Copper | The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
Brewed by:
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
North Carolina, United States
oldemeckbrew.com
Style: German Altbier
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.80%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
OMB’s flagship, Copper, is an authentic Düsseldorf style “Altbier” or Amber Ale. There are no crazy flavors or gimmicks with Copper – its full-flavored start transitions to a smooth, balanced, easy-drinking finish. It’s the beer that tastes like beer.
Added by AlexJ on 04-29-2009
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 417 | Reviews: 94
3.99/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle dated 7/10/10 into a Pilsner glass.
L - Pours a clear reddish Amber color with a white head that dissipates slowly.
S - Smells of a sweet maltiness.
T - Nice crisp beer with a prefect amount of maltiness.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Really easy drinking alt bier. I really enjoyed this beer.
327 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle dated 7/10/10 into a Pilsner glass.
L - Pours a clear reddish Amber color with a white head that dissipates slowly.
S - Smells of a sweet maltiness.
T - Nice crisp beer with a prefect amount of maltiness.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Really easy drinking alt bier. I really enjoyed this beer.
327 characters
4.14/5 rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful burnt umber burnished amber gold color with egg shell tone cap and lasting lacing.
Marvelous aroma of rich caramel malt raised to the highest bar. Other qualities emerge in the form of floral tones that are more like citrus blooms than garden flowers yet carry a round richness that is not at all sharp. Honeysuckle perhaps though not as sweet. If I walked into a bakery shop and was met with this aroma I would immediately buy whatever they were cooking.
Taste on entry is memorable and to call it great is merely descriptive like saying a Heisman Trophy athlete is better than good. The malt richness surges forth then shimmers and dances like the colors of a Flemish painting from the Rembrandt era yet recede back heightening rather than obscuring the overall composition. I get some hop presence in the back of the palate and lingering hop touches in the aftertaste but just enough to notice in their supporting role.
Medium-full texture with balancing carbonation.
This is a sit down for a moment of quiet to enjoy beer yet I could match it with almost any of the foods I enjoy, it's that versatile. I've rarely come across a brew so captivating. Altbier personified, whoever developed this please don't change a thing for it in itself is a whole.
1,276 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful burnt umber burnished amber gold color with egg shell tone cap and lasting lacing.
Marvelous aroma of rich caramel malt raised to the highest bar. Other qualities emerge in the form of floral tones that are more like citrus blooms than garden flowers yet carry a round richness that is not at all sharp. Honeysuckle perhaps though not as sweet. If I walked into a bakery shop and was met with this aroma I would immediately buy whatever they were cooking.
Taste on entry is memorable and to call it great is merely descriptive like saying a Heisman Trophy athlete is better than good. The malt richness surges forth then shimmers and dances like the colors of a Flemish painting from the Rembrandt era yet recede back heightening rather than obscuring the overall composition. I get some hop presence in the back of the palate and lingering hop touches in the aftertaste but just enough to notice in their supporting role.
Medium-full texture with balancing carbonation.
This is a sit down for a moment of quiet to enjoy beer yet I could match it with almost any of the foods I enjoy, it's that versatile. I've rarely come across a brew so captivating. Altbier personified, whoever developed this please don't change a thing for it in itself is a whole.
1,276 characters
3.5/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.93/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours clear, copper deep amber/pale brown, producing 2.5 fingers of frothy, pale tan, shortlived, head that leaves minor lace. Aroma is malty roast, bready, yeast, corn flakes (?), honey, nuts & a faint hint of smoke. Taste is bready like corn bread, yeast, roasted malt, honey, earthy hops, hints of burnt caramel, roasted nuts & faint smoke finish. Afrertaste is dry: burnt bread, roasted malts & nuts. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, slilky with a light peppery prickle in the finish. I'm not sure where the corn flake aroma and cornbread flavor originate from, perhaps is the yeast. I'm pretty certain there's no corn in this brew.
658 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours clear, copper deep amber/pale brown, producing 2.5 fingers of frothy, pale tan, shortlived, head that leaves minor lace. Aroma is malty roast, bready, yeast, corn flakes (?), honey, nuts & a faint hint of smoke. Taste is bready like corn bread, yeast, roasted malt, honey, earthy hops, hints of burnt caramel, roasted nuts & faint smoke finish. Afrertaste is dry: burnt bread, roasted malts & nuts. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, slilky with a light peppery prickle in the finish. I'm not sure where the corn flake aroma and cornbread flavor originate from, perhaps is the yeast. I'm pretty certain there's no corn in this brew.
658 characters
4.02/5 rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. The appearance is a light copper color with a medium-sized off-white head. The aroma is toasted bread and roasted malt. The taste is similar to the nose.
