Beer Stats

• BJCP Style: Munich Helles
• ABV: 4.5%
• IBU: 18
• Hops Variety: Hallertau Mittelfruh
• Malts: Pilsner Malt
• Brewery: Line Creek Brewing Co.
• City: Peachtree City, GA

• Aroma: Spicy/Floral
• Appearance: Brilliant, Clear Gold, Fluffy White Head, Moderate Retention
• Flavor & Aftertaste: Spicy, grainy flavors. Semi dry with restrained bitterness
• Palate: Light to Medium Body, Semi-dry, Crisp clean short finish
• Style Representation: Nailed Helles style.

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I think everyone can agree there are a lot of good IPAs out there; but finding good quality craft Lagers is a little bit of a challenge. There are a handful of breweries in Atlanta that have a Munich Helles style; however, you mostly have to go to the tap room to enjoy those. If you’ve spent any time at all in the Atlanta metro area, you know that’s a major undertaking if you have to drive 15 minutes or more. Thankfully, there is Line Creek Brewing , which opened in 2018. They recently established distribution in the metro area allowing better access to its line up of craft beers. The Peachtree City brewery will be celebrating their 1st Anniversary August 3rd. In honor of that, I am reviewing their Maverick Helles Style Lager.

Right off the bat, let’s establish Head Brewer Jason Carroll’s* credentials. Jason was quite a snag for Line Creek. He comes to the brewery from Ireland, where he brewed at Wicklow Brewery and Franciscan Brewery. Additionally impressive, he served as Head Brewer at Guinness’s experimental brewery Open Gate Brewery (Fayette News, August 26, 2018). All this leads us to present day Maverick. This 100% Pilsner malt Helles is based on the original recipe he developed back in Ireland that won an award for Best Helles – Ireland at a World Beer Awards competition.

For enthusiasts of all things Lager like myself, expertly crafted Lager styles are hard to come by the majority of the time. Maverick presents itself as a well craft Lager. It pours a brilliant, clear gold with a thin white head exhibiting moderate head retention. Hallertau Mittelfruh hops gives the beer traditional spicy/floral aromas and flavors. The Pilsner malt backbone is sweet with very subtle honey undertones. Bitterness is appropriately restrained. All these characteristics culminate in a short, clean, and semi-dry finish.

Munich Helles is a very underappreciated style among most craft beer drinkers in the United States. Here in the Southeastern U.S., a clean, refreshing Pale Lager is a welcome respite from the hot, humid summers. I highly recommend this beer for tailgates and game day festivities as football season cranks up this September. It will pair well with a variety of foods and the 4.5% ABV makes it very sessionable for social gatherings. Drop the Big Beer Domestic brands and grab some Maverick at your local bottle shop.

*I would like to extend a special thank you to Jason Carroll, Head Brewer at Line Creek Brewing, for entertaining my questions and providing insight for this article.

Thanks for reading. Until next time…Let Us Drink Beer!