TheBeerObserver

In honor of this weekend's Great American Beer Festival, I'm breaking open a true Düsseldorf Altbier that I've been saving for a few weeks - Uerige Alt.

Düsseldorf Altbiers have been a personal favorite for a long time - its what the American Amber style should be. Red in color, with caramel and subtle chocolate notes from the caramel malt and a nicely balanced hop flavors. Altbier literally means old beer and refers to the brewing method prior to lager brewing, with the use of a warmer, top-fermenting yeast. However, because the style originated in Germany, its "lagered" much longer than a British ale - resulting in a clean, crisp flavored ale.

My hopes are high for the Uerige Alt, but the swing top bottle has me nervous - its never made a Grolsch taste better. It pours brownish amber, with a caramel color to the foam. The aroma is clean, a good sign, slightly sweet with a touch of caramel and a little bready. The foam is pretty thick, though it didn't pour with a lot of carbonation - a result of the swing top.

The flavor is a little thin, slightly acidic with a dry finish. The body is disappointing, I was hoping for more complex sugars from caramel or roasted malts to give it a little depth. The hops are very light - earthy-tones likely from Hallertau or Spalt hops lend to the dry finish, but don't add much to accentuate the malt flavors. It finishes crisp and clean, but the effects of a flawed bottle capping system (just like green bottles, when will people learn?) and a long boat ride to the US have taken their toll on this beer.

I'll reserve judgment until I have a fresh one, but this is a beer that could be so much better, especially on tap.