Altstadt - Vienna Lager Review
In this world of peanut butter stouts and pickle IPAs some brewers have stayed true to tradition and made it a badge of honor to do so. We have a number of those brewers here in Texas, but one of the most prominent is Altstadt Brewery out of Fredericksburg, Texas.
Altstadt is known for brewing traditional German beers following the guidelines of the Reinheitsgebot, or the German Beer Purity Law, meaning they use only malt, hops, water, and yeast to brew their traditional ales. Altstadt imports their ingredients from the old world and mixes them with Hill Country water to make some great brews.
But now Altstadt is taking us on a trip to Austria for a Vienna lager brewed with Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malt balanced with Mittlefruh hops. This all together brings us a 5.0% ABV and 26 IBU lager. I’ve had a few Vienna-style lagers in my life, but only a few, and I’m hoping Altstadt’s dedication to tradition will show me the honesty of the Vienna lager.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Deep golden with a tint of red, slightly hazy (per Altstadt’s usual look), and topped with an off-white head that maintains well.
On the Nose--Toasted, clean, and malty, with gentle strokes of caramel and floral hops.
On the Palate--Just like a lot of malt forward beers, the aroma is honest. The malt layers start sweet and creamy and end with a mildly toasty and floral finish that is clean, smooth, and dry. The medium body is approachable and the three malts used are well balanced with a touch of toastiness from the Munich malt and creamy and crisp layers from the Vienna and Pilsner. The moderate ABV makes it sessionable but the malt mix keeps it interesting.
Final Thoughts:
When exploring a style it’s always best to go to the source, but if you can’t do that, try and find the next best thing. For traditional Euro beers there really is no place better for a Texan than Altstadt. They always go above and beyond to create authentic beers, and tasty ones at that.
The same goes for their Vienna Lager. It starts with the ingredients: Pilsner, Munich, and of course Vienna Malt and Mittelfruh hops. It doesn’t get simpler or more traditional than that. The beer is slightly sweet, slightly toasty, and very much approachable, which Altstadt does very well. Where many brewers get caught chasing higher ABV, Altstadt keeps the alcohol content traditional as well.
One thing I didn’t know about Vienna Lagers (of which Altstadt kindly informed me) is that as they’ve gone out of style in Europe, they’ve gained popularity as Mexican lagers. And I can confirm, you will definitely see a correlation between the Vienna lager and some of your favorite Mexican lagers.
Anyway, Altstadt’s Vienna lager is great if you’re looking for an authentic Vienna lager or the influence for your favorite Mexican lager. If I were to describe it very succinctly, I would say it’s like a Pilsner with bite.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew
If you’re looking for something even older from Altstadt, try their Amber Altbier! (Alt means old in German, by the way).
And if you’re looking for something truly from the old world, check out Weihenstephaner’s Original Lager to see where it all started!