Andescher Hell from the Andechser Bräustüberl, is brewed at Kloster Andechs. A simple German naming convention, the “er” signifies where it’s from. Berliner is from Berlin. Andescher is beer brewed in Andechs. Kloster is German for the English “cloister.” Perhaps a more fitting translation is “monastery,” as Andechs Abbey is a Benedictine monastery southwest of Munich. Per Andechs, “The Andechs Monastery brewery is one of the last genuine monastery breweries managed by an active religious order, entirely independent of corporations.”
While you’re likely on this site for beer and not church, the background is important here, especially given how contemplative Andechser Hell (4.8% ABV) is. It is to me a thinking-person’s beer in that it’s so subtle if you’re texting, scrolling instagram, or reading a book, you might miss it. The substance of the beer is so tied to the simple acts of eating, drinking, and breathing, it is a monastic experience even here, thousands of miles away from where it is brewed.
There are other German-produced Helles at the festival, notably Schonram and Schlenkerla, but these are quite different. In my opinion, the Andechs is the softest of the three. There are also a handful of American Helles and while I have not tried all of them, I would be utterly gobsmacked if they were softer than this calm, cool, collected Hell from the monastic Benedictine brewing tradition.
The color is quite striking in how pale it is. If this beer were a person I might ask, are you OK? Have you checked your blood sugar recently? (As a diabetic I am permitted to make such jokes!) Andechser Hell is beautifully pale, perhaps a shade or two darker than the “famous” American light/lite beers with corn/rice or often brewed with corn and/or rice syrups. There is certainly more of a contribution in the aroma than the vast majority of American adjunct lager. This is not a dig against adjunct lager, certainly it can be very flavorful, look no further than Upweller Beer Co.’s corn lager, How Bout It.
As you smell, the faintest granny smith apple sneaks into the nose. Certainly there are aroma compounds at play that remind one of the flakiest baguette, the soft white fluffy center of a two-foot-long loaf of bread. Somewhat medium bodied, there is a softness at play here which comes from a very trusty water source. There is a hoppy bitterness, but if you focus too much on the first and final sips it might pass you by. There’s a sweetness akin to a wine-yeast fermented cider up front, and the mid palate gives way to grassy, noble-tasting German hops. What I taste is a very mild citrus, the kind of dank vs. mellow that separates a Pacific Northwest-grown hop like Citra from a hop grown in the Hallertau like Mittelfrüh. While I am uncertain if Hallertau Mittelfrüh is the exact hop variety in Andechs Helles, that’s what the aroma and taste reminds me of. There is a little lemon and an even fainter hit of pepper, but that grassy German hop component is unmistakable. It is so mellow and mild that if I reply to these text messages right now I will forget I am drinking a beautifully quiet beer. While Snallygaster will no doubt be loud, this beer affords the calmness and soft monastic practice of restful solitude. Softly bready, just ever so subtly grassy, and a finish as clean as the most overpriced glass of white wine you’ve ever ordered.
Andechs other beer at Snallygaster is, paradoxically, also Helles-adjacent. Spezial Fest is the brewery’s Festival beer, also termed a Spezial Hell, 5.9% ABV. From one fest to another, we think you’ll enjoy this one as well.
We look forward to trying this alongside the Brauerei Heller-Trum/ Aecht Schlenkerla Helles and the Schönramer Hell. Try all three German Hell to complete the trifecta of mild, mildly smokey, and more-than mildly hoppy. Can you tell which is which? We’ll be at the podcast stage so come give us your thoughts!
