Alt
Brauerei Schumacher

 

Currently enjoying a few quarter liter pours at the brewery in Düsseldorf. From the holzfass (Conditioned in and poured from a wooden barrel)! In November 2023, €2.75 for 0.25L and double that for double the beer. As expected, an astoundingly delicious amber beer with the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness with massive caramelized malt profile and the perfect hop presence in the finish. Pairs well with their rich food. Served almost like Kölsch service but luckily a bit more slowly as it’s stronger. What a beer!

 

One of the best altbiers I have tried. I think it's a tie between the Bolten and this one as to which is the best but it's certainly a good one. Nice balanced flavour with slightly more hop character than other altbiers.

Look: Copper/Amber colour with foamy white head
Smell: caramel malt, slight citrus hops.
Taste: Caramel malt, subtle citrus notes, earthy and a slightly spicy finish.
Feel: Well carbonated but not aggressive, relatively light mouthfeel
Overall: As mentioned it's a tie between the Bolten alt this one as to which is the best of the style in my opinion.

 

 

Brauerei Schumacher "Alt"
2,40€ / ,25L on tap at the brewery on 28 September 2021

Look: Crystal clear dark copper colored body with golden and orange highlights beneath a full head of off-white. Excellent head retention and lacing.
Smell: Clean and fresh with crusty bread, caramel, and a touch of herbal hops.
Taste: The flavor follows the aroma with notes of dark crusty bread, medium and dark caramel, burnt sugar, and spicy and herbal hops. A median bitterness balances it leading to a dry, lingering, earthy and spicy finish.
Feel: Medium bodied and gently crisp with a natural, fine-bubbled, median carbonation.
Overall: This is the best of Düsseldorf's sweeter, less spicy and herbal altbiers.

 

Just like Füchschen Alt a very very well rounded Altbier, which really excels in all disciplines, but is just that little bit short in the "peak taste" to become the Number 1 Altbier of Düsseldorf. If there is no Füchschen available, i prefer Schumacher Alt to every other beer i ever got the chance to drink.

 

Pours a clear, deep, dark amber coloration with a large, creamy head. Smells of bready, biscuity malt and grassy, floral hops, with just a hint of red berries as well. Taste is an excellent balance of bready, biscuity, slightly caramelly malt and herbal, grassy, slightly floral hops, with just a hint of citrus coming through, as well as just a hint of red berries. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some bready malt, floral hops and hints of citrus and red berries lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

Schumacher is really unique among the Düsseldorf Alts in that it is a lot more hop-forward, with a less rich malt body, which is not necessarily a bad thing though, just different. While their 1838er Alt is almost more of a Pale Ale, this is still quite hoppy for the style, feeling a bit more fruity from a combination of both hops and esters, with some subtle citrus and red berry notes coming through, as well as quite a good bitterness. However, there still is a solid bready and slightly caramelly malt presence here, making for an excellent overall balance of sweet and bitter notes. Overall, this makes for a slightly different, but very enjoyable Alt beer that's a bit more on the hoppy side while still maintaining a great balance.

 

Tap @ Schumacher Brauhaus, Dusseldorf - Pours light brown with a large white foamy head. Medium carbonation. Nice lacing. Aroma - malty, stone fruits. Taste - malty forefront, light hop feel with a crisp light bitter finish. Solid alt bier.

L:
-pours a clear amber with a medium to big,foamy,offwhite head
-high carbonation visible
S:
-plums,spicy,rose hip,strawberries,biscuity
T:
-hay,earthy,spicy,strawberries,plums
-medium,lingering bitterniss for the style
-finishes dry
F:
-medium carbonation
-light to medium body
O:
Just a flawless Altbier, lagging a bit behind Uerige's complexity.

 

Draught

 

Visiting Duesseldorf and this is one of many alt biers I'm drinking this week. Love Schumacher which is just outside the old town. This is my favorite tasting alt bier. The taste and mouthfeel are awesome and it has a nice copper color, darker than some.

excellent, handcrafted Alt Bier - benchmark!
Still brewed in the same traditional way since 1838 with open fermentation tanks and open cooling - not like the high volume all-enclosed-factories...three brew masters work in three shifts work hands-on....