Pale lager

German Helles Exportbier

BJCP 5C

The Dortmunder style: stronger and fuller than a helles, more bitter than a helles, less bitter than a pils, and brewed on hard, sulphate-rich water that gives it a distinctly mineral finish.

Vital statistics

Each bar is drawn against the full range of all 98 styles

Original gravity

1.048 - 1.056

Final gravity

1.010 - 1.015

Bitterness

20 IBU - 30 IBU

Colour

4 SRM - 7 SRM

Alcohol

4.8% - 6%

Colour also 8-14 EBC

What goes wrong

Brewing it on soft water. The mineral character is not incidental, and without it the beer sits in the gap between two better-known styles with no reason to exist.

Commercial examples

DAB Dortmunder ExportDortmunder KronenLandshuter Edel HellMüllerbräu Export GoldSchönramer Gold

Reference examples of the style, as listed in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Availability varies by market and year.

Vital statistics as published in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Not yet checked against the published guidelines: treat these ranges as a planning aid and read the source at bjcp.org before entering a competition.

The rest of the pale lager family

American Light Lager

2.8-4.2% · 8-12 IBU

American Lager

4.2-5.3% · 8-18 IBU

Cream Ale

4.2-5.6% · 8-20 IBU

International Pale Lager

4.6-6% · 18-25 IBU

Czech Pale Lager

3-4.1% · 20-35 IBU

Czech Premium Pale Lager

4.2-5.8% · 30-45 IBU

Munich Helles

4.7-5.4% · 16-22 IBU

Festbier

5.8-6.3% · 18-25 IBU

German Leichtbier

2.4-3.6% · 15-28 IBU

Kolsch

4.4-5.2% · 18-30 IBU

German Pils

4.4-5.2% · 22-40 IBU

Plan a batch to these numbers.

Bitterness Colour Alcohol