Southampton Altbier

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Altbier
Southampton, New York USA

A deep ruby red to brown with a healthy white head, thinning from a big bubbled foam to no head. The nose is very fruity. Berries. A definite dark malt sweetness. Maybe a hint of tar? Some definitely floral-peppery german smelling hops in the backgrounds. On the tongue this is not so carbonated or so foamy or creamy, but it is not dead, and certainly seems appropriate for the style. Again, a big malt backbone for a beer of this size. Dark rich malt, with perhaps a bit too much diacetyl. Some very floral hops. A bit creamy in the flavor. Perhaps a bit too sweet, but tasty and flavorful for something of this ABV. This was great by the campfire up at Acadia after a long day’s hike, on my couch, the bottle I squirreled away is just as pleasing. This might be in my rotation if it were around here.

Pours that nice brownish-amber color and a slight tannish head. The aroma, typical for the style, is dominated by malt, and the flavor is an interesting balance of the malt and hops. A very smooth, drinkable everyday beer

Malt, Malt, Malt.... what else would you expect? Pours a dark amber with a thin off white head. The aroma is very malty, with a bit of sweetness. The flavor is guess again, malty. Then the secret must be that little bit of hops that comes through on the finish. Very nicely done.

Very dark amber that pours with a half-inch foamy off-white cap that fades to a lasting scum. Nose is nice, predominantly malty, with some caramel and toffee sweetness as well as some raisin-like fruitiness. Taste is nicely balanced, sweet but with notes of grassy, floral hop. Slightly bitter finish and a slight pleasant, nutty aftertaste. Enjoyed it.

Pours out a dark amber/copper, forms an off white foam head. Aroma of hops and malts. Flavor is of bitter, sweet malts and hops. A bit of butter rum, raisins, and bitter caramel.

Not quite sure what the Secret was, but it wasn’t that bad! Malty flavor that reminded me more of an English stykle than a German. Nice dark amber appearance.

I am a big fan of Southampton and laud almost all of their products... almost. I remember when this just came out a couple of years ago and I found it in a regular supermarket, right next to the Stroh’s I was buying at the time *hey 15 pack for 6.50, while in college is too hard to pass up). Well, I was extremely disappointed then and nothing better has come of this beer since. 12 oz bottle poured into a small goblet glass. Pours decent enough with a medium head and a clear brown body (a bit orangish in direct light). I put my nose to the beer, aroma is corn, lagered fruitiness, lightly estery, lightly nutty and sweet, and faintly nasty. I can see where this is heading. Taste is lightly mineral, again nutty nuttiness, leaves a woodsy macor-ish aftertaste. Definitely full of flavors but just some uninteresting ones. A light beer, very easy drinking, but completely uninteresting. There is definitely is no secret here, it s beer made for the masses to compete with Newcastle.

6 12oz beers for the first dinner party of our new sick ass apartment in Easthampton. I really like this style of beer. It was a sweet flavor that reminds me of a barleywine, only I can drink more than 2 of these. The double bag from long trail was enjoyable too, but I like this sweet beer and it’s more drinkable 5.1% abv. Southampton has not dissapointed me yet.