MacManus Red Shoes Altbier
Misty's Steakhouse And Brewery

From Notes.

I ordered the McManus Red Shoes hoping for the best as I have not had many altbiers and was exceited to try another. From my limited understanding of the style, I must say this one false a bit off.

The beer is served in a pint glass and comes with a 1/4 inche head that sits atop a clear reddish brown liquid (notes indicate it to be more brown than red). There is a slight roasted caramel malt smell, followed by a musty wet earth scent that is a touch unsettling.

Fortunately the beer is cold enough that some of the taste is muted. A touch sweet, slightly malty. Hops not noiticed. Low carbonation, the beer is almost flat. Not very good. I might order again some time out of curiosity to see if this improves.

Dark reddish-brown hue with coppery highlights as the light penetrates the edges of the pint glass. The off-white head was served at a height of a half finger, decent retention. Doesn’t lace as the beer is drunk. A hard whiff induces a hint of maltiness, there is little in the way of an invitation yet this smell was familiar, in a bad way. The first sip brought back memories… I recognized this beer; it was the same damn Altbier that the previous brewpub at this location had when it was Crane River. So I asked my waitress if the brewmaster was the same. She said yes. Yikes! Why? Crane River had awful beer… anyway. The palate is not impressive. The maltiness is stark and standalone with out of place bitterness, flawed. The taste is not well-rounded and very jabbing on the tongue. I don’t know if it is a combination of a poor recipe or poor brewing practices or both but this is a lousy Alt. Medium-body, modest carbonation, a touch forced. Not worth drinking, it is just too poorly constructed. Avoid.