Carolina Brewery Alter Ego Altbier

Brewed by Carolina Brewery
Style: Altbier
Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA

From notes 5/5/03: Pours a clear deep amber brown, very brown. A frothy beige head forms and laces well all throughout. Little aroma here. This is my 3rd Carolina Brewery selection of the day and there is little aroma to any of them. A sweet malty taste. Slightly creamy. A relatively healthy body here, creamy as well. A filling beer. Nice malt profile with a touch of hop to balance it out. Malt-lovers would find this a must-get.

Draught at the brewpub. Clear copper color with thin off white head. Caramel malt and sprucy hops dominate the aroma with a pinch of brown sugar. Spicy and dry. Moderately carbonated. Mostly caramel and toffee flavors, but subtle. Occasionally there was a hint of clove. Lingering cereal grain aftertaste.

Dark copper/brown pour, with aroma and tastes of caramel malt, almonds, some toffee. Tastes as it smells, with a medium to light palate. Not terribly complex or balanced.

There are some interesting flavors in this beer, but they don’t really come together. Despite the inviting commercial description, this ale is rather thin and tasteless.