint.
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