The first Altbier I can remember having was Long Trail’s Double Bag on my trip to Woodstock, Vermont five years ago. The bar was set very high from the beginning. Then the malt whisperer, Josh Hare, decided to bring his award-winning homebrew to Austin and open Hops & Grain and Alt-eration soon became one of our go-to brews. Lately, I’ve seen a few Texas breweries attempt this style, but honestly, none have approached these two until now.
The defining characteristic for an Altbier is a smoky malt characteristic that fills your palate. Jester King’s Simple Means gives me a perfect amount of smoked malt flavor that doesn’t overpower like a Rauchbier. I found the toffee flavor to be the first thing I tasted with a caramel nose.The finish had a hint of peppercorn that was cleaned out by the carbonation. The most unique characteristic was the wild yeast and souring bacteria used in the beer. The souring bacteria gives it a feint sour kick right at the end that is unlike anything I’ve tasted in an Altbier.
My batch was 2016 batch #2 and with this beer at only 5.6% ABV, it’s an easy drinker that is delightful and pleasant. I’m glad to see another Austin-based brewery knocking the Altbier style out of the park.