Victory Brewing Co. is once again holding up a glass to cheers across the nation, but this one’s nothing new. It’s simply a classic beer rediscovered — and now re-awarded. Victory has claimed another win with Joe Sixpack’s 2015 Beer of the Year.

“American brewing is thriving precisely because of its brash creativity, so there’s a lot to love in the hundreds of new, offbeat varieties that fill the shelves every week,” Joe Sixpack wrote on Philly.com. “Yet, sometimes, the Next Great Thing means we miss a perfectly good beer that’s been staring us right in the face all along. I’m looking at you, Victory Helles Lager, my 2015 Beer of the Year.”

The popular, award-winning Philadelphia Daily News columnist is heralding what the rest of the country is now experiencing but what Philly has had in its backyard since 1996, as Victory’s newly expanded distribution and rebranding of its Helles Lager has put the top-quality beer into the hands of Americans across 35 states.

“It is clear and bubbly, with a pale, golden color that is neither watery, like your typical BudMillerCoors, nor cloudy like so many unfiltered ales today,” he explained. “… This beer was made for gulping, it’s so smooth and clean. But if you take a moment to consider its taste, you’ll understand why malt is the backbone of every beer.”

And that kind of recognition truly satisfies — much like the quest to brew a challenging but rewarding beer satisfies.

“There’s no room to run. There’s nowhere to hide,” Victory Co-Founder Bill Covaleski said in the article. “Any fermentation flaws are obvious in this beer. You can’t cover it up with hops. … I’ve told people this is the beer that no craft brewer should make, but every craft brewer should make. Economically, it doesn’t make any sense to make a beer like this. Yet, if you really think you’re a good brewer, and you think you can get great quality into your beer, then you ought to challenge yourself and brew a helles.”

Read more of Joe Sixpack’s crowning review of Victory Helles Lager on Philly.com here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of the brewery’s accolades and news here.