Füchschen Alt

Brewed by Brauerei Im Füchschen
Style: Altbier
Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Amber brown body, small white head. Odd toasty malt aroma, interesting dryness over sweet malt. Flavour of sweet caramel malt with toasted malt, a light bitterness emphasize by some dry astringent grains. Average palate is on the thin side. Underwhelming. 6+/3/5-6/3/12

Bottle (500ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc, mds and tupalev, mds’s bottle. Poured clear amber-orange with an average foamy-rocky white head. Sweet fruity malt aroma, lightly toasty and candyish, with grapeseed bitterness and a nice fresh sweet timothy grain character. Tasted grain-sweet (almost cereal), simple, with an odd Wrigleys Doublemint gum sweetness in the finish. It’s a little watery, and could use a little more carbonation and oomph - maybe more alcohol, wood or roast character.

The usual appearance: clear copper with a nice head and good (not the best) lacing. The aroma was balanced hoppy and malty. The flavor was tipped in the hoppy direction and was analogus to an American Pale Ale take on the altbier style. Poured from an oak wooden keg and there was some oak in the flavor as it warmed. Mouthfeel a touch thin, but crips and refreshing. The dryness held this one together pretty nicely. Rather outstanding beer from the style and great overall.

Bottled. Aroma is herbal with caramel malts. Light brown, beige head, good lace. Light sweet, bitter, caramel malts, hints of raisin and caramel, herbal, plastic?, sugar on the lips, medium body. Not as great as I thought it would be. Maybe try on tap once.

Draft/barrel
Consumed at Brauerei im Füchschen, Düsseldorf, June 2006
Caramel brown color and clear appearance. Tan bubbly head with a medium thickness layer of standing lacing. Airy, dusty nose of moderately spicy yeast, pine needles and ’fall’ scents. Good balance of bittering hops and sweet malt flavors, very good, creamy, rich texture, tasty all around, with some grassy notes in the finish. Up front it’s mostly toasted caramel and sharp, robust apple syrup and sap. Great stuff. Only complaint would be that the nose is quite faint. Drank this along side the Schlachtplatte with saurkraut and mashed potatoes at the brewery in Düsseldorf.

Light copper in color with a dense white head. Aroma is of bready malt. Flavor has a clean bitterness, very lager like. Spicy bitter hop finish with a medium body.

Bottle. My first [and favorite] Alt from Düsseldorf, have been looking forward to this for some time. Clear cupreous/amber pour, thick eggshell head, medium carbonation. Strong, caramelly, malty aroma with hops and bread. Mouthwatering. Smooth, dark malty flavor, dry finish. Sophisticated medium bitterness, stronger hops in the finish with a dark aftertaste of dried fruits. Stuff just coats the tongue, stays for a long while. Fresh, pleasant, and balanced, no flaws, really, but the story here is the complexity of flavor - I seem to find more and more there with every slurp. Love to try this on tap some day. Big thanks to MoritzF!

At the brewery (cask) . Fine creamy head , light amber . Aroma :slight bitterness with some fruity character . Character of this alt could be describes as suberbly refined , with clean body . Very smooth . Earthy hops , dark soil . Master work .