Schell's Schmaltz's Alt
August Schell Brewing Company

Schell's Schmaltz's AltSchell's Schmaltz's Alt
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From:
August Schell Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
Altbier
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.74 | pDev: 10.7%
Reviews:
117
Ratings:
197
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 26, 2021
Added:
Nov 05, 2001
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  15
One of Warren's favorite pastimes back in the 30's was a trip to the city dump to shoot rats–so much that it was a common date for him and his wife-to-be, Casey. The manager of the city dump was John Schmaltz–hence the nickname "Schmaltz" Marti. We hope you enjoy our Schmaltz's Alt, a creamy smooth dark alt brewed even better than before.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beerkittycat:
Photo of beerkittycat
Reviewed by beerkittycat from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance is clear brown with a frothy tan head. Aroma hits you with some bready malts along with some cocoa, raisins, toast, caramel, and faint flowery hop aroma. Flavor much the same as aroma but here I taste a little smoke in the background. Malts are fairly sweet but this beer is clean and well-attenuated. The higher carbonation scrubs your palate and leaves you thirsting for more. A nice dark lager that isn't heavy or sweet. Very drinkable and enjoyable.
Feb 05, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.99 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 26, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by vette2006c5r from Minnesota

Feb 12, 2020
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 12-ounce bottle into a cylindrical glass. Bottle date code 062016. Stunning appearance: deep brown color, with a ruby highlight here and there and a thick, long-lasting light tan head that left lots of sticky lacing. Aromas and flavors of caramel, dark bread, and molasses, with a slight floral overtone. The bitterness seemed to fade a bit as the beer warmed to cellar temperature. Medium mouthfeel, with some bitterness on the back of the tongue and a little sticky sweetness / sourness on the finish. Overall, another solid offering from Schell.
Sep 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.63 by Taybeh from Minnesota

Mar 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.99 by Josholson666 from Minnesota

Feb 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.71 by Dms844 from Minnesota

Feb 17, 2017
Photo of Scott17Taylor
Reviewed by Scott17Taylor from Iowa

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sweet chocolatey and toffee flavors give off to a slight hop bitterness that keeps the beer balanced.
The mouthfeel is surprisingly thick for a 5% alt. It's a great beer for the style, I will be buying more.
Jan 24, 2017
Photo of Beginner2
Rated by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Listed on the "1001" and reviewed by Randy Mosher, I know I've Had this; but not found in recent years. Maybe I should become a trader ?
Aug 17, 2016
Photo of Wer34truh
Reviewed by Wer34truh from Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Tiny head with a bold black body.

Roasted bready malts dominate the smell. I don't get a lot of nuance.

Just like the smell, the taste is incredibly subtle. And yet this is a very enjoyable beer. Mouthfeel is outrageously light, and carbonation low. This is not an exciting beer, but it's a pretty damn solid one.
May 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.64 by Squire from Mississippi

May 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.51 by ta_hagen from Minnesota

May 22, 2016
 
Rated: 2.98 by fiveiron from Minnesota

Apr 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.68 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Apr 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.43 by einman from Minnesota

Feb 29, 2016
Photo of Chaz
Reviewed by Chaz from Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark, clear cola brown in color, topped with a medium-tan colored head. Lacing is good, and the carbonation is evident in the glass.

Malty-sweet nose, and a with a fairly neutral yeast profile. Some light cocoa/chocolate malt notes, but no hops presence in the modern day "WOW! Dig those crazy hops, man!" sense. Nope, this one is a very, very subtle and malty brew all around as I recall.

Scrubbing carbonation punctuates the first couple of moments of the first sip, followed by a touch of sweet toffee on top of a lighter biscuit malt character. A tiny bit of a smokiness and sharp-bitterness from the mid-palate to the end, and a bit dry in the finish, too. "Minerally".

Yep, this one is as subtle as I recall it being. Last year's batch had a bit more of a sweet malt character (and notes of anise!), but at any rate it's a beer which has always exhibited a nice range of flavors typical of the dark (or at least darker) malts which are used. And the malt is absolutely a focus more than the hops. But there are SOME hops in here, so it's not a total 'malt bomb', after all!

As it warms there's a little more smokiness, a bit more roundness to the (malt character) in the flavor profile, and something dairy-like, in the yeast. So again: by no means is this one very plain and simple, but instead very subtle and engaging.

I have sampled a range of (fresh) imports over the years, and there is quite a range in terms of how the different breweries interpret Germany's native "Brown Ale" style. The least interesting to me are those which are either too sweet or too light and crisp!

The most interesting (to me) are those Altbiers which possess malt and hop bitterness in good balance, and Schmaltz's Alt is very much in keeping with these. While it may not be the very best example of an Altbier, it is certainly a sentimental favorite, and one I look forward to each year.

Served chilled in a goblet. Best By: August 20, 2016
Feb 21, 2016
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.34/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Altbier? This is as black as a schwarzbier. Flavor is more remisniscent of a schwarz than an altbier. This would be a decent schwarzbier if classified as such, Altbier? No....
Oct 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by jpuetz from South Dakota

Aug 10, 2015
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L: Pours brilliant chestnut under a rocky and clingy 2” cream colored foam collar that leaves thick lace.
S: A range of malt aromas and malt spice, some faint fruit.
T: Rich malts, attack has some sweetness, some hints of root beer, some more sweetness and then it dries out in the finish and then in the aftertaste it oscillates between malt and dry and finally it settles down to a mild lingering sweetness backed by a moderate chocolate bitter accent.
F: Medium body and medium to medium high carbonation.
O: I’ve been drinking this for 20 or 30 years and it has always been a great beer.
Jul 29, 2015
Photo of steveh
Reviewed by steveh from Illinois

4.34/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Been quite a while since I've had some of this fresh -- a good choice for beer 500 in my BA portfolio.

Bottled on 06/05/15 -- not too shabby.

A -- Pours a very dark, clear ruby-brown with a firm, dense, long-lasting light tan head. Seems a bit dark for an Alt -- even if the Schell's site calls this a "double" Alt.

S -- Rich, dark bread crust aroma with light vanilla character. No real hops to note, but no off roastiness or strong fruit esters either. Very nice.

T -- Bready to light, bittersweet chocolate character that finishes clean with a light, balanced hop spiciness. There is the vaguest dark cherry character in the finish and aftertaste, but it's not so overwhelming as to be a fault. There's a light bitterness in the aftertaste that *could* be from roasted malt, or it could be from hops. Also a light nuttiness in the aftertaste, but malt is king with this beer.

F -- Medium bodied and very smooth.

O -- A terrific rendition of the style without becoming just another U.S. Brown Ale. I need to remember this beer whenever I'm in the Schell distribution radius, it's quite nice.
Jul 23, 2015
Schell's Schmaltz's Alt from August Schell Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 197 ratings