Augustiner

Why it matters

Munich’s reference Helles, and notable for retaining wooden lagering vessels and for marketing so restrained that its reputation is entirely word of mouth.

Details

Reference beers

• Augustiner Edelstoff5.6% ABV

  A stronger, fuller Munich pale lager in the export tradition, and the beer that shows what the extra gravity is for.

• Augustiner Helles5.2% ABV

  The Munich Helles most often treated as the benchmark: soft, bready, faintly sweet, and almost impossible to fault.

BeerHQ carries only the products that anchor something. This is not the brewery’s full range.

Styles it is associated with

• Munich Helles — Bavaria’s everyday pale lager: soft, bready and malt-forward, with just enough hop to balance and nothing to distract.
• Märzen — A rich amber lager brewed in March for autumn drinking, with deep toasty malt and a clean, firm finish.
• Helles Bock — A pale, strong lager with the body of a bock but a brighter, more hop-balanced character — traditionally a spring beer.

Traditions

• Bavarian lager brewing — Cold fermentation and extended cold storage, developed in Bavarian cellars long before refrigeration and later exported worldwide.