“Altbier is to Düsseldorf as Kölsch is to Cologne,” says Virginia Beer Co.‘s brewmaster, Jonathan Newman. To which we might add, as Marzen is to Munich.
We could have chosen a festbier or a marzen for our September Beer of the Month with The Brew Shop, but that would have been too obvious. Instead, let’s keep it Germanic, but with a twist. Williamsburg’s Virginia Beer Co. doesn’t make an traditional Oktoberfest beer. Instead, they make Prost! altbier as their German-inspired fall seasonal, and that’s ok. After all, Port City‘s Oktoberfest beer has been a Vienna-style lager before for Great American Beer Festival purposes.
As we kick off Craft Malt Month, let’s start with old world German malts. We’ll get back to locally grown grains soon enough. “Prost! is toasty & malty, with slight notes of chocolate in the background,” says Newman. There’s a little herbal hop bite, and you might even detect a bit of pine or grass, because Prost! has just a hint of Columbus hops, perhaps most famously used in your favorite West Coast IPA.
Like Kolsch, altbier is a hybrid style; it’s lagered, but with ale yeast. As such, you won’t get much in the way of fruity esters from the yeast. Instead, think of it as a malt delivery system. “Think of it like an autumnal German Amber Ale with a very clean fermentation character compared to a fruitier American Amber Ale,” adds Newman.
This 5% alcohol by volume beauty can be yours at The Brew Shop in Arlington, and as always, DC Beer Patreon members get 10% the beer of the month. If you’re curious about altbier, but would like local grains, be patient; Henceforth and Bear Branch Malt are brewing up an altbier to be released later on this month. Prost indeed!
