Long Trail Double Bag

Brewed by Long Trail Brewery
Style: Altbier
Bridgewater Corners, Vermont USA

12 oz bottle. Copper colour, thick off-white head. Sweet worty aroma, light berry, pear and apple esters. Soft noble hops are also apparent in this as well. Slightly bready and bread crust malt aromas. A bit of peppery ethanol. Very fresh and complex grain bill. Light earthiness as well. Flavour is quite complex, some fruity and malty flavours, long spicy hoppy finish. Lingering prickly mouthfeel. Tasty. As it warms, some orange, vanilla and a bit of tannic character comes out.

12 oz. Clear amber with a small off white head. Light carbonation. Aroma: sweet malt, caramel, dark fruit. Taste: malt, caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit with a firm sligjtly bitter finish.

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear copper body under a foamy, creamy, beige head. Good retention and nice lacing from the head. Well balanced nose of caramel and toffee malts under piney hops. Very thick and heavy aroma. Flavor is pretty well balanced as well, with a citric hops and iced tea bitter finish. A little oxidation on the finish as well. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with fine but active carbonation. Slightly syrupy on the finish. Overall, not bad, but fairly generic tasting.

Julios Spring Beer Festival. Clear yellow orange pour, with a rim of white froth. Distinct flowing aroma of lemon salt over pear-like malt. Flavor is a decent and complex average malt, but some spiciness, fruit character and other indiscriminate qualities that I have yet to savor in an Alt. There’s a touch of coco powder and a bit of lemon sea foam. Finishes with a nip of hay and lemongrass. Well rounded. The alcohol isn’t too noticable and carries the flavors well.

Courtesy of Porterhouse <!-- P --> Aroma is a kind of caramelized toffee dipped apple. Amber in color with a diminishing white head. Fore is stiff with more than expected alcohol followed by smoothe caramel malt, toffee notes some hearty bread notes and perfumey alcohol. This is a fairly high abv Alt. Very smooth, fruity and malty all the way through and a delight to sip at.

12oz bottle. Clear brown amber body, thin white head. Dark, roasty caramelly aroma with some special roast and apple fruitness. On my first sip I thought this was going to be another caramelly, dull beer but I was mistaken. Dry bready coffee cake crust starts the flavor which gives way to apple/pear fruit and nobley-bitter leafy hops. In the finish the bitter hops take on citrus characteristics aongside toasted pretzel bread and caramel. Medium mouthfeel. A complex take on a possibly bland style.

22 oz bottle, many thanks to muzzlehatch. Clear honey-amber hue with a tight and creamy off-white head. Malts are surprisingly bright, light bread, graham and maple syrup. A slim nuttiness dances along and is joined by a pleasant roast aroma as the beer warms. Hops are a smidge more than I’d like, lending a distinctly brassy tinge to the aroma and flavor. The fermentation might also be a bit high or the cold storage a tad short as there are some fruity esters (pear and apple, mainly) that I don’t generally enjoy in an Altbier. There’s a vibrant sweetness to this one and that blends quite well with the not-quite-thick oily smoothness of the body. Still, all complaints aside, this is a tasty brew I’m glad to have tried.

Caramely chocolaty aroma that is not overpowering. A nice clear sparkling amber with a small white head. It looks very fresh. A very lightly sweet lightly bitter flavor and is very thick and creamy. Does not taste like 7.2%.