Helles — brewed fresh in Berlin.
Golden, crisp and quietly perfect — our Helles are named after Berlin's lakes, brewed in Siemensstadt, canned fresh and shipped across Germany and the EU.
By the numbers.
of our beers in Germany's Top 50Untappd, 2026
best-rated brewery in BerlinUntappd, 2026
collaborations since 2016With breweries worldwide
Helles, right now.
Festbier
Helles · LagerCanned 18 Aug 2026
Berliner Landbier Helles
Helles · Lager
Helles AF
Helles · Alcohol Free · Lager
Plötzenseer
Helles · Lager
Wannseer
Helles · Lager
Siemensdammer
Helles · Lager
Schlachtenseer
Helles · Lager
Müggelseer
Helles · LagerSomething new every week — sold-out beers come and go fast. Subscribe to catch the next release.
Taste it in the Berlin Sampler.
Six fresh Berlin beers with Wannseer Helles always in the box — the easiest way to meet our lager side.
Shop the samplerWhat is a Helles?
Helles is the beer Bavaria drinks every day — a pale golden lager, born in Munich in the 1890s as the answer to Pilsner. "Hell" means pale in German, and that's the whole promise: bright gold in the glass, bready malt up front, a soft bitterness that never bites, and a clean finish that asks for the next sip. No fireworks — just balance. It's the style brewers order when they're done working.
Helles vs Pilsner
Cousins, not twins. A Pilsner is hop-led — drier, snappier, with a firm bitter finish. A Helles flips the emphasis: malt first, hops in a supporting role, rounder and gently sweet. Brewing a great Helles is famously unforgiving, because there's nowhere for a flaw to hide.
Named after Berlin's lakes
Our Helles carries this city on the label: Wannseer, Tegelseer, Müggelseer, Schlachtenseer, Plötzenseer — all the same beer, our Berliner Landbier, wearing the name of a different Berlin lake. Like the local editions big brands print for a championship summer — one fresh, unfiltered Helles, and the label tells you where it feels at home.
Fresh lager, from the source
Most lager is well-travelled by the time you drink it — trucks, warehouses, months on a shelf. Ours isn't. It's brewed in Siemensstadt, canned unfiltered, stored cold and shipped fast: every can carries its canning date, and orders placed before 9:00 on weekdays leave the brewery the same day. Fresh from the source is simply a different beer.
Helles — the questions we get.
What is a Helles?
A Helles is a pale golden lager, born in Munich in the 1890s — "hell" simply means pale in German. It's malt-led and softly bitter: bready, clean and quietly balanced, built for drinking rather than dissecting. Done well, it's one of the hardest styles to brew, because there's nothing to hide behind.
What's the difference between Helles and Pilsner?
Both are pale lagers, but they lean different ways. A Pilsner puts hops first — drier, more bitter, with a crisp snap at the finish. A Helles puts malt first — rounder, softer, gently sweet, with the hops in a supporting role. If Pils is the sharp one, Helles is the smooth one.
Is Helles the same as Lager?
Lager is the family, Helles is one member of it. "Lager" covers every beer fermented cold and matured cold — from Pils to Bock to Schwarzbier. A Helles is a specific style within that family: pale, malt-forward and balanced.
Why are your Helles named after Berlin lakes?
Because these are Berlin beers — and in truth, one beer. Wannseer, Tegelseer, Müggelseer, Schlachtenseer and Plötzenseer are all our Berliner Landbier wearing local names, one for each lake this city swims in — the way big brands print special labels for a championship summer. Every can holds the same fresh, unfiltered Helles; the label just tells you which lake it calls home.
How fresh should you drink a Helles?
Fresh — that is the point of buying from the brewery. Our Helles is canned unfiltered, stored cold and shipped fast: every can carries its canning date, and orders placed before 9:00 on weekdays leave the brewery the same day. Store it cold and drink it soon.
Where can you buy fresh Helles in Berlin?
Straight from the source: our online shop ships within Germany in 1–3 working days (free from €60 in Germany, from €100 to the EU), our Späti at the brewery in Siemensstadt is open every Friday from 1 to 11 pm, and selected stockists across Berlin carry our fresh cans.
More: all Helles beers · Berlin Craft Beer Sampler · our Hazy IPA page · where to buy in Berlin