Schlüssel Alt

Brewed by Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel
Style: Altbier
Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Swing-top. Dark and lively copper pour, a very worn penny, almost chestnut brown. Stable but soapy beige head. Smells of sweet malts, gentle hops, and caramel. A little sweeter smelling than the last Alt, Frankenheim. Caramel and dark maltiness is more restrained, giving the Hallertauer a chance to shine. A bit sweeter than average for style, and less bitterness than the other Alts I’ve had, in stark contrast to the Schumacher. Smooth and mild mouthfeel. Well-hopped and a dry finish. Absolutely delicious - thanks to MoritzF!

Draught. Clear brown-copper with a long-lasting frothy eggshell head leaving great lace. The aroma has mostly hops but also a buttery rye bread backing. Flavour is the same - caramel and soft flavourful hop bitterness. Less assertive than Uerige but with a great flavour profile and easy drinkability. Excellent balance. Tried this at the brewpub on May 26, 2006.

Draft/barrel
Consumed at Zum Schlüssel, Düsseldorf, June 2006
Full toast colored head on a regular caramel colored body. Heavy, sticky lacing on the side of the glass. Sweet maple and toast nose. Taste is mostly sweet, some honey-apple and sap flavors. Decent altbier, very fresh tasting.

Photograph of Glass:
http://www.youforgotpoland.org/beer/SchlusselA

Copper in color with a dense one finger head. Sweet,bitter and hoppy aroma and flavor. Malty,sweet tangy middle.Full body,clean malt and hops with a linger bitter finish.

Tap at the source . Well rounded aroma , malt and solid hop feel , and gentle soft speck of alcohol . After first sip you will understand why this is top Alt in Dusseldorf . Perfectly executed malt work with some hoppy charcter . It feels complete , full package . When in town this is a must try!

Veyr nice, but a little boring after a while, the foam is great and the aroma interesting, it says original.

Wooden cask in Schlüssel brewpub. Aroma is a little sweeter malts than the other alts from the brewpubs, grassy hops maybe some almond and honey. Taste is juicey very similarto the aroma. Something you could and i did alot of while away. Possibly the fullest flavour of all the alts.

If and when you venture to Dusseldorf, you must visit Hausbrauerei Zum Schlussel located in the Altstadt, and enjoy some glasses of Zum Schlussel Altbier. Like all the altbiers poured at the various brewery/brewpubs this beer is poured by gravity from a wooden barrel. Zum Schlussel altbier was one of the most impressive I tasted on my trip to Dusseldorf, and rivals Zum Uerige, the bench mark example of altbier. Zum Schlussel altbier pours to a beautiful, bright, deep copper color with a bright white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very inviting with herbal/grassy hop aromas. The leads into a palate of clean, smooth, light nutty malt flavors, that give way to tangy/estery fruit flavors. Schlussel finishes with more clean malty and fruity flavors up front, then ends with a snappy herbal hop bitterness that lingers. Wow! This was such an enjoyable, delicious beer that was just packed with aromas and flavors of malt, hop, and fruit, and on such a fresh, clean, smooth body. I can not over state the freshness of this beer, and all the alts I tried. The character is just so amazingly bright and clean at its source, something you just don’t get in the bottled versions of these beers. I really enjoyed the nice contrast of malt and fruit character in this beer, and the fruitiness of Schlussel distinguishes this beer from other examples of alt. Zum Uerige is still my personal favorite, but Zum Schlussel was a very close second. This beer is not exported to the United States, so to try this one, you will need to venture to Dusseldorf. A journey anyone who truly loves beer will be more than willing to make.