What’s Old Is New Again
Contrary to what you might think upon walking into your local brewery, plenty of beer styles don’t have the words ‘hazy’ or ‘hoppy’ in their description. Unfortunately, those who want to taste something other than hops in our beer have had a more challenging time finding traditional styles that take a more nuanced approach to their hop profile. To be clear, hop flavor and bitterness are not the same things. A beer can be distinctly bitter without tasting hoppy. For example, an imperial stout typically has at least 60 IBU (international bitterness unit). This high bitterness is necessary to offset the high alcohol content and robust flavors from the roasted barley and other highly kilned grains.
The OG German Beer, Altbier
Without question, Altbier would be my desert island beer. It possesses a firm bitterness without overpowering the pronounced malt flavor. The cool fermentation of the ale yeast combined with a cold lagering period produces a very clean, smooth, well-attenuated beer that keeps inviting you back for another sip. The aroma is a mixture of grainy malty goodness with a slightly spicy, peppery, or floral accent from the German Saazer hops traditionally used for this beer. It typically pours as a brilliant copper or bronze-orange color and hovers right around the 5% abv range, so you can have a few without losing your wits about you. This is an excellent feature because, upon having your first sip, you’ll want a few more.
Altbier is the traditional style of beer from Dusseldorf, Germany. “Alt” refers to the old brewing style, where top-fermenting ale yeast was used. This was the dominant style of yeast used throughout Europe before bottom-fermenting lager yeast was introduced, and Pilsner took the continent by storm in the 1840s. Altbier is still easy to find if you happen to live in Dusseldorf. Outside of Germany, it’s quite another matter. Any bottle shop worth its salt should have imported versions straight from the source, but the freshness can be suspect. There’s a good chance it took a long time to get to the shelf and has probably been sitting there at room temperature, slowly losing its flavor and becoming oxidized due to the double whammy of time and temperature. I would encourage you to try one anyway, but know it won’t be as good as one fresh from the brewery.
Altbier Vital Statistics
IBU 25–50
SRM 11–17
OG 1.044–1.052
FG 1.008–1.014
ABV 4.3% — 5.5%
There isn’t a tremendous domestic comparison to this style, but the closest would probably be a California Common or Steam Beer. The most prominent example is Anchor Steam. Even so, the yeast, grains, and hops used differ significantly from what you would find in an Altbier. But if you like this style, you would appreciate an Altbier.
Fortunately, some craft breweries in the United States have decided to try their hand at this old-world style. Even more fortuitously, I live in the distribution area of one of the best domestic versions.
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, based out of Charlotte, NC, has its version called Copper. I can’t recommend it highly enough, do yourself a favor and grab a six-pack if you can.
If you’re already a fan of German lagers, then Altbier should be on your radar. While it might be hard to find, the juice is worth the squeeze. Of course, brewing your own is another option, but that’s a post for another day.
