Altstadt Amber - Review
One great thing about living in Texas is that there is a different culture around every corner. And just north of where we live they love their German culture so much one of their breweries has stepped back into the old world to create accurate brews in a German-style brewery, right here in Texas.
Altstadt out of Fredericksburg, TX, offers many great German beers from Lager, to Hefeweizen, to Pilsner, and one of our favorites, the Okt Oktoberfest Marzen. But this week we’re reviewing something we haven’t had from Altstadt before, and one of our favorite styles of beer: the amber.
When approaching an amber we always look for deep malt flavors, a balancing hoppiness, and a clean finish. Since we love Altstadt’s Oktoberfest Marzen so much, we’re excited to see how this amber ale stacks up to it, both being beers that tout malt flavor and depth. To make this beer complex, Altstadt uses German Pilsner, Munich, and Crystal malts and they balance it out with Saphir and Spalt hops. This gives us a moderate 4.8% ABV and 25 IBU.
Altstadt says this beer is a customary ale of Dusseldorf, and we love a beer with tradition, so let’s get after it.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Perfectly copper, clear, and topped with a cream-colored head. If you’re gonna call it an amber, it better look like it, and it does.
On the Nose--The complex aromas land on the nose in great balance, from the crisp Pilsner, roasted Munich, caramely Crystal and onto the spicy and floral hops.
On the Palate-- For such a low ABV beer it has a smooth, full-body thanks to the selection of rich German malts. And like the aroma, all the ingredients are present. The Pilsner keeps it crisp, the Crystal keeps it sweet, and the Munich makes it deep. It has a really great toffee note that is balanced expertly by the spicy and floral hops that are moderately bitter through the dry finish. The bitterness lingers only slightly, but the complexity of the beer is what keeps us tipping back.
Food Pairings: The beauty of an amber is that it goes well with everything from sausage and pretzels if you’re in Germany, or hamburgers and pizzas if you’re stateside. You can’t go wrong, but the ultimate pairing is a second amber ale.
Final Thoughts:
Amber beers are just flat-out fun to drink, but some are more interesting to drink than others. What is unique about Altstadt’s Amber is that for such a low ABV beer it has amazing complexity. It’s crisp, sweet, rich, and that touch of Saphir and Spalt hops keep the malt-forward flavor from tipping over. The complexity makes it a fun beer to keep coming back to, and the ABV keeps it truly sessionable. Even after having only a handful, this is one of our favorites from Altstadt, right up there with the Oktoberfest seasonal simply because we can get this one year-round.
If you haven’t, make your way to Altstadt brewery in Fredericksburg, Texas. It’s a beautiful brewery you can see a mile away, and besides great food and beer, they also have a tractor museum. So, get on it.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew
Curious about Altstadt’s Okt Oktoberfest beer? Check out our review!