Kilannan Altbier
Kilannan Brewing Co.

Kilannan AltbierKilannan Altbier
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From:
Kilannan Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Altbier
ABV:
5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.36 | pDev: 16.37%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
21
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 04, 2016
Added:
Apr 08, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Photo of akdo
Reviewed by akdo from Canada (ON)

3.89/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Look: The beer has a bronze and transparent body. It produces a one-finger white head that dies quickly. There's hardly any trace of carbonation.

Smell: The nose has nothing special. It is just a coexistence between the hops and the malt. It leans more towards a certain earthiness.

Taste: The beer welcomes you with a taste of grains, wheat and cereals. Although a little bit of bitterness from the hops still lingers, it shifts towards notes of caramel. There is no peppery taste.

Feel: Medium-bodied, has a little bit of carbonation on the front and has a slightly dry finish akin to a lager. There is no astringency. All in all, the beer is easy to drink.

Overall: The head retention is the only reservation I have. Other than that, it is a good alt bier.
Jul 04, 2016
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.69/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
473 ml can served fairly cold into a pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $2.90 CDN. Canned on February 5, 2016. This can is advertised as 5.2% ABV.

Appearance - Pours a good looking dark copper colored beer with impressive clarity and minimal bubbles. The head is small half finger of tan foam that diminishes very quickly leaving a small collar of foam around the edges.

Smell - Fairly earthy and dank, with a healthy dose of grain and small indications of caramel notes.

Taste - Fairly mild and easy to drink. Light grainy flavors coat the tongue with hints of caramel interspersed. The bitterness I've found in other Alts is more intense than it is here. A slightly rough earthy flavor on the close.

Mouthfeel - Smooth with a medium body and a very dry finish. Carbonation is on the light side.

Overall - While I haven' t had the opportunity to try many altbiers, Kilannan's Alt certainly measures among the best with a good flavor profile, a slightly subdued bitterness and a good all around feel. While not my favorite style I could certainly see myself enjoying this again.
Mar 26, 2016
 
Rated: 1.39 by tomghiley from Canada (ON)

Oct 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

Sep 27, 2015
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.55/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Tallboy can from TBS; the last of three cans of this, all picked up while passing through Wiarton. Packaged Jun 23 2015 and served slightly chilled.

Pours an attractive, translucent copper-amber hue, generating one centimetre of loose, soapy, off-white head that rapidly dissipates over the next sixty seconds. A thin collar survives, along with a few filmy wisps on the surface - no lacing to speak of. Nice colour, but otherwise I don't find this brew particularly visually enticing. As for the nose, it is comprised of a pleasant blend of nutty, bready, lightly toasted malts, with hints of caramel and a distinctly yeasty earthiness. Nothing too remarkable, so far.

Clean-flavoured and quite approachable, with a malt-forward flavour profile that starts off with notes of caramel, bread crusts and toasted hazelnut. Grassy hay and floral hop flavours dry things out effectively in the latter half of the profile, with an earthy yeastiness hanging on briefly into the aftertaste. Light-medium in body, with restrained carbonation levels that result in a mild bite on the palate. Easy-drinking for sure - this brown ale goes down quite smoothly, and is surprisingly refreshing.

Final Grade: 3.55, a B grade. Kilannan Alt is not the most memorable or exciting example of its style - but I'd still argue that it's a highly serviceable beer nonetheless, and a brew that I'd be willing to return to in the future. This would make an interesting substitute for the typical cottage-swilling fare - it's as drinkable as any pale lager, but with a slightly more robust, malt-forward flavour profile that I find endearing. It's a balanced, understated sort of beer that is capable of converting a macro drinker, but will only impress a handful of hardcore beer geeks. I prefer their Kölsch over this one, but the quality level is comparable.
Jul 14, 2015
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.76/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Typically made with same ingredients, Altbiers can often appear similar to Bocks and, indeed, this Ontario example has all the density and deep amber colouring it needs to pass for a lager much stronger than it actually is (5.2%). Kilannan Alt, however, is not exactly clear despite the cold-conditioning and its poor head retention contradicts the apparently rich maltiness.

There's more than enough nuttiness in the aroma to confirm either Munich or Vienna (or perhaps both) malt was used. The persistence of those biscuity and toasty features, and how on the palate they turn into flavours of pecans and hard caramel, suggests they were implemented to play more than just a supporting role.

And this is a very good thing as far as mouthfeel is concerned - you can't have a rich beer without Munich or Vienna malts. Use the darkest and most heavily roasted grain you like but even the richest, highest-gravity stouts will be shallow without these high-temp kilned grains that add complex flavours upfront, body throughout, and longevity to the finish.

