Arbor Olde #22 German Alt

Brewed by Arbor Brewing Company Pub & Eatery
Style: Altbier
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

Date: 04/27/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

solid dark brown, frothy beige head, rich malt aroma with a touch of sweetness and some good smokey earthy character and a hint of tartness, rich malt flavor, nice light sweetness, well balanced hops to keep in in check without being hoppy, light bitter finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Ultra foam...mu altbier glass was utterly useless, and even in a chalice I had to spoon some out. Very dark brown - rather untraditional. Aroma is chocolatey, with light wood and faint rhubarb. Overcarbonated. This of course detracts from the raisins, wood, light smoke and dark chocolate. This is more a porter than an alt. If the carbo is usually at a more normal level, then you're looking at 3 to 5 points higher I think.

On tap at the Arbor Brew Pub. Poured a dark brown color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of nuts, light smoke, roast and some dark fruits. Tastes of nuts, roast, and some caramel.

Very dark brown, far more so than anticipated, but surprisingly quite clear. Dominating spalt like hops come out very leafy and earthy. It develops powerful rooty notes that feel somewhat sweet, but it is not fruity at all. Kinda roasty and coffeeish, stouty if I may say so which I assume is why it is so appreciated here. Biting aftertaste, medium bodied. Tons of bready dark malts for an alt. It is clean on top of that, a fairly interesting beer and I don’t mind it not sticking to the stylelines, but it didn’t do a whole lot for me.

on tap-pours a light tan head and black with red color. Aroma is medium/dark fruit, sweet medium malt. Taste is medium/dark fruit, sweet medium malt-although some burnt character and thinish body detracts, some spice.

On tap at the brewpub on 4/27/06: Pours a dark brown mahogany with a thin-lacing off-white head. Big, earthy sweet, light soy sauce aroma has some slightly roasted malts and mild DMS. Body starts with sweet, slightly earthy maltiness, turning drier toward a crisp toasty bitter finish. Fairly authentic, but could use more balance.

Bottle (a touch oxidized)... Pours hazy black with a huge, frothy, lightly tanned head. Excellent, wispy retention. The earthy aroma is a blend of dust, light smoke and cocoa. The flavor is thin, lifeless and boring with some lightly bitter cocoa. Tastes like cocoa powder blended in water then served in a cardboard cup. Light-bodied and ashy with fizzy carbonation. Crisp, moderately bitter finish. Not horrible, just uninspiring.

Bottle. Overcarbonated, mildly infection, they get what they deserve, not taking care of their bottling. Dark like porter with a tan cola-bubbled head. Nose is heavily acidic muddy yeast, some munich malts, some caramel malts, some mild, dry hops, and some salty soy character as well, showing up more in the flavor. The infection is mild, the butter and chemical flavors aren’t running rampant, and you can get a sense of what they’re trying to do with this beer, but it’s about as far off from altbier as I’ve ever experienced. Chewy soy and char belong nowhere near altbier. Finishes disorganized and acidic. Not good at all.