- Product Reviewed: Zum Uerige
- Brewed By: Zum Uerige; Dusseldorf, Germany
- Form Reviewed: Draught at the brewpub in Dusseldorf
- Style: Altbier
- Originally posted to Usenet: July 22, 2000
- Added to the Tasting Notebook: December 14, 2000
Oh, the temerity.I've refrained from considering domestic altbiers as I believe that alt is a style that must be contemplated in its native land before a decent understanding of the style can exist. This argument is not born from a squishy sense of mysticism and legend. Rather, a practical appreciation that the style does not travel well instructs this position. Alt is not alone in placing this demand on the beer geek; kolsch springs immediately to mind, as does British real ale.
Dusseldorf was part of a larger two-week stay in Europe, and served as my gateway as my flights from and to North America went through Dusseldorf. While the airport leaves plenty to be desired, the local beer style satisfies on many levels.
While in Dusseldorf, I sampled a range of alts, but focussed most of my attention on the three brewpubs in the Altstadt: Zum Uerige, Im Fuchschen, and Zum Schlussel. I also tried several others (including Schumacher, which is available in a pub across the street from Zum Schussel) to have at least a limited idea of the range that the style presents.
Done well, alt is an insanely drinkable beer delivered with dangerous efficiency. You need not ask for a replacement once your 250 mls are gone; you will have a fresh glass swiftly and largely automatically. Even alone, one can pile up a large record of consumption in a short amount of time, a record observable by all through markings on your coaster.
Uerige is considered by many as the classic example of the style. For example, Jackson affords it a rare **** rating, and many of the first alts in the United States used it as a model (e.g. Widmer's Ur-Alt). Yet, this fascination with Uerige has drawn some criticism, as it's level of hoppiness places it at the edge of the style.
Initial Impressions:
The beer is drawn by gravity out of a wooden barrel into the simple 25cl glass associated with the style. The server receives between ten and twenty glasses of alt for their tray before setting off to replenish customers in their territory.
Uerige is dark amber in the glass, surprisingly bright considering the rough travel the beer endures from cold storage to serving station. The latter require constant replenishment; when a barrel is empty a fresh replacement is literally rolled through the halls of this complicated pub (I'll admit to finding myself lost more than once on the way back to my beer from the toilet). The head is foamy like a draught real ale, but not as uniform.
Nose:
A subtle maltiness serves as a backdrop for the floral, and lightly spicy aroma of noble hops.
Flavor:
A soft maltiness opens the beer. While soft, it is also deep, and very clean: there is no fruit or butter to compete with the malt. The maltiness also has a light nuttiness and spiciness about it; no doubt colored malts are employed, but critical here is that there is no gummy sweet caramel flavor to muck up the clean maltiness.
A noble hop flavor quietly develops until it has taken center stage from the malt. Now, both flavors compete, poorly, with a building, slightly sticky, bitter finish (I suspect that this is where the spalter come out to play). This is not a particularly strong beer (1.048?) so no alcoholic warmth is present to distract from the very simple and splendidly executed focus on malt and noble hops.
Final Analysis:
While several of the alts I had in Dusseldorf rate as excellent (****) beers, Jackson has this one pegged correctly: it is indeed a classic.
Rating:
(Classic on my 5-star scale)