202 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. The appearance is a light copper color with a medium-sized off-white head. The aroma is toasted bread and roasted malt. The taste is similar to the nose.
202 characters
4.3/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
At CLT airport nice light brown color. Small head but lots of lacing in particular for a lower alcohol beer. Aroma is a “bready” yeasty just a hint of sweet. First time with this style so no notion of what I would be drinking , but wow - good. Much lighter and less malty than the dunkle flavor I was expecting. Clean taste with just a bit of peppery bread back taste. Need to try with food. Even if this is not your style of beer - try this.
447 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
At CLT airport nice light brown color. Small head but lots of lacing in particular for a lower alcohol beer. Aroma is a “bready” yeasty just a hint of sweet. First time with this style so no notion of what I would be drinking , but wow - good. Much lighter and less malty than the dunkle flavor I was expecting. Clean taste with just a bit of peppery bread back taste. Need to try with food. Even if this is not your style of beer - try this.
447 characters
4.49/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Carolina Beer Company in Charlotte International Airport.
This one pours a somewhat dark amber with (I suppose that color is copper, after all), with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like a true altbier should, really, with a big spicy and bready flavor, some light hop aromas and fruity yeast aromas.
This is one of the absolute best versions of this style I've had in the states- it's all you want from it. There's spicy hops, and a nice bready malt character, with just the slightest hint of fruitiness. It's very smooth.
This is slightly creamy, and very crisp, with a good level of carbonation. The glass disappeared very quickly.
This is my first beer from OMB, and it gives me much excitement to try more from them.
750 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Carolina Beer Company in Charlotte International Airport.
This one pours a somewhat dark amber with (I suppose that color is copper, after all), with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like a true altbier should, really, with a big spicy and bready flavor, some light hop aromas and fruity yeast aromas.
This is one of the absolute best versions of this style I've had in the states- it's all you want from it. There's spicy hops, and a nice bready malt character, with just the slightest hint of fruitiness. It's very smooth.
This is slightly creamy, and very crisp, with a good level of carbonation. The glass disappeared very quickly.
This is my first beer from OMB, and it gives me much excitement to try more from them.
750 characters
4.35/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.6/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.93/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Dec 2017....Pours medium dark copper with heavy white foam. Caramel toffee nose, sweet. Sweet open, fast up and down bitter, pleasant malty finish. Peppery bite to close, nice finish. Smooth, even blended German alt.
216 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Dec 2017....Pours medium dark copper with heavy white foam. Caramel toffee nose, sweet. Sweet open, fast up and down bitter, pleasant malty finish. Peppery bite to close, nice finish. Smooth, even blended German alt.
216 characters
3.87/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served in a chilled 12 oz mug. Lovely copper color as the name suggests. The smell was not so attractive with a bit of a yeast scent. Not particularly bitter or bitey but smooth and easy to drink. A bit of foam initially but it dissipated quickly. A pleasant surprise.
268 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served in a chilled 12 oz mug. Lovely copper color as the name suggests. The smell was not so attractive with a bit of a yeast scent. Not particularly bitter or bitey but smooth and easy to drink. A bit of foam initially but it dissipated quickly. A pleasant surprise.
268 characters
5/5 rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
When someone asks me what beer best describes Charlotte, I always point to Copper. For many years, this has stood out as the most consistent, tasty beer that Charlotte has to offer. Its nothing fancy. They aren't trying to mess with it by adding adjuncts. They found their niche and stuck with it year after year after year. It is, in my opinion, the best Altbier on the market today and can go up against any one brewed in Germany, hence the high ratings, based on the style alone.
When you are looking for a great beer to have with dinner, this is it. Malty, sweet, crisp, delicious.
I originally rated this a 4.5 about 5 or 6 years ago, but after drinking thousands of different beers, I've altered my score, reflecting just how amazing and consistent this beer truly is.
782 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
When someone asks me what beer best describes Charlotte, I always point to Copper. For many years, this has stood out as the most consistent, tasty beer that Charlotte has to offer. Its nothing fancy. They aren't trying to mess with it by adding adjuncts. They found their niche and stuck with it year after year after year. It is, in my opinion, the best Altbier on the market today and can go up against any one brewed in Germany, hence the high ratings, based on the style alone.
When you are looking for a great beer to have with dinner, this is it. Malty, sweet, crisp, delicious.
I originally rated this a 4.5 about 5 or 6 years ago, but after drinking thousands of different beers, I've altered my score, reflecting just how amazing and consistent this beer truly is.
782 characters
4.9/5 rDev +20.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
3.59/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Copper from The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
Beer rating:
4.06 out of
5 with
417 ratings
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