Altbruin

ALT-BRUIN
Dusseldorf_(German)-Style_Brown_Ale
Release Date : Thursday, 4 March, 1999

The latest release from the Cambridge Brewing Company lineup of specialty beers is an interesting and very quaffable brown ale. It is unusual because this style of beer is of German descent, and infrequently represented in New England breweries. It features Continental malts including Belgian “SpecialB” malt, along with dark caramel malt, chocolate, black, and wheat malts in the grist. As you would expect, the resulting complex malt flavors emphasize the warm, dark, bready flavors of the Belgian malt, then caramel and chocolate carrying into its dry, malty finish.
This beer has been hopped entirely with German Hallertauer hops, a variety popular with altbier producers in Dusseldorf. Three separate additions to our brewkettle give a noticeably fresh and spicy flavor and aroma. The hop finish, while not particularly bitter, is very dry and balanced in conjunction with the lingering malt character.
Alt or “old” beer refers to the old top-fermenting (ale ) method of beer production before the advent of lager beer in Germany. Altbier is still very popular in the Dusseldorf region, where warm fermentation is followed by extended cold maturation which clarifies the beer and rounds out any edges. It is somewhat similar to an English style nut brown ale, but has a much cleaner flavor profile. Naturally conditioned and carbonated, Alt Bruin is clean, fresh, and lively, and makes a good session beer due to its dry character and moderate alcohol. Enjoy!!