Greetings, friend Beer Sapiens! Today we will dive into the fascinating history and curiosities of the Helles style. Did you know that its origin dates back to the mid-19th century in what is now the Czech Republic? The creation of blonde lagers had a huge impact on the brewing world, especially in Germany.
The Helles style: the fascinating story of its origin
It all started with Josef Groll, a brewer from Bavaria, who brought with him lager yeasts and brewing techniques from his homeland. With these tools he created a revolutionary beer: the Pilsner . This bright golden-colored, smooth-tasting beer quickly became a brewing benchmark and set the stage for the emergence of other styles.
But what about the Helles ? The Helles are considered the sisters of the Pilsner . They arose in Germany around 1870 as a German version of the Czech style, adapting the techniques and raw materials available in their territory. Although they use different "noble" hops, such as Hallertau Mittelfruh, Spalter, or Tettnanger, they retain certain similarities to the original Pilsners .
Let's go back to the history of the origin of this style. It's time to talk about Gabriel Sedlmayr, director of the Spaten brewery in Munich, who played a crucial role in the development of lagers. Sedlmayr traveled for six years through different European countries, including England, in search of new techniques and knowledge. It was thanks to his apprenticeships that he was able to introduce steam power to brewing for the first time in continental Europe in 1844. This innovation allowed the creation of large breweries that were previously unthinkable due to power limitations.
But Sedlmayr did not stop there. In addition, he played an important role in the development of Munich-type malts and, with them, in the creation of the first Märzen-style amber beer in 1871. It was his brother Josef, owner of the Franziskaner brewery, who put on the market this beer, which would later be merged with Spaten.
The refrigerator: the secret ingredient of the Helles style.
But what about cooling? Lager brewing involved the use of refrigeration methods, which was costly and labor intensive in the 19th century. So Sedlmayr looked for solutions to make this process simpler and cheaper, and sponsored the research of a young engineering professor from Munich named Carl von Linde.
Von Linde is considered the inventor of the refrigerator and in 1873 he designed and installed the first industrial ammonia refrigeration at the Spaten factory. Thanks to this breakthrough, it was possible to keep Lagers cold all year round, making Spaten the largest brewer in Munich.
Only the final touch is missing: soft water
With this new power, in 1894 Sedlmayr decided to create a new beer that would compete advantageously with both Czech Pilsners and Pils from his own country.
By the end of the century, certain aspects of water treatment had already been discovered, so for the new Helles (German for "clear", "transparent" or "blonde") a soft Pilsen-style water was prepared. This allowed Spaten to produce a recipe in which the malts were protagonists and the hops had a subordinate role to them.
And success came: the Helles style today
The new Helles quickly became Bavaria's favorite beers, being the most consumed and most associated with the German profile of Lagers, even today!
In short, the history of the Helles style is an exciting journey that takes us from the innovations of Josef Groll and Gabriel Sedlmayr to the creation of Helles beers as a unique alternative in the brewing world. Today, we can enjoy these pale beers with a smooth and balanced flavor, which transport us to the tradition and quality of German beer.
Friend Beer Sapiens, I hope you liked this immersion in the history and curiosities of the Helles style as much as we did. Now, it's time to toast with a cold Helles and continue exploring the wonderful world of craft beers! Health! 🍻