Hövels Original

Hövels Hausbrauerei
Brewed at Dortmunder Actien Brauerei (Oetker Group)
Style: Altbier
Dortmund, Germany

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

Nice slightly bitter beer, some red color. Nice foam, nice refreshing and good tasting.

(bottle) pours a clear amber-copper colour with a frothy off-white head. aroma of floral hops, herbs and grass over a caramelly toasted malt base, with a light peachy fruitiness. flavour is more caramel and toasted malts, with light notes of honey and floral hops, nicely balanced and smooth. medium body and carbonation.

50cl bottle, swing top. Pours a beautiful dark, deep amber with a small off-white head that disintegrates mighty quickly but leaves plenty of lacing. Faint aroma of roasted, bready malt. Not much fruit. Medium-bodied "altbier" (this isn’t a weizen AT ALL) with moderate carbonation and relatively full, earthy mouth feel. Stark flavour of roasted malt, nuts and caramel. Bitter, malty middle and dry, bitter hoppy finish. A straightforward but powerful bitter beer (not for nothing it was formerly known as "Hövels Bitterbier") that is eminently sessionable and well-balanced. Superior altbier, very typical of central Germany (Ruhrgebiet). The antipode of the watery Cologne-based "Kölsch".

Reddish brown body with a really thick cream colored head. Great lacing. Smell is roasted malt, nuts, and copper. Taste is different than other dunkelweizens I’ve had. Very nice bitterness that has notes of roasted malt, butter, and maybe walnuts/pecans. Medium carbonation. Full bodied. Top notch in my book. Smooth and fun to drink!

500 ml bottle. From Hilden, Germany. Clear reddish amber colour with small off-white head. Malty slightly buttery and bitter aroma. Quite bitter (English) like but with Pils-like bitter hoppiness. Slightly metallic. Well carbonated for a bitter. Refreshingly different for a German brew.

Bottle in Dresden. Pours a slightly hazed goldish caramel with a off white head. Aroma is caramel, bitter hops earthiness. Crisp and lively carbonation with a lightly bitter finish. Decent brew.

On tap in Trier, as Hövels Schwarz. Clear amber colour, off white head. Gentle aroma of toffee and malts. Flavour is light bitter, toffee, light smoked malts, bit of salt in the light bitter finish. Light to medium bodied, prickly mouthfeel. Very nice beer, but not a dunkelweizen by far.

UPDATED: NOV 19, 2010 Tap. Sweet toffee malt aroma. Dark amber with medium head. Light cherry toffee malt flavor with moderate hops finish. Nice beer.