Altbier

Characteristics

Altbier is usually a dark copper colour. It is fermented at a moderate temperature using a top-fermenting yeast which gives its flavour some fruitiness, but matured at a cooler temperature, which gives it a cleaner and crisper taste more akin to lager beer styles than is the norm for top-fermented beers, such as British pale ale.

Altbier in Germany

Altbier is the dominant beer variety in the Lower Rhine region and especially in the towns of Düsseldorf, Krefeld and Mönchengladbach. The first producer to use the name Alt to contrast its top fermenting beer with the bottom fermenting kinds was the Schumacher brewery of Düsseldorf, which opened in 1838.

The market leader in terms of volume sold is Diebels, a brand within the InBev brewing empire. Other mass-market brewers of Altbier include the Radeberger Gruppe under the brands Schlösser Alt and Hansa Alt. These are complemented by small breweries, predominantly based in Düsseldorf.

Some Altbier breweries have a tradition of producing a stronger version known as Sticke Alt, coming from a local dialect word meaning "secret", originally a special reserve beer intended for the brewers' own consumption. It is generally a seasonal or special occasion brew, and is stronger in taste and alcohol as well as darker than the brewery's standard output.

Producers in Düsseldorf

There are eight bars in Düsseldorf which brew Altbier on the premises:

Füchschen, Uerige, Schlüssel and Kürzer are all brewed and sold in the Altstadt (Old Town). Schumacher is between the Altstadt and the main train station (Hauptbahnhof), although it also has a pub in the Altstadt, Im Goldenen Kessel, across the street from Schlüssel.

Each brewpub produces a seasonal "Sticke" variant in small quantities, though the names vary: Schlüssel spells it "Stike", without the "c", while Schumacher calls its special beer "Latzenbier", meaning "slat beer", possibly because the kegs from which it was poured had been stored on raised shelves. Füchschen's seasonal is its Weihnachtsbier (Christmas beer), available in bottles starting mid-November, and served in the brewpub on Christmas Eve.

Producers outside Düsseldorf

Altbier brewed outside Düsseldorf includes that produced by Pinkus Müller brewery in Münster, the Diebels brewery in Issum, the Gleumes brewery in Krefeld, the Bolten brewery in Korschenbroich and the Warsteiner brewery in Warstein, which owns the brand "Frankenheim Alt", which was originally brewed in Düsseldorf. The biggest Altbier brewery is located in Krefeld: Former Rhenania brewery, now called Königshofer brewery produces besides their self labelled Königshofer Alt a variety of different brands including the Carlsberg owned Hannen Alt and Gatzweiler Alt. Altbier is somewhat similar to Cologne's native beer style Kölsch, being warm-fermented at a lower temperature than British ales, and Altbier proper is also brewed in Cologne's smallest brewery "Braustelle" as "Ehrenfelder Alt".

Outside Germany

Altbier has been produced in the city of Venlo in the Netherlands since at least 1753. Venlo is on the border to Germany approximately 50 km (30 miles) from Düsseldorf. The beer was produced up until the Second World War but then had a hiatus until its revival in 1983. It is produced by the Lindeboom brewery, who bought the recipe in 2001.

Altbier is also brewed in small quantities in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the UK, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In 2003, Drayman's Brewery in Pretoria, produced what was probably the first commercially available Altbier in South Africa, Düssel Altbier.

Versions of Altbier are brewed in the United States, though not always to traditional recipes. Great Basin Brewing Company produces and bottles Wild Horse Ale, which is billed as an alt-style ale. "White Street Altbier" from White Street Brewing Co. in Wake Forest, North Carolina, showcases German malts and hops in the classic style. "Copper Alt" from Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina, is based on the original Düsseldorf Altbier style. Arbor Brewing Company of Michigan produces "Olde Number 22" altbier as a seasonal specialty. Black Mesa Brewing Co. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, sticks to the minimalist, German naming convention with its year-round "Altbier". River's Edge Brewery in Milford, MI brews a traditional version called Ctrl+Alt+Del. Hops and Grain in Austin, Texas brews an altbier called Alt-eration. Kansas City Bier Co in Kansas City, MO produce a seasonal beer called Doppel Alt—based on German brewing standards. In Houston, Texas, 8th Wonder Brewery crafts an altbier year-round called Alternate Universe. Union Craft Brewing Company out of Baltimore, Maryland brews "Balt Altbier". Other American ales brewed in the Alt style include Double Bag Double Altbier (Long Trail Brewing Company), Alaskan Amber (Alaskan Brewing Company), Sly Fox Grand Opening Alt (Sly Fox Brewery) and Siren's Song (Düsseldorf Altbier) (Maui Brewing Company). Schell's Brewing in New Ulm, MN seasonally produces Schmaltz's Alt, which they classify as a Doppel Alt. Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland, CO produces Little Red Cap, a Great American Beer Festival multiple Gold Medal Winning Altbier. Martin House Brewing Company in Fort Worth, Texas produces "Turtle Power," a blackberry Altbier.

Kilannan Brewing Company near Owen Sound, Ontario has been brewing an Altbier since 2012. Kilannan also produces a traditional Kölsch. The Creemore Springs brewery in Ontario, Canada celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012 by producing an Altbier in collaboration with the Schlüssel brewery of Düsseldorf.