Boltens Ur-Alt

Brewed by Privatbrauerei Bolten
Style: Altbier
Korschenbroich, Germany

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

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April 2009: 50cl Brown flip-top bottle, with 5 months life left according to the rear label. This is the beer that saved the brewery. They were going through a rough patch some years back (everyone around their area was drinking Hannan and Diebels Alt), so they re-introduced this original, unfiltered alt and it took off in a big way. I did a brewery trip back in the 90’s and was told this while there. I still have an original Bolten Ur-Alt glass and I used that when reviewing the beer. Just as how I remembered it, a cloudy amber colour with a huge creammy coloured head, sparkling yet moody looking. The aroma is a mix of hops, malts and peat fires rolled into a brown, toasted ham sandwich. I think the suggestion of roasted/burnt malts take the beer to a higher plain than the aroma in the flavour stakes, and it has is a lovely rich log fire feel to it. Very, very drinkable. The best Alt in the world? Could well be, I’ll be ording some more, that’s for sure.

Bottled 50cl. Courtesy of pivnizub. Appearance: It pours a beautiful dark nut brown beer with a tall, nicely remaining creamy beige head which leaves a beautiful lace. Aroma: Strong complex nose of vanilla, walnut, candy, sage, lemon peel, mocha and tobacco: Plenty of character and deeply, incredibly inviting. Flavor and palate: There is a subtle bite to this beer. Slightly astringent. Caramel, candy, apricot, peach, sage, lemon peel, tobacco and rosemary showing up. Great yeast profile. Good bitterness. Medium bodied. Impressive balance. Long dry finish which is reminiscent of caramel, candy, mocha, sage and green tea. Overall impression: A wonderful altbier. Complex and extremely pleasant. Thanks a lot pivnizub!

Swing top bottle. Sweet, lightly smokey malt aroma. Hazy brown color with large tan head. Sweet, smokey malt flavor with a light bitter herbal hops finish. Very nice.

from crackedkettle.com - clear dark amber-brown coliur with a dark beige foam; fair earthy aroma with light fruity notes; medium-bodied, some astringence and a decent bitterness, long earthy finish - a very nice altbier

Very dark brown in colour. A bit smoother than the majority of alts. While the finish is dry it is not as bitter as competitors. Still has the malty body, though.

Sowohl aus der Flasche als auch aus dem Fass darf ich dieses Boltens UrAlt heute testen. Zuerst einmal ist das Fassbier an der reihe. Frisch geschenkt kommt es zu mir, im Glas steht die Schaumkrone gut und die Rost-rote Farbe des naturtüben spricht mich an, sie gefällt mir besser als bei den meisten Filtrierten. Geschmacklich ist es auch gut: gutes Maß an Hopfen, Süffigkeit und CO² der Nachgeschmack ist leicht herb und gefällt mir an diesem (Ur)Alt mit am besten. Test vom 6.4.2008, Gebinde: Fass Noten: 12,11,11,13,-,12 - 11,84

Murky brown body with red glow, big foamy light tan head. Earthy, cheese, figs and dark pine aromas. Very refreshing malty body with light bitterness. An interesting drink. Not overly complex. End is bitter with chocolate. Not in love with the watery mouthfeel though. (50cl bottle, 2,50 EUR)

Bottle. Light hazy brown with quite a frothy but not very sustainable head. Malty, lightly hoppy aroma with grain, nuts, caramel, yeast, some smoke and tobacco, slightly sourish. Taste is dominated by the nutty-caramelly maltiness, is a bit sweetish and only slightly bitter, with a great nut and tobacco aftertaste. Significantly better than the regular alt from Bolten.

Bottled: Roast malt aroma with fruity components and hop bittererness. Some notes of coffee and dark chocolate. Brown hazy color, beige creamy head. Fresh, malty flavor with a hint of sweetness and lots of coffee bitterness. Bitter hops in the end making a dry, bitter and long finish. A very bitter but pleasant brew.

Copper beer with a medium lasting white head. Grain and caramel in the aroma. Dry and malty flavour