Altbier
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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 **Ger ...
: ''old beer'') is a style of beer brewed in the
Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...
, especially around the city of
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, Germany. It is a copper coloured
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
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
lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage" ...
s.


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 Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage" ...
beer styles than is the norm for top-fermented beers (such as British
pale ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Diff ...
).


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 Brauerei Diebels is a firm based in Issum on the Lower Rhine that manufactures various beer products. The company was a prominent shirt sponsor of Borussia Mönchengladbach during the 1990s. In 2005 the company produced 1,006,000 hectoliters of ...
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 West. As ...
, Altbier is especially found in the towns of
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
,
Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...
, 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 Mönchengladbac ...
. 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 ''Alt ...
(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
; 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 brewery, the largest altbier brewery in the world. Notable natives ...
, the Gleumes brewery in
Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...
, 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 Mönchengladbach (, li, Jla ...
, the
Warsteiner Warsteiner () beer is brewed in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park outside of Warstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Warsteiner has been owned by the Cramer family since 1753. Warsteiner is Germany's largest privately owned brewery; its b ...
brewery in
Warstein Warstein () is a municipality with town status in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of Sauerland. Geography Warstein is located north of the Arnsberger Wald (forest) at a brook called Wäs ...
(that owns the brand "Frankenheim Alt", originally brewed in Düsseldorf), and the Fiege brewery in
Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
. Altbier is somewhat similar to
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
'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 m ...
brewery in
Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
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 Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherland ...
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 categ ...
*
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 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altbier Culture in Düsseldorf German beer styles Tourist attractions in Düsseldorf