Altbier
French Broad River Brewing

AltbierAltbier
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From:
French Broad River Brewing
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
Altbier
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.45 | pDev: 19.42%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
57
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 08, 2016
Added:
Feb 05, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.83 by Bamarooster from Virginia

Jun 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by RavenForBeer from Georgia

Nov 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jaredtp from Tennessee

Sep 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by RBorsato from Virginia

Oct 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by herrburgess from South Carolina

May 28, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Jan 30, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by whitekiboko from South Carolina

Dec 27, 2011
 
Rated: 2.5 by jophish17 from Georgia

Dec 24, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by nmann08 from Virginia

Nov 18, 2011
Photo of CurtisLoew
Reviewed by CurtisLoew from Wisconsin

2.42/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Pours a light amber, orange color. Bronze glow through the light. Big white head. Nice looking beer.

Smell is strange. Smells like a flemish sour. I offered my friend a glass, and he commented on it smelling like a pretty good sour before I told him what it was. Fruity smell. Sweet fruits.

Tastes like spices, cloves, bready, sweet. Lots of green apple/sour. None of that awesome rum-soaked fruit or toffee I get from other Alt's.

Mouthfeel is pretty thin.

Overall, very disappointed. I really enjoy Alt's, but this was just a sour mess of a beer. Reminds me of an infected brown ale I once drank.
Sep 11, 2011
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

2.66/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
From 03/25/11 notes. Thanks to nmann08 for sharing this one.

a - Pours a murky dark golden color with one finger of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of yeast, bready malts, grain, and sour lemon which is odd.

t - Tastes of sour lemon and citrus, malts, grain, bready malts. More sour and tart than the smell, but not in a very enjoyable, or probably intended, way.

m - Medium body and low carbonation.

o - Not sure what happened to this one but didn't really seem to smell or taste quite like an altbier should with that sourness. Looking at other people's reviews I don't think this was infected, I just think that's how the beer is. Wouldn't seek out again.
Mar 31, 2011
Photo of alleykatking
Reviewed by alleykatking from Indiana

2.11/5  rDev -38.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
Poured from 22oz bottle. This one gushed galore!

A- Poured a coppery light orange color. Three finger light tan head that shows medium retention. Light streaky lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- This smells a little sour with a crap ton of yeast in the front of it. Light cereal grains and some metallic hints as well. Don't think this is what it was suppose to smell like but I don't question it at this point in time.

T- A little sour in the front of this with some light bready toasted malts. The sourness picks up and takes it to the finish. It's not a bad thing but it's not what this beer should be like which I found out that many other people ran into this problem like mine. I personally like it but this is not to the style at all.

M- Light mouthfeel. Carbonation is very high due to the infection I would think. Sourness runs from the palate to the aftertaste. There is a light alcohol drying on the palate. Flavors are one sided and not blended at all. Off flavor galore.

D- This beer was infected and could have been something more flavor wise than what it was. The sourness I enjoyed a lot to be honest but it was not suppose to be there so I graded it lower because of that.
Nov 29, 2010
Photo of Cyberkedi
Reviewed by Cyberkedi from Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma is yeasty, malty, and just a little dusty. It pours a clear orange amber with a fairly thick, fine-bubbled head that hangs around for a bit and leaves a fair amount of lacing. Flavor is malty, a little yeasty, slightly sour and a snip bitter. There are hints of tart citrus and wood. Texture is smooth and edgy, leaving a nice fizz behind on the tongue as well as a hint of lemon.
Nov 20, 2010
Photo of jpro
Reviewed by jpro from Colorado

2.14/5  rDev -38%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Part of a Bruisin' Ales haul. 22oz bomber poured into a shaker pint...

A: Well, an incredible pfffttt greeted me upon popping the cap on this one; pours a slightly cloudy copper orange, with a HUGE light beige head. Gusher / wild yeast alert!!

S: Light grains and earthy yeast; slightly metallic nose; nothing much going on here.

T: Big time yeast fruitiness and not much else; some dry bitterness on the finish; sweet; lack of any real flavor and what's there is off; possible yeast contamination has taken most of the flavor from this one, leaving it tasting like, well, yeast.

M: Light bodied and incredibly high carbonation; excessively tingly.

D: Not good; virtually zero character here; watery; comparable to a botched homebrew.

Hopefully this is just a bad bottle / batch and this isn't the norm.
Sep 29, 2010
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

3.47/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
pours amber with a short head that fades to nothing. Smells a bit like bran and stone, as well as tangerine and lime. Interesting fruit and grain combo with some stony bitterness. Not the most balanced or full beer in the world, but an interesting take on the style with some unique flavors, and definitely drinkable.
Sep 05, 2010
Photo of TurdFurgison
Reviewed by TurdFurgison from Ohio

3.24/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This bottle was an extra from mikesgroove, much appreciated. The beer is light copper orange with a huge pillowy head and spotty islands of lace. The aroma surprised me with some sour notes I didn't expect from an altbier, although now that I've looked into it I found that other people have complained about possible infection with some batch (possibly mine). Beneath the funk I get some light malts but really the barnyard takes the lead (which I like, I guess masochistically).

The beer is a little tart upfront, probably unintended, with nice toasty malt flavors that probably would be really good for the style if not for the infection. Lingering funkiness that, while nice, probably isn't what I'd want in Dusseldorf. Medium carbonation and easy drinking except for the sour bite.
Aug 19, 2010
Photo of evilkalla
Reviewed by evilkalla from Alabama

2.61/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Serving: Bomber into a tall lager glass.

A: Copper with an inch of fully developed head. Left gobs of lacing on the side of the glass.

S: A thick, bready, yeasty smell.

T: On the drier side, with a slightly tart, sour yeasty taste. Some of the other reviews noted this as well, and suggested that this batch might have been infected. I agree on this fact as well.

D: The sour flavor of this beer is not very good in my opinion. Wondering if it was intentional, or if it there was a defect at the brewery? This one is going down the drain.
Aug 13, 2010
Photo of tmoneyba
Reviewed by tmoneyba from Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured clear copper color with an average fizzy off-white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate toasted malt and earthy aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. Moderate bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. A good drinkable beer.
May 25, 2010
Photo of CBlack85
Reviewed by CBlack85 from South Carolina

2.56/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into my Olde Mecklenburge Stange.

Pours a clear golden copper color. A moderately aggressive pour produces a monster 4-5 finger tan head that has good retention and leaves light spotty lacing.

Nose is fairly big and bold with lots of bready malt character. There is also a slightly off putting sour/tart aroma.

Unfortunately the dominant flavor is sour apples, my guess is that the beer is infected. There are also some bready malts present, but not enough to overcome the tart sour apple. Beer is medium bodied and overly carbonated (probably due to the infection that has lead to the green apple flavor)

I would like to try this beer again, hopefully I can find a bottle that does not seem to be infrected.
May 16, 2010
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

3.53/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks goes out to Rbald42 for this one.

22oz. Bomber

Pours a nice golden copper color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy off-white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, tart, with some caramel. The taste is mostly tart/sour, with some malts. Medium body.
Barely Drinkable, not a good rendition of the style.
Apr 19, 2010
Altbier from French Broad River Brewing
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 57 ratings