Ehrenfelder
Freigeist Bierkultur

a robust and delicious take on the alt style, not quite as crazy and experimental and challenging as i know these guys to often be, but its authentic and tasty. perhaps a shade or two darker than is common in there, as brown in the glass as it is red, deep and rich looking with more body than its modest alcohol content would indicate, fizzy though, and sporting almost an inch of off white fizz that settles back relatively quickly to about a quarter inch, but the carbonation stays in suspension just fine. it smells a little dusty, a little tight in the bottle maybe, certainly german with these malts and this yeast, a little bit of a baked thing to it but not sweet to me, not caramelized, a hint of smoke, raisin, and fresh baked bread, very pleasant. i am surprised by the hops in the taste because i cant smell too much from them, this is pleasingly bitter throughout, unexpected for a grain driven brew but a welcome twist here. what great balance this has, earthy and wet, minerals from the malt and the yeast too, slightly doughy but also cooked at the same time, light pine, char, and toffee through it, just a little oxidation on it late, not out of place to me, especially in this style. a lagered sort of crispness at the end, a fast finish, and remarkably zippy carbonation pushing through the fuller body, very drinkable as such. another cool beer from these guys, who i secretly hold among my favorites, i get excited every time i encounter their stuff, and am a loyalist at this point. this one is a bit more classically styled than most, but its equally yummy! fairly priced too just five bucks a bottle!

 

Very malty without being sweet, medium bitterness.

Malt aroma is toffee, nutty, and milk chocolate and cocoa. Hop aroma is some indistinct herbal notes.

Flavor is also malty but could do with a bit of sweetness to balance the melanoidin richness. Bitterness is medium. Malty flavor is toasted dark bread crust, nuttiness like hazelnuts, and dark caramel. Hoppiness is not strong but mostly mild floral and herbal notes that enhance the earthy nature of this brew.

Feel is still crisp with medium body and lowish carbonation. Slightly chalkiness in the finish.

A nice altbier with loads of malty and melanoiden aromas and flavors. I wish there was a bit more countering sweetness.

Look- pours an opaque ruby-tinged brown with a thin tan head

Nose- Sweet toffee and tobacco. Not getting any hops

Taste follows the nose, getting a lot of the toffee and tobacco, reminds me of a light version of a barleywine. Getting some smoke and faint herbal hops at the end w/slight bitterness.

Feel- light bodied, easy drinking

Overall- nice rich malty full flavor in a light beer. I enjoyed this one.

Dark caramel colored, light head, slightly hoppy, a little sweet, a little smoky and very smooth, this beer goes down really nice, is a little light for my taste but for $.99 for a pint at Grocery Outlet I certainly won't complain!!