Schwelmer Alt

Brewed by Brauerei Schwelm
Style: Altbier
Schwelm, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Pours a deep copper brown, topped by a couple-three fingers of creamy tan foam. Good head retention, coamy lacing. Malty and chocolatey aroma with a trace of hops in the background. Smooth and creamy beer, light chocolate malt and grain with an herbal hop bitterness. The hops shine through a little more in the finish. Dry chocolate malt and the hops linger in the aftertaste. Good carbonation, towards the lighter end of the spectrum in body compared to other altbiers that I have had, though still satisfying.

Bottle... Clear, dark, mohagony ale with a large, frothy, off-white head. Decent retention. The aroma and flavor are both fairly nondescript. A rumor of spicy, peppery hops in the nose. The flavor is perfectly-blanced... like seltzer water, but also thin and bland... like seltzer water. Light-bodied with lively carbonation... like seltzer water. Short, crisp, boring finish... like seltzer water. I should have bought seltzer water. Unoffensive, at least.

0.5 L bottle via Lubiere. App.: med.-dark copper, fluffy, light tan head. Aroma: rye bread crust, roasted dry malt aromas, nice background of floral hops. Palate: med. body and carbonation. Flav.: a bit grainy, some dry malt flavours, rye bread, slightly bitter finish. Actually, reminds me of a slightly more malty Bitburger.

Pours deep dark copper with good sized head. Aroma of toasted caramel, malt, grass and rye. Flavor is slightly descent with aroma notes and a mild bready finish.

Deep copper body with a substantial, foamy beige head. Aroma is metallic with qualities of sweet toffee, toasted dark bread crusts, and tobacco. Semi-dry flavor with notes of cooked raisins, breakfast tea, and toasted grain husks. Medium-light body, with a short, medium bitter finish. A very basic altbier.

Clear amber, very light tan head. Aroma is caramel, bread, grass. Flavor is this, fairly light bodied. Mouthfeel is true to style but not the best. Average but still enjoyable.

Beer is very dark brown, with a moderately sized, white, frothy, head. Diminishes down to a fluffy ring-around-the-snifter.<P> Aroma is malty wih moderate notes of toasted grain, roasted walnut, well-done cookie; Hoppy with light notes of fresh-cut grass and lemon zest, black tea; Yeasty with a trace note of bread.<P> The flavor is lightly sweet, moderately bitter, lightly acidic/bright with a long, lightly sweet, bready finish.<P> The body is medium, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively.

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, light brown, mostly lasting. Body is dark brown. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted bread, nuts, caramel), lightly hoppy (flowers, herbs). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately to heavily bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Pleasant aroma. Quite bitter, as with Uerige’s rendition...too much for my tastes in an alt, but a good one overall.