Altbier - eh?

So what is Altbier then, I hear you ask (well, I don't really - but who cares...)

Altbier is a relic of the old era, before lager brewing swept Europe in the 19th centurey. It's an ale style - as were pretty much all beers back then (lager had started out as a small niche style, and only caught on when people worked out how to replicate the cold conditions found in the caves where it was originally brewed). So - altbier is an ale style - not unlike English ale styles of today (and maybe more like the English styles of longer ago). In fact it's probably closer to traditional Scottish ale styles like 80 shilling - which are a little darker, a little less hoppy and fermented a little colder than the English ales. I'm not that up on Irish red ale styles, but I think they may be similar too. Back then, all the cities of Germany would have had their own ale styles, before they went all lager on us. The ale styles that live on (apart from the wheat beer styles, which are also ales) are in the north - in and around Düsseldorf, where you  find Altbier, and Cologne - where you find the Kolsch style. I found this pretty good appraisal of  Altbier on brew-your-own (a fine and learned site, to be sure).

Anyway - what it really is is a devine nectar. Its a bit malty, with a lovely continental hop aroma and its served cool and well carbonated. I have this plan for a beer trip to take in Belgium, starting with Antwerp, where they make  De Koninck - another ale kind of in the English ale mould - and then nip across to Düsseldorf for the ultimate altbier brewpub pub crawl. I'd have to take in Uerige, which is the only altbier the Amercians have heard of for some reason, and also Schumacher-alt - which is the oldest altbier brewery in the city. There are dozens of other brewpubs and brews to take in. Got to do it some time.

In the meantime there is always Beers of Europe to fall back on - an endless world beer tour in the confort of your own living room. Or you can brew your own world beers...