There is a fairly new liquor store in my area that I recently discovered. They have a very solid craft beer selection, but it's not huge. There's no mix-a-six section collecting dust, everything is in the fridge. There may not be the hugest selection, but what they have is cold and fresh. I mention this because Paulaner Helles is a beer I'd never touch at the other bottle shops in my area, as it is typically stored warm and not likely to be turned over very quickly. So when I saw it in the fridge at Big Gary's, I snapped it right up.
This beer just hits all the marks for me. It has a wonderful rich, bready malt character to it. It is well attenuated, but not as bone dry as a pils. The carbonation level is also backed off a bit compared to other lagers. It isn't crisp and bone-dry, but that plays to the maltiness well, and it is still dangerously easy to put down in quantity.
What I really enjoy about it is the malt character. With most pilsners I get a malt character that reminds me of uncooked pasta. The Paulaner is different. It reminds me more of a french baguette. I would love to brew a beer with this same malt flavor, but I can't quite think of a grain that would get me there. If I had to guess, I'd wager that Paulaner has this malt made to spec and it's probably in between Pils and Vienna malt somewhere. I also wonder if yeast strain comes into play here. I can't think of a Paulaner beer that I haven't loved when I've had a good/fresh bottle of it.