Ol' Woody Alt
Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Ol' Woody AltOl' Woody Alt
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From:
Sawdust City Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Altbier
Ranked #50
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
85
Ranked #20,151
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 8.75%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
35
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 05, 2022
Added:
Dec 17, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ritzkiss:
Photo of ritzkiss
Rated by ritzkiss from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -20.4%

Dec 30, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of TheHammer
Reviewed by TheHammer from Canada (ON)

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Poured with two fingers of head that retained exceptionally well and produced some minor lace. The body is a dark brown which brightens and offers the barest dirty blonde highlights, showing a whirlwind of carbonation and the barest of grainy particulate in a cloudy body which is the only complain I can find here.

Smell: Not a lot here but it's true to it's name as the name says, I get caramel and wood. I get a touch of maple as well, but it's not that potent even after ample warming.

Taste: Walks a very nice fine line of sweet, dry and bitter as caramel and toasted biscuit starts us off as some dry berry yeast with a bit of bitter nut and earth take over with a bit of a mineral end with earth and grassy hops.

Mouthfeel: The aftertaste has this light slightly sweet, toasted caramel biscuit note. Almost like a ginger snap or an arrowroot cookie. The carbonation is exceptional and helps out the entire beer, and the transitioning is pretty good as well. That slight bit of dryness is well balanced.

Drinkability: Easy to drink, with ample character from a style that seems to be growing on me a bit more. I usually associate Altbier with a bit more dry, bread and yeast, but this has a nice balance to it. Dead on medium body which works for this offering and something I can see having at any time of the year.

Final Thoughts: This was a great offering, as it putting the caramel and grain malt more into focus then the yeast here really helps showcase this as more of a hybrid of a malt forward english brown with a refreshing almost pilsner or red lager vibe to it. I do think this is a beer that could be had at any time. A great offering.
Jun 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by TheBubblegumkid from Canada (ON)

Oct 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Jotora from Canada (ON)

Sep 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by sdm9465 from Canada (NS)

Aug 05, 2017
Photo of eberesford
Reviewed by eberesford from Canada (ON)

3.91/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A can at home: A chestnut coloured body under a slightly blouse head that dissipated quite quickly. Still left decent lacing. Aromas of malt (cookie) with just a trace of hops. Body - bready, toasty, caramelly, biscuit carefully balanced with a somewhat neutral hop bitterness. Rather full in the mouth although, again, beautifully balanced
Jul 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.26 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.62 by Cycle69 from Canada (ON)

Aug 23, 2016
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.15/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Tallboy can from TBS; dated Jun 17 2016, listed at an even 5% and served slightly chilled.

Pours a chestnut-copper colour; holding it up to the light reveals a brilliant amber hue, as well as its crystal-clear complexion. 1.5 fingers of puffy, off white-tinged froth concentrates at the surface, proceeding to wilt away over the next five minutes or so. Gobs of lacing are generated, and a wide, foamy collar remains in place afterwards - a lovely-looking brown ale. Nuanced aroma with an array of subtle elements; I'm getting toasted bread, nuts and toffee, with doughy biscuits and grassy, leafy, earthy hops.

Excellent balance; neither too sweet nor too bitter. Bready notes, toasted grains and biscuit sweetness are immediately discernible, with sweeter notes of caramel and sponge toffee following in tow. Lightly nutty, with the continental hops imparting some leafy, earthy bitterness that rounds out the flavour profile nicely. Mixture of nutty malt and earthy hops in the aftertaste, which also has some mineral notes. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation levels that provide a restrained bite. Feels soft and frothy in the mouth - almost creamy - and very smooth going down.

Final Grade: 4.15, an A-. With their Ol' Woody Alt, Sawdust City has really nailed the altbier style - producing what may very well be the best alt in all of Ontario. This brew combines clean, tasty, grainy pilsner malt flavours with nuttier, sweeter, darker Munich-type malts, and finishes it all off with a good kick of traditional German hop bitterness. I have admittedly limited experience with this style, but I know a good brown ale when I taste it. This isn't an exciting style of beer, which isn't going to help its aggregate score, but I'll readily argue that Ol' Woody is a fine alt - one that I'd happily return to in the future.
Aug 16, 2016
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

4.09/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $3.25 CDN.

Appearance - dark copper coloured beer. Fairly clear and a nice thin tan head that lingers on top. Goodly amount of lacing,

Smell - loads of grain with a slight earthy aroma crisp mixed grain blend. Slightly floral too.

Taste - clean and crisp graininess. Mild bitterness that turns earthy after a few moments. Surprisingly flavourful and avoids the overly dry earthy bitterness I find in many examples of the style.

Mouthfeel - smooth and clean, good carbonation and light body. Really easy to drink. Not dry, but not slick. Good feel.

Overall - while in general I'm not a big fan of altbiers, ol woody is probably the finest example of the style I've ever enjoyed. Will happily pick up a few more of these in the next couple of months.
Jun 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by MattCampbell from Canada (ON)

May 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.93 by Bf_89 from Canada (ON)

Apr 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.66 by Electros from Canada (ON)

Apr 02, 2016
Photo of DaveBar
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)

3.79/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Purchased at The Beer Store for just around $2.60 for a 473ml can. Served at 4deg C in a draught glass

A- Opens well and pours a 1" high white head that films out within a minute. Medium brown colour and filtered clear

S- Nutty and malty.

T- Malt and yeast. Lots of yeast for the style. Has an oak flavor to it as well. Fairly complex for a mass produced brew. Barley malt and some good hops bring this brew alive as it warms. The flavor change is welcome as when cold it is bland.

M- Dry and light. Not like the colour at all

O- Enjoyable break from the usual brews. Oak staves must have been used.

Food Pairing

This nice little brew went well with...... Roasted vegetable soup. Drop some el dante elbow macaroni in and you have a nice pairing

Enjoy
Mar 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.63 by Rukeli76 from Canada (ON)

Feb 05, 2016
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Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

4.39/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a bright red color with a wispy, short-lived head. Doughy, grainy, toasty notes and some accompanying floral hops in the nose. Rich and complex nutty, caramel, toasty malt flavors in the taste. Restrained herbal hops and a light bitterness provide perfect balance to the big maltiness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a subtle carbonation, nearly creamy. The finish is crisp but low in bitterness.

This is an excellent Altbier. Excellent nuanced and complex malt profile. Very drinkable and approachable but anything but boring. This brewery is making a lot of impressive beers.
Nov 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.55 by KrisDLSmith from Canada (ON)

Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.49 by TerryW from Canada (ON)

Sep 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by cardanian from Canada (ON)

Aug 29, 2015
Photo of Pmicdee
Rated by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
March 17 2019
Aug 29, 2015
Ol' Woody Alt from Sawdust City Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 35 ratings