Archive for the 'Alt' category
Rush River “Uber Alt”
One month later, and another special batch from the folks at Rush River. This one is their Uber Alt – a large take on the German Altbier, a typically rich malty concoction.
This brew pours a very dark golden – just slightly cloudy with great effervescence and a creamy dense head that just won’t stop. The aroma of this is just fabulous. It lives up to the style with rich baked bread aromas with an extra slight dose of sweetness reminiscent of cotton candy. In the mouth, this doesn’t disappoint. The initial flavor is quite sweet. In fact, it gives me a light sensation of SweetTarts. However, this is quickly mellowed out by rich sweetbreads and hints of maple syrup. The flavors are undoubtedly rich and decadent. However, the texture of the beer maintains a fairly viscous texture and flows through the mouth quite easy. The flavor tends to stick on the tongue, but the beer comes off quite crisp and clean.
Frankly, I couldn’t be more impressed with this stuff. It’s such an interesting combination of candy sweetness and rich maltiness, and such an unexpectedly smooth and clean mouthfeel, that it’s really unlike anything I’ve tasted. However, it’s not *weird*, like so many ‘different’ beers can be these days (a good thing in its own way). What Rush River has done here is to incorporate flavors we know in a unique fashion, providing a beer that is both familiar and new, and very tasty.
All in all, I think this is a fabulous beer and a great value in a 6-pack. For sure, you’ll want to watch yourself, as this rings in at a deceptively strong 8.5% abv. However, I highly recommend picking up a batch.
Pinkus Muller Organic Munster Alt
The Pinkus Muller Munster Alt was a pleasant next step in our tasting. While no particular flavor stands out, the subtle touches of sweetness, tartness, and fruit touch the palate pleasantly. Furthermore, a delightful aftertaste leaves me anxiously awaiting the next drink.
Southampton Secret Ale
This was another random Long Island brew I found down at the Hana Market on Metropolitan Ave. and had no choice but to pick up. I mean, can one really pass over a SECRET ale sitting in the cooler in front of him? I know I can’t.
The SECRET ale pours a lot darker than I expected – it’s almost a deep amber bordering on brown – with a foamy, cream-colored head. The aroma is a malty sweet-and-sour with hints of cherry and raisin. The overall taste, though, is just meh. It’s good, but it lacks any real punch or defining characteristics. I still get a good bit of the malt and fruit on the tongue, but there’s not so much on the crispy, zesty end of Taste Spectrometer.
It also weighs in at a meh 5.1% abv.
The bottle proclaims this to be “…a faithful recreation of Dusseldorf-style altbier. It’s clean malt flavor and crisp hop character make it a most original brew.” I’ll buy the altbier classification for $1.50, but I’ve never been to Dusseldorf so I can’t vouch for that particular variety. As for ‘original’, well I can’t say it’s an overly distinct brew in any way. It’s a rather good beer, as is evident by how quickly the six-pack vanished into my face, but I doubt very seriously that I would ever be able to pick it out of a lineup. I wonder why it’s so secret…
Long Trail Double Bag Ale
So, by the way, if you’re inclined to be offended by crude language, please (please!) go ahead and skip to paragraph three as my potty mouth seems to be in overdrive for the next few lines. I promise you won’t miss anything of importance or relevance.
I propose that if one were working a crossword puzzle and two letters were left in “D O U _ _ E B A G” with the clue “From Vermont (2 Words),” B-L would not be the first choice for finishing the puzzle and moving on to Sudoku. “Douche Bag” just rolls off the tongue way too easily. Too bad it evokes images of frat boys and investment bankers – douche bags I want nothing to do with when I’m enjoying a beer. I honestly can’t take a sip of this without thinking of Ben Affleck. I’m not even going to mention my hang-ups on the beer’s label and the issues I have with cows’ udders, those half-scrotum-half-many-nippled-breast mutants that seem to ooze menacingly out of cows’ asses… Actually, I will mention the label and the two GIANT pink udders swinging obtrusively under the in-your-face hindquarters of connected-at-the-ass Siamese Cow Twins. Come on, Long Trail. I mean, really.
But the beer is really good, I must admit. I just don’t really want to talk about it and would rather focus on the many shortcomings of the Naming and Labeling departments up at Long Trail Brewing. It should suffice to say that the Double Bag Ale is quite drinkable, is well balanced with a lot of complex flavor, and were I to find six of these in my ‘fridge with the labels steamed off I might proclaim them to be quality brews!
I should also mention that after name and label art, the third most perplexing aspect of the DB is the little beer bio on the label: “This full-bodied double alt is also known as ‘Stickebier’ – German slang for ‘secret brew.’ The secret is that this brew is so smooth, you’d never believe it has an alcohol content of 7.2%!!!” Something tells me there’s another secret they’re not letting us in on, like what the hell they were thinking. Come on, Long Trail. I mean, really.
Uerige Duffeldorf-Altstadt
I don’t even know what this name means but this is a pretty dang good beer. It has a dark amber hue and fruity smell. However, it surprises the palate with a metallic taste. This beer flows smoothy down the throat and is one I would enjoy with a steak or medium rare burger. I couldn’t drink this beer every night but I wouldn’t mind drinking it every once and a while.