For as much body and flavour as they contribute, however, Vienna and Munich malts are also notoriously 'clean', and this quality is exceptionally important in an Altbier (or lager of any kind for that matter). Those caramelly, nutty notes never become sweet; that toasted maltiness isn't remotely grainy or cereal-like. It is rich but also super quaffable and very easily (too quickly) enjoyed.

I'm of the opinion that German lagers are the hardest beers to replicate. British ales - just treat your water. Belgian ales - use the right yeast strains. American styles - load up on hops. But German lagers have an understated complexity to them that's very difficult to clone. One needs a deft hand and the right quality ingredients, both of which, by my estimate, Kilannan Alt possesses. Well done.
Mar 31, 2015
 
Rated: 2.93 by JahTurbo from Canada (ON)

Mar 14, 2015
Photo of DaveBar
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Purchased at the LCBO for just under that good 'ol $3.00 mark for a 473ml can. Served at 7deg C in a draught glass.

A- Opens well and pour an incredibally high white head that lasts forever. Very dark almost brown color. Clear

S- Malty but has that metallic scent to it.

T- Nice blend. Has balance and body. Yeast is plenty and some hops present. Touch of caramel. Bit bitter

M- Dry, very dry. Tart

O- Nice brew. Bet this one would be nice on tap or cask giving which should give it a more creamy nature

Food Pairing

This nice little brew went well with...... any oily fish like a sardine. Rub the sardine down with sea salt and give it a grill. Pepper when finished and voilà!

Enjoy
Feb 15, 2015
Photo of ssmack
Reviewed by ssmack from Canada (ON)

3.22/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Clear darkish orangy amber colour with half inch of white head that disappeared as I looked at it. Minimal carbonation and no lacing at all.

Mild malt aroma of sweet bread. Yeast brings in the smell of spice cake.

Tastes of sweetness throughout. Spicy cake then caramel. Malt then yeast then hops. Ends with a mild floral hops and sweetness. Tastes like sugared water.

A light feel with no carbonation.

OK. I like this style but this one needs more weight in the malt and kick in the hops.
Feb 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.59 by Bf_89 from Canada (ON)

Jan 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.37 by Electros from Canada (ON)

Jan 05, 2015
Photo of TerryW
Rated by TerryW from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Unremarkable. Looks ordinary. Metallic in character to smell, taste, and on the palate. Thin-bodied. Nope.
Dec 23, 2014
Photo of Tilly
Reviewed by Tilly from Kentucky

4/5  rDev +19%
Pours a dark amber with a white frothy head in a stange glass.

Aromas of bloomed bread yeast, malts, caramal and florals.

Tastes very much like the aroma but with prodominent floral hops.

Mouth is a dry and light with a tinge of bitterness at the back of the tongue.

A pleasant drinker from my new home town.
Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by WillAndSarah from Canada (ON)

Nov 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Mr_Hoptimistic from Canada (ON)

Aug 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by CRObighit2 from Canada (ON)

Aug 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Snowslave73 from Canada (ON)

Jul 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Jul 17, 2014
Photo of TheHammer
Reviewed by TheHammer from Canada (ON)

3.68/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: A well carbonated body that shifts between ruby red, a full amber and a hazy brown depending on how the light strikes it helps to forgive the pinkie finger of head that did manage to stick around, but didn't lace very much.

Smell: Dry yeast to a backing of caramel malt and as the beer warms it becomes the smell of caramel malt to a backing of dry yeast. Decently strong and pleasent, but nothing to write home about.

Taste: Even tempered caramel malt starts off the beer, but it is very reigned in by a mixture of yeast, but it seems to break out during the middle of the beer, before it is reigned in again by the yeast and some dry floral hops. It's interesting.

Mouthfeel: The transistioning is peculiar but it's kinda interesting. The aftertaste is mild caramel once again reigned in by dry yeast which disappoints a bit but doesn't really cloy or build up on itself. Carbonation is there...but I wouldn't say it has a noteable presence.

Drinkability: This strikes me as something that would go really with with something gamey, like steak or lamb. The dryness is a bit excessive for my liking, but at least it settles down well.

Final Thoughts: Well, it seems there is another advantage having a trailer at Sauble Beach as still stuff is all around solid. A bit odd to have a thistle on a german style beer, but I was pleased by this offering, hope to see more from these guys. Thumbs Up.
Jun 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

May 01, 2014
Kilannan Altbier from Kilannan Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 21 ratings