Schwelmer Alt

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

(Bottle 50 cl) Weak in alcohol but rich in flavor. Almost mahogany color. Malty and quite hoppy. I’m not an expert on "Alt" but this seems to be a typical representative. 011203

A nice alt, poured dark brown, nice malt flavor, hopped enough too, a good, warming drink.

Pours a deep brown with a creamy looking head. Very breadlike aroma. Flavor has hints of dark roasted grain bread with a earthy hoppy aftertaste. Slight smoke flavor lingering in the background.

(500 ml swing-top bottle: $5 at Naja’s in Redondo Beach, CA) First thought on the first sip: wow, this is very dry! Lightly caramely flavor is somewhat balanced by a light hop bitterness that becomes somewhat citrusy as the beer warms up. Gentle roast and smoke finish, seems vaguely woody. Reminiscent of a light-in-style brown ale. Dry on the palate with a soft, oily mouthfeel. Caramely nose isn’t sweet at all and shows a bit of gentle roast and a slight sourness. Pretty, ruddy brown color, fully transluscent in appearance. Large light tan head with a rocky top. Not a bad beer, and not a bad price for a pretty expensive bar on the beach.

A nice medium brown color with a malty aroma. The flavor is malty with a toastiness to it that gets a bit of a bitterness in the finish. I can’t say that I am familiar with the style, but this one was rather good.

OK, so maybe Im not a true fan of the style, since none of my Altbier ratings are over 3.9 but this stuff was pretty damn good. Clear brown, small head, malty and woody aroma. Taste is light, not too sweet, nice use of hops, toasty and fruity. Well balanced, nice palate and easy to drink. Now I’m happy.

Deep red with caramel accents, lively effervescence and a large head that reduced to a creamy, tan film. Musty & malty aroma with caramel, prune and a hefty amount of alcohol over a nutty background. Thickly malted flavor with an overall bitterness that was "burnt" rather than hoppy. Despite the flavor it held a watery texture and didn’t satisfy.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Beverage Depot, Orland Park, IL<font size=-1>

Dark amber/brown with a short kahki head and decent lacing. Aroma was grain and moderate hops. Taste was caramel, crearmed coffee, sour edges, bitterness then bready. Seems to have a personality crisis.