Schell Schmaltzs Alt

Brewed by August Schell Brewing Company
Style: Altbier
New Ulm, Minnesota USA

Pours the deepest red with a thin ring of light tan bubbles. Toasty, woody aroma. Flavor is surprisingly complex with layers of bread (more precisely, toast) mingling with tangy wood, toffee, and just a hint of raisin. My second beer of the style, and this one is doing quite a bit more for me than the Old Hat Alt Beer. Too bad Schmaltz's Alt is apparently no longer produced.

Aroma is walnuts and some sweet bread. Fairly dark almost black color. A large light tan colored head. Bread and roasty flovors. Also notes of nuts and some maple. A very refreshing beer. It has a a lot of flavor for the relatively thin body.

2/4/04 UPDATE: I have to say again how much I enjoy this beer! I bought what might be one of the last sixers in my area recently, since, as rumor has it, Schell is discontinuing this brew! This time, I found the body more thin to medium than my last impression. This is good, as it makes it seem much more alt-like. Great roasted malt flavor, though not overpowering. Did not seem like a porter this time. Who knows what I was thinking last time? Or maybe it was just a slight difference in batches or aging. Regardless, I'm holding on the remaining 5 for as long as I can--and keeping my eyes peeled for any remaining stock on the shelves. This bier tastes good, like a good alt should! PREVIOUS NOTES: Not much like the alt bier I once enjoyed so much as a three-year resident of West Germany (Konigsbacher Alt--I lived in the Traben Trarbach Hunsrucker reigion). That was dryer than this while retaining a lot of malt character. Which is not to say this is bad. It's just that this is more like some other style, like a porter or stout. Pours a dark rich reddish color with a loosely bubbled tannish top that subsides through the drink into clingly lace. Softly carbonated, creamy textured, medium to full body, slighlty caramel in flavor with suggestions of medium chocolate, a certain smokiness, a nice lingering dryness in the finish. Very good. Even delicious, like the label says. But not nearly as good as a good alt.

Bottled. Brown with garnet highlights, maybe too dark for this style. A surprising smoky quality, but also a taste of adjunct appears to be involved.

this was pretty good stuff, plus I kind of like the picture of the guy on the label Rerated side by side w/ new glarus native ale. Pours a nice deep opawue reddish color, smells of dark roasted malts flavor is a strong dark malty flavor, with a hint of alcohol, and a touch of hops, nice mouth feel this one is the definate winner, despite the fact that it apparently not true to style.

Color of very dark leathery brown nearly black with amber highlights, small but thickly loose tannish top that fades down and leaves minimal spotty lace. Smell is faint mild roasty malts, kinda woodish and wet dirt-like must. Taste is mild, somewhat subdued but present of roasted malts, maybe black malts as well, quite clean with a smokey softness, a bit of cocoa and a over all mineral like taste with a lingering dry finish thats a bit nutty. Feel is a light-medium body, quick thin start, quick thin finish. Nothing to overwhelming, its a very easy roasty calm beer that could be better in the taste but is still a good drinker, goes well with a grilled burger.

Malty aroma, with hints of fruity, spicy hop, dark bread, and a very faint touch of caramel sweetness. Deep, dark brown in color with a lasting, creamy, ivory head. Nice balance of roasty, sweet, cocoa and bready malt flavors and the spicy German hop character. Dry, toasty grain finish. Very smooth consistency, medium bodied. Recommended.

I wasnt very fond of this beer. Its flavours were too strong and overpowering. After one i felt full and didnt look forward to another dark german ale. Too much barely flavour for my taste.