BluCreek AltBier

BluCreek Brewing Company
Brewed at Sand Creek Brewing Co. (Pioneer/Wisconsin Brewing Co.)
Style: Altbier
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Pours a dark coffee brown with a cream tan head. Nose of chocolate. Slightly nutty on the palate with hints of coffee, chocolate and a nice malt background. Fuller bodied.

Deep ruby/brown color, bready aroma with sweet malts. Ends a bit sweet and is very smooth.

12 oz bottle. Extremely dark, translucent cola brown. Small lasting tan head. Big earthy acerbic aroma: black licorice, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, yummy. Delightful body, rich and full, with light carbonation apparent mostly near the finish. Chocolate, nuts, toasted grain, with a strong coffee ground finishing bitterness. Excellent.

Deep garnet/brown with a thin head and stubborn lace sticking to side of glass. Plesant nose of slight peat, roast, hint of berries and more. Smooth,creamy, medium bodied with flavors of peat, nuts, chocolate, coffee and a decent hoppy, slight sour twang at the end. This is a damn good brew and one I would recommend to anyone on sight. Call me crazy but it has slight nuances of HOTD

Nice dark and cloudy appearance with a wicked malty malty, bready flavor. good stuff!

12oz bottle. Dark orange-hued brown with a nice off white head. Fresh brewery aroma, some solid crystal malt coming through. Smooth, medium bodied. The low ABV really makes it incredibly easy to down, but there is still a touch of quality that stands out, making it an enjoyable beer to just sip on too. Smooth dark malt flavor, with a mild bitter earthiness. Toasty malt finish. Right on, but Id think a little more strength wouldnt have hurt.

Tasty! There are hints of coffee, toffee, chocolate, and I think ice tea in the aroma and flavor. Nice dark brown with an off white head. Smoother than I remember altbiers being. A nice session ale.

UPDATE 10/18/04: Tried some of this recently and had to drop my rating slightly--the palate was weaker than I had remembered. Otherwise, the beer retains its nice taste and overall drinkability. I've been in a depressed funk ever since August Schell decided to discontinue my favorite Schmaltz's Alt. In an act of desparation, I decided to try Blucreek's Alt to see if it could offer my soul any consolation. Well, Glory Hallelujah, this stuff is mighty close to that good old Schmaltz's Alt (may it RIP). The aroma is sharp and tangy. Poured into a glass, the color is very dark brown with a reddish hue when put up to the light. The head isn't quite as full as SA's was, but it is the same medium tan color. Initial flavor is seriously malty, with a hint of something like black licorice or anise seeds. There's a brief sourness that quickly gets taken over by some nice bitterness. Mouthfeel isn't quite as full as SA but it's a fairly meaty beer nonetheless. Unfortunately, this stuff is priced exactly $1.00 per sixer more than SA so it's not quite the bargain SA was. But I'm still quite happy with this brew and will probably make it part of my regular beer rotation...