Here’s another fine brew from one of my favorite new breweries: Enegren Valkyrie German-Style Amber Ale. Enegren is located in Ventura County, California, and does not distribute here to Georgia. So, I have to buy their beers online via Craftshack.com. They specialize in German-style brews, which are my very favorite, and that bumps them up a few pegs on my list.

Tonight, I am enjoying the German-Style Amber Ale. This is, of course, Altbier, and  Altbier is one of the few styles of ale the Germans brew. Germany is lager territory for the most part, and even their ales are generally on the cleaner, less fruity side (Kolsch perhaps being a notable exception). Enegren’s Altbier is a worthy example of a delightful German style.

Enegren says on their website:

Valkyrie is a German Style Amber, a style known in Germany as an Altbier. It is brewed following the traditions of one of the oldest beer styles in Germany - alt literally means "old" in German. However our version is a little stronger, maltier and darker than most of its German counterparts. Brewed with dark munich and pilsner malts imported from Germany, Valkyrie has a smooth toasty and caramel taste with hints of chocolate and sweetness balanced by a hefty dose of German Nobel hops.

From the can label:

Brewed with over 60% Munich dark malt, this Alt style amber ale has a distinctly malty and smooth taste balanced with just a hint of bitterness from German Herkules and American Mt. Hood hops. We ferment this beer on the colder side for a clean finish that lets the malt shine through.

Ingredients from the website:

MALT

German Pilsner

German Munich Dark

CaraMunich III

Chocolate Wheat

Melanoidin Malt

HOPS

Hallertauer

Mt. Hood

Enegren Valkyrie German-Style Amber Alehas an alcohol content of 6.2% by volume with 35 IBUs. I paid $3.99 for my can but I’m not sure what it sells for in stores.

Enegren Valkryie German Style Amber pours to a beautiful mahogany color with a thick fluffy eggshell head and a rich inviting malty nose. The beer is definitely darker in color than most of the copper-colored Alts I have experienced in the past. Taking a sip, the beer is big and beautiful with luscious caramel and nutty malty notes, once again defying the norm and being  abit fuller in body and meltier than most Alts I have tried. It’s toasty, too, and finishes balanced but not overly bitter.

 A wonderful German altbier, tasty and delicious. Yeah, you know I would drink this wonderful beer again.