When the golden and clean lagers of Plzeň (Bohemia) became all the rage in the mid-1800's, München brewers feared that Germans would start drinking the Czech beer in place of their own. Munich Helles Lager was their answer to meet the demand. A bit maltier, they often share the same spicy hop characters of Czech Pils, but are a bit more subdued and in balance with the malts. Helles is German for bright. 

Lager is a medium-bodied beer, it is straw to golden blonde, very clean, bready, malt forward with floral hop aromas and a touch of bitterness. The best have a slightly sulfurous character reminiscent of brewery fermentation rooms. In Bavaria, many consider Helles Lager the very essence of the summer beer garden. These beers drink well with many occasions and in large volumes.