Balt Altbier
Union Craft Brewing Company

Balt AltbierBalt Altbier
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From:
Union Craft Brewing Company
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
Altbier
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 10.05%
Reviews:
43
Ratings:
203
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 11, 2022
Added:
Jul 06, 2012
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  42
A Brewing Tradition

This German-style Altbier is our nod to an old world, old school ale. The word “Alt” is German for “old”, and refers to the traditional style of brewing before lager yeast was discovered. Balt is a dark, copper colored brew with a creamy head, a gentle bitterness and a clean, dry finish. Prost Hon!

BITTERNESS (IBU): 45
COLOR: Copper/Amber
MALT: Pilsner, Munich,Cara Munich, Carafa
HOPS: Perle,Tettnang
YEAST: German Alt
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BillRoth:
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Wow!! Where did this come from? I stopped at "Mothers" with my daughter for some wings and a beer. I order a Pilsner Urquell...because I haven't had a PU on tap for awhile. I suggest she try the Balt because I like the brewery, and thought she might like it. She's a porter fan, and alt was the closest thing they had.
She LOVED it...so I thought I'd better try it. OMG...what a great beer. I mean great beer.
The aroma was a rich woody caramel scented alt like my favorites from Uriege in Dusseldorf. I mean where T-H- did this come from. The taste was full and rich of the German malts you would expect. The mouth feel was smooth ( after a letting it get closer to a decent drinking temperature). Ok...don't believe me, but I thought I had a fresh glass of "Sticke".
I'm sure this will be distributed as just another beer..."alt" style...blah, blah, blah.
But this is serious, special beer. Altbier is a wonderful German beer that we don't often hear about because of their wonderful lagers, pilsners and wheat beers we expect. Union craft has "crafted" real altbier that should be compared and considered against the best.
Ok...now I'm buying it in cans and taking with me across country. Let's see what San Diego, NY and Colorado say...I bet they say send me more!

Note to DIM...you're right...on all counts!
Oct 10, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.22 by _Adam_ from Maryland

Mar 11, 2022
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.61/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Look: It pours cooper with an off white head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: It has a bready toasty aroma with some spiciness.

Taste: It has a toasty, bready flavor with some spiciness.

Feel: It has a medium body with medium low bitterness.

Overall, it has some good toasty aspects.
Feb 06, 2022
 
Rated: 3.99 by Ernald_Elbertson from Delaware

Dec 31, 2021
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.92/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Canned 11/11/21; drank 12/26/21 @ Form Over Function Rosslyn.

See-through orange/brown appearance.

An even pour yielded a big khaki head; decent lace.

Salted caramel, wheat & faint citrus notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Caramel & citrus flavors; decent but kinda plain.

It'll do in a pinch.
Dec 29, 2021
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

3.84/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Dark amber head with very little head and a nose full of sweet malt, caramel and German yeast. Thick texture makes this one more of a sipper and helps the complexity and also aids the creaminess. I find this one a little more malt heavy than I would prefer; the herbal hops finally flash a little in the finish but are really undercover most of the time.
Dec 17, 2021
 
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

3.87/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Deep amber, large off white head, modest lacing.
Aroma: Toasted malts, some caramel, a bit herbal.
Taste: Herbal, floral, spicy hops starting to assert themselves. Malts still hold the upper hand.
Mouthfeel: Good balance helps it settle nicely on the palate.
Overall: Another style that attracts little attention but can be rewarding.
Nov 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.04 by NotAlcoholicJustAHobby from Vermont

Dec 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.53 by kmanjohnson from California

Sep 22, 2018
Photo of Briancooper45
Rated by Briancooper45 from District of Columbia

4.74/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Great
Mar 22, 2018
Photo of BeerAndGasMasks
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From the can, it pours a solid amber with a nice thick off-white head. Pleasant scent of toasted malt and caramel. Taste is similar, with a nice light bitterness. Yum!
Dec 14, 2017
Photo of MrOH
Reviewed by MrOH from Maryland

4.04/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear light brown, quickly receding white head.
Smells like toast and caramel
Tastes really toasty! A bit of caramel, and what I can best describe as a grape-like fruitiness. Crisp bitterness at the end
Medium bodied with a clean finish
Easy drinker for the fall
Nov 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by paulish from New York

Sep 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.06 by kevintaraross from Maryland

Aug 31, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by sisterofba from Maryland

Aug 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.59 by socon67 from New York

Jun 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.81 by Gregf51 from Ohio

May 11, 2017
Photo of pdumler
Reviewed by pdumler from Virginia

3.44/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
L: Light Brown/orange. 1.5 finger head, solid lace that fades away shortly.
S: caramel, bready aroma with a touch of walnut. Smells nice, like a nice fall day
T: very similar to smell which is great. Nice tingle on the tongue with a small bit of hops but mainly a strong malt with a bready taste.
F: solid carbonation with a crisp finish. Medium body and smooth through the mouth.
O: Great altbier out of a can. Would recommend.
Apr 22, 2017
Photo of BJB13
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland

3.87/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Canned 11/07/17 stamped on bottom of can.
12 oz. can poured into a nonic pint.

Look- Cloudy, deep caramel color just like apple cider. A little more than 1 finger of off white, foamy head with some slick lacing that diminished but hung around.
Smell- Bready, caramel malts with a hint of hops.
Taste- Similar to smell, bready then slightly bitter and a little sweet. Balanced and dry with a quick clean finish. Refreshing.
Feel- Crisp, light to medium bodied. Good carbonation but not too much. Just a bit of bite but otherwise smooth.
Overall- I've only had a few different Altbiers but this one so far, is my favorite. It seems to be within the style guidelines and is easy to drink. Since it is in a can this may be my go to boat beer this spring.
Feb 28, 2017
Balt Altbier from Union Craft Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 203 ratings