Where have all the Altbiers gone?

Alts are delicious. Some solid ones are being made in MN.

 

Speaking of B United, I'm enjoying another one of these St. Georgenbraus at the moment, and it's drinking like a pleasantly rustic Altbier. Probably not all that useful to the OP, but you never know.

 

Yeah, you do not see many Altbiers whether German brewed or American craft brewed. That is why I brew my own.

Cheers!

 

As others have noted, probably going to have to comb through your local brewers selections to find good altbiers but they should be there.
I just went out to dinner last night at a neat by place and almost jumped on the Dusseldorf altbier but decided the doitmunder (a Dortmunder gold) went better with the fish n chips

 

The problem is.... St Georgenbrau Kellerbier (and any other Bavarian Kellerbier) neither resembles, or is meant to resemble, Alt. Two totally different styles. Alt is a subtle style that does not travel well beyond NRW borders, I'd dread to think what American versions are like, having tried their 'Kolsch' with triple New Zealand hops and elderflower (and cocoa nibs).

Ok, instead of being negative, my positive suggestion is to go to Dusseldorf and try Alt in its native terrain. It's hard to describe how a bier and a city's day to day culture can be so enmeshed in each other until you go out there and try it.

 

In terms of broad flavor profile I still think it's a good rec; at least it's closer to what he's looking for than a lot of the other options available at this point in time. This beer isn't like Mahr's U or Veldensteiner or many of the other Bavarian kellerbiers we get; it's not really bready or helles-like. It's dry with a distinct toasted malt platform, bursting with noble hops, bitter, yet also shows subtle spicy and fruity accents. And it does scream of freshness (which is probably also why it barely even resembles the classic bottled version).

This is one of the products that B United has been importing unfiltered in tanks and then canning stateside. I may not have been to Dusseldorf yet, but I have had very credible versions of altbiers brewed here in the US.; and if I did have an itch to experience those kind of beers again, this beer would scratch it.

 

The majority of American-brewed Alt "style" beers tend to taste like Brown Ales -- far too roasted and not at all smooth. However, the aforementioned Metropolitan and Old Mecklenburg versions are pretty spot on -- worth seeking out, but not widespread in distribution, unfortunately.

FWIW -- Metropolitan also makes a great Kölsch -- no southern hemisphere hops or chocolate chips added.

 

Let me know how those credible versions compare to Zum Übrige in Düsseldorf, or the others.

 

I distinctly remember MJ writing quite positively about Portland's Widmer Alt of the early 90s, even comparing it to Uerige. Even if it wasn't an exact match, I'd say it was quite credible. Every time I rolled into town I made it a point to enjoy a few at their taproom.

 

This is still on the shelf at the local Wegman's.(Johnson City,NY) Any Wegman's where you are in MD?
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31/80/

 

Silly question, but I'm just checking: Was that a typo and meant to be Uerige?

 

That's a Munster Alt and is a bit different from a modern typical Altbier.

 

When did they even arrive?

 

This is a totally fair criticism followed by a really interesting, and I think monumentally more important than most any of us tend to consider, point about the relationship between cultural context and local intoxicant. However, I think that there are lots of US brewers doing wonderful representations of traditional styles that aren't gimmicky 'takes' with lots of 'innovation' added on top. The problem is, those traditional styles are sexy and aren't often packaged and so unless you go to their tap room you're not going to see it. The altbier at my local brewery (who do not do any packaging beyond growler/crowlers and don't distribute any kegs further than maybe 100 miles from their production facility, and those are all either IPA or their very american golden ale) is a fairly full bodied medium amber colored beer. It's hard for me to describe the flavor from memory (while I'm sipping on a narwhal no less) but it's certainly subtle, soft, and balanced and while I don't imagine it's a true dusseldorf experience, it's also not hopped to hell or anything. And I know that this local joint isn't super special and unique in their adherence to traditional styles

 

Sorry, typo (Edit - it was autocorrupt). It is Friday night after all.

 

That is one of the closest I've had in the US. Zum Uerige is much more bitter.

The Widmer Brothers spent time at Uerige, and brought that yeast back. Alt was to be their flagship, but the Wheat beer took off instead.

 

As long as I can still get Alaskan Amber...

 

Try Long Trail’s Double Bag. I think they distribute in MD.

 

I was going to mention Copper. It is truly a phenomenal altbier. I picked some up in October when I was in the area for my niece's wedding. Olde Mecklenburg actually brews by the Reinheitsbegot as well. They are the closet you can get to authentic German styles.that are brewed in America. Their marzen was fantastic too--best I've had this year.

 

Alaskan Amber is widely distributed. If you live near a Trader Joe's they always sell Alternate Dimension (their version of an Altbier). It's hard to find many altbiers, but for my taste those two are enough. Agree, it's a style that is on the harder-to-find side of the spectrum.