Tasting

When tasting Altbier, the color catches the eye first: it recalls old sheet copper. On the nose, malt, bread crust and a hint of caramel rise up, backed by a herbal hop note. The first sip is dry, the bitterness building slowly and lingering on the palate. A good Alt never comes across as sweet, but rather full-bodied and smooth.

The house breweries, known to every visitor in the city, serve as good examples. Uerige's Alt is considered the most bitter, Füchschen's balanced, and Schumacher's malt-forward. The younger Kürzer Alt, brewed in the Old Town, is also often mentioned for comparison. Tasting them all side by side quickly reveals how differently the same style can express itself.

The classic glass is a slim, straight cylinder usually holding 0.25 liters, keeping the beer cool until it's finished. It should be served cool but not ice-cold, so the malt and hops aren't muted. In the house breweries, it's customary to pour straight from the cask without much delay, often in large batches at once, so every glass arrives fresh.

A small tasting round works well with water and a bit of bread in between. This makes it easier to taste the differences between houses without one beer's bitterness masking the next. Notes help: color, aroma, bitterness, finish. After three glasses, comparison gets harder anyway, so a short break between houses is worthwhile.