Good old Chuck Triplett! He’s always sending me the best beer. This time around, he sent me a can of Balt Altbier from Union Craft Brewing of Baltimore, Maryland. This is the first beer for me from Union, though I’ve heard many good things about them. Baltimore, of course, has a long history in the modern craft brewing revolution, and I fondly recall sipping many fine brews of Degroens beers in the 90s.
Degroen’s featured many fine German-style brews, and in that spirit Balt Altbier is also brewed in a classic German style. From the can label:
This German-style Altbier is our nod to an old world, old school ale. The word “Alt” is German for “old”, and refers to the traditional style of brewing before lager yeast was discovered. Balt is a dark, copper colored brew with a creamy head, a gentle bitterness and a clean, dry finish. Prost, Hon!
Hon, of course, is a popular term of endearment in Baltimore. Sort of like “Dahrlun” here in the south. In both cases, perfect strangers are likely to refer to each other with one of these monikers. I, of course, am from Rhode Island, where the colder temps seem to temper the blood. A stranger is lucky to get a nod of the head up there.
Ingredients, from the website:
MALT: Pilsner, Munich,Cara Munich, Carafa
HOPS: Perle, Tettnang
YEAST: German Alt
Union Craft Brewing Balt Altbier has an alcohol content of 5.6% by volume with 45 IBUs. Total Wine sells it in Virginia for $10.99 a six-pack according to their website.
Union Craft Brewing Balt Altbier pours to a dark Caramel color with a thick tan head and a soft cookie malty nose. Taking a sip, the beer has soft cookie malty notes throughout with hints of toast and dry roasted nuts. There’s a bit of caramel, too, and a gentle grassy hop finish.
I might like just a tad more hops here, but the beer is tasty and the malts simply sing. I would be drinking lots of this beauty were it sold here in Georgia.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft