Kombine St Bernardus Helles

Style: Unfiltered helles
Brewery: St. Bernardus x Weihenstephan
Origin: Belgium
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 6%
Price: 30kr
Systembolaget: 1044203 (sold out)

This is the first beer that St. Bernardus has ever made using a bottom fermenting yeast (lager yeast) and is the first beer to not be bottled conditioned. A Helles style lager is usually filtered, clear and bright, so an unfiltered Helles is a rarity. This was produced using Weihenstephan’s yeast and a blend of both of their hops that they grow local to their breweries. Their first collaboration was brewed at the Weihenstephan brewery in 2024 and was called Braupakt, with this second beer being brewed at St. Bernardus. I’ve been a big fan of both of these breweries for a long time, so this beer sounded like a match made in the heaven.

This had a very light golden colour with a slight haze and thin white head that held rather well. A grainy malt aroma met the nose, which was almost like smelling a freshly opened bag of porridge oats. White bread and a hint of citrus were also noted in the background. The taste was surprisingly full for a Helles, with a hint of yeast behind the big malt base. The alcohol was rather warming and coated the throat well when swallowed. A light bitterness was found on the back of the tongue and the grain notes again travelled long into the aftertaste. With a fairly high carbonation and medium body, this checked a lot of boxes for the style.

This was an extremely pleasant Helles, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from two breweries with this level of prestige. They achieved a great balance to the beer, rich in both aroma and taste. A highly enjoyable beer!