Altbier (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
: ''old beer'') is a
style of beer brewed in the
Rhineland, especially around the city of
Düsseldorf, Germany. It is a copper coloured
beer whose name comes from it being
top-fermented
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...
, an older method than the bottom fermentation of
lagers.
Characteristics
Altbier is usually a dark, copper colour. It is fermented at a moderate temperature using a
top-fermenting yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...
—which gives its flavour some fruitiness. Because Altbier is then matured at a cooler temperature, its flavour is more akin to
lager beer styles than is the norm for top-fermented beers (such as British
pale ale).
Altbier in Germany
The first producer to use the name Altbier—to contrast its top-fermenting beer with the bottom-fermenting kinds—was the Schumacher brewery of Düsseldorf, that opened in 1838. Mass-market brewers of Altbier include
Diebels and the Radeberger Gruppe under the brands Schlösser Alt and Hansa Alt. These are complemented by many small breweries, predominantly based in Düsseldorf. In addition, Altbier is brewed in cities that neighbor Düsseldorf.
Some Altbier breweries have a tradition of producing a stronger version, called ''sticke alt'', coming from a local dialect word meaning "secret". Originally made as a special reserve beer intended for the brewers' own consumption, today it is generally a seasonal or special occasion brew. It is stronger in taste and alcohol—as well as darker—than the brewery's standard output.
There exists a regional rivalry between the drinkers of Altbier in the Düsseldorf area and the drinkers of
Kölsch beer in the Cologne (Köln) area.
Production
A beer variety strongly associated with the
Lower Rhine region
The Lower Rhine region or Niederrhein is a region around the Lower Rhine section of the river Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between approximately Oberhausen and Krefeld in the East and the Dutch border around Kleve in the We ...
, Altbier is especially found in the towns of
Düsseldorf,
Krefeld, and
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Möncheng ...
. Although it remains popular in those towns, its market share elsewhere has been falling, and across the North Rhine Westphalia region has dropped to below 5%. Elsewhere in Germany, very little Alt is sold.
Producers in Düsseldorf
There are seven bars in Düsseldorf which brew Altbier on the premises:
* Füchschen
* Kürzer
* Schumacher
* Schlüssel
* Uerige
* Alter Bahnhof (Gulasch Alt)
* Brauhaus Joh Albrecht (Johann Albrecht Alt)
Füchschen, Uerige, Schlüssel and Kürzer are all brewed and sold in the
Altstadt
''Altstadt'' is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ''Al ...
(Old Town). Schumacher is between the Altstadt and the main train station (Hauptbahnhof), although it also has a pub in the Altstadt, Im Goldenen Kessel, across the street from Schlüssel.
Each brewpub produces a seasonal "Sticke" variant in small quantities, though the names vary: Schlüssel spells it "Stike", without the "c", while Schumacher calls its special beer "Latzenbier", meaning "slat beer", possibly because the kegs from which it was poured had been stored on raised shelves.
[Horst Dornbusch, ''Altbier''. Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications] Füchschen's seasonal is its Weihnachtsbier (Christmas beer), available in bottles starting mid-November, and served in the brewpub on Christmas Eve.
[Fuchschen web page on Weihnachtsbier](_blank)
; retrieved 26 April 2007
Producers outside Düsseldorf
Altbier brewed outside Düsseldorf includes that produced by the Diebels brewery in
Issum
Issum is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately east of Geldern.
Economy
Issum is home to the Diebels
Brauerei Diebels is a firm based in Issum on the Lower Rhine that ...
, the Gleumes brewery in
Krefeld, the
Bolten brewery in
Korschenbroich
Korschenbroich ( li, Korsjebrooch) is a town in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Niers, approx. 13 km west of Neuss and 5 km east of Mönchengladbach.
Twin towns – sister cities
...
, the
Warsteiner brewery in
Warstein (that owns the brand "Frankenheim Alt", originally brewed in Düsseldorf), and the Fiege brewery in
Bochum.
Altbier is somewhat similar to
Cologne's native beer style ''
Kölsch'', being warm-fermented at a lower temperature than British ales, and Altbier proper is also brewed as "Ehrenfelder Alt", in Cologne's smallest brewery "Braustelle" .
Pinkus Müller
Pinkus Müller is a German brewery based in the Northern Germany town of Münster. The Pinkus-Müller brewery traces its origins to the arrival of Johannes Müller (1792–1870) in Münster from his hometown of Hildebrandshausen in 1816. After ...
brewery in
Münster produces an Altbier which is quite different to the Düsseldorf style, being pale and slightly tart.
Producers outside Germany
Altbier has been produced in the city of
Venlo in the Netherlands since at least 1753. Venlo is on the border to Germany approximately 50 km (30 miles) from Düsseldorf. The beer was produced up until the Second World War, but then had a hiatus until its revival in 1983. It is produced by the Lindeboom brewery, who bought the recipe in 2001.
Altbier is brewed in small quantities in Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Liechtenstein, the UK, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Norway
and Brazil.
Versions of altbier are
brewed in the United States, though not always to traditional recipes.
See also
*
List of beer styles
Beer style is a term used to differentiate and categorize beers by various factors, including appearance, flavour, ingredients, production method, history, or origin. The term ''beer style'' and the structuring of world beers into defined cate ...
*
German beer
Beer is a major part of German culture. German beer is brewed according to the ''Reinheitsgebot'', which permits only water, hops, and malt as ingredients; and stipulates that beers not exclusively using barley-malt, such as wheat beer, must be ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altbier
Culture in Düsseldorf
German beer styles
Tourist attractions in Düsseldorf