Hana Munich Helles Uses the Barley Behind the First Pilsner

The barley is the story here. Headlands Brewing's new Helles is built on Hana, a landrace variety named for the fertile valley in Moravia where it was grown, in what is now the Czech Republic.

That variety has a specific claim to fame. In 1842, the Bavarian brewmaster Josef Groll used Hana barley in Pilsen to brew the beer that became Pilsner, the first pale lager. Headlands makes the connection in its own newsletter, and the history behind it is well documented.

Hana fell out of commercial use for most of a century. It came back through a collaboration between two floor maltsters, Crisp Malt in England and Admiral Maltings in Alameda. Crisp grew the heritage barley out on Norfolk farmland and sent it to Admiral, who floor-malted it in the Bay Area. Head brewer Ryan J. Frank writes that Admiral set aside a dedicated allocation for Headlands, and that the brewery is unsure whether it will get access to the malt again.

Where the malt ended up is worth noting. Hana's reputation is Bohemian, but Headlands put it into a Bavarian style. Munich Helles arrived roughly half a century after Groll's beer, as Munich's own answer to the pale Bohemian lagers that had taken over the market. So the barley behind the original pale lager is now pouring in the style that was invented to compete with it. The malt itself, meanwhile, was made across the bay from the taps serving it.

Headlands describes the beer as crystal clear and light gold with straw highlights under a bright white head. The brewery's notes lead with fresh biscuit and toasted bread crust on the nose, then a crisp, moderately carbonated body carrying cracker and white bread with a subtle fruit character, mild bitterness and a clean finish. It is 4.8 percent.

A malt-forward pale lager is an unforgiving place to spend a rare ingredient. There is no hop bill to hide behind and very little else in the glass. For a beer meant to showcase one specific barley, that exposure is the entire argument for the style.

Hana is pouring now, exclusively at the Headlands beer gardens in Walnut Creek, Berkeley and Lafayette, plus the On Campus location. The brewery says it will stay on through its Oktoberfest run, which spans September 19 to October 4.