Altbier

Altbier or Alt is a style of dark German beer brewed throughout Germany but most strongly associated with the city of Düsseldorf, for which reason it is sometimes known as Düssel. "Alt", German for "Old", refers to the "old-fashioned" method of brewing with ale yeasts and dark malts, from before lager yeasts and pale malts were available. It is considered a hybrid beer style, because top-fermented versions are often fermented at an unusually low temperature and then

History of Altbier

Types of Altbier

Düsseldorf Altbier

Düsseldorf is the only city to have maintained a living tradition of Altbier brewing, and its dark, rich, smooth Alts are usually considered the best examples of the style.

Sticke Alt

Sticke (or "secret") Alt is a stronger and often darker version of a traditional Düsseldorf Altbier, though rarely over 6%. Among the best-known examples is that brewed by Uerige and served on the third Tuesday in January and October. (They also make an 8.5% "double sticke" for the American market.) Also of note is Schumacher's latzenbier, named for the way such a beer might be stored up and away from the common folk on "latzen" or wooden shelves. This 5.5% beer is brewed to serve on the third Thursday in March, September and November.

Doppelsticke

Uerige brewery in Düsseldorf sometimes brews an even stronger version of their Altbier which they call a Doppelsticke, a much stronger (8.5%) version with dark fruit and caramel character similar to an Old Ale.

Hanover Altbier

Hanover was once famous for its own ale, Broyhan, named after Cord Broyhan who developed the style in the early 16th century after learning how to brew in Hamburg. The style is also known as Keutbier and Lüttje Lagen. The original brew consisted of about one-third wheat malt and two-thirds barley malt, and was well-hopped and light brown in color. The three extant examples are all dark beers of exceptionally low alcohol (2.8-3%), often drunk simultaneously with korn, a cheap liquor made with rye or other grains. Another "alt" beer from the region which is no longer found is Mumme ("moo-mey"), a very dark and alcoholic sweet beer that was brewed from the 14th century through the mid-1900's. Originating in nearby Braunschweig, it became very popular in Hanover as well as Great Britain which imported the beer in large quantities, eventually brewing it domestically. In the mid-1800's the style's name was appropriated for a non-alcoholic malt tonic, under which form the name can still be found.

Münster Altbier

Münster also had a tradition of Altbier brewing well into the twentieth century. Münster alts were traditionally blond ales with a lactic character from long lagering; today only a single brewery, Pinkus Müller, still makes this style.

Dortmunder Altbier

Dortmunder Altbier is another name for Adambier. It is a sour, wheat-based beer similar to other German alts only in that it is top-fermented.

American Amber Ale

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American Amber Ale is sometimes considered an "Americanized" version of Altbier. However, some American breweries do brew beers labeled as "Altbier" as well, usually in the Düsseldorf style. Düsseldorf-style Sticke Alts are occasionally brewed by American brewers as well.

Brewing Altbier

Competition Styles

Both the BJCP and the GABF style guidelines recognize the traditional Düsseldorf style of altbier. The BJCP also recognizes a style it calls "Northern German Altbier," which does not seem to clearly represent a native German style.

BJCP Style Guidelines

The BJCP's Düsseldorf Altbier category encompasses the traditional German alt as brewed in Düsseldorf. However, the BJCP also lists a Northern German Altbier category, which does not seem clearly defined and includes both lagers (for example, DAB Traditional, usually considered a Munich Dunkel) and ales.

Northern German Altbier

7C. Düsseldorf Altbier

Düsseldorf Altbier

GABF Style Listings

The GABF recognizes a single broad category encompassing all brown German ales.

German Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf Style Altbier