Long Trail Double Bag

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

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Altbier? We should refer to this as Maltbier! This SOB is loaded with the flavor of malt from top to bottom. It has a deep chestnut hue and a large tan head. It may have the face of an Alt but it has the body of Strong Scottish Ale. Interesting, to say the least.

Pours with medium, tightly carbonated (almost looks creamy), very light brown head. Light amber color. Nose dominated by sweet malt with some slight hop notes. Medium palate, low carbonation. Flavors are dominated by bitter and drying hops, with just a bit of sweet/roasty/nutty malt. Bitter hop finish. This is not my understanding of the ’alt’ style - as malt should be in the forefront, not hops - thus I would say this beer is a bit unbalanced as hops really dominate. Extremely smooth finish for a 7.2% ABV!! Decent brew - just overdone with hops (you would think it came from the West Coast).

Malty with nice bit of hops, and sweet worty aroma. Amber/copper color. Very little head. Medium carb and body. Really malty taste. Sweet, slightly hopped with a mild bitter finish. Good ale, and you can tell it’s got the 7+% alc. Tasty, lingering after.

Clear rust color; minimal head; malty cardboard nose. Dry chocolate to start. What the hell is this supposed to be? Very unfocused. Heavy paper notes and no sweetness to counter an unending dryness.

Tiny bubbles in the ring-whisp head. Aroma is dark vinegar and buttery. Buttery flavors, rye breadiness, and toasted malt contribute nicely. Hops try to finish but are soon dominated by a sweet nuttiness. Very reminiscent, IMHO, of Sea Dog IPA with the nutty aroma and flavors. This is over-the-top for an ’Alt’, however I expected something a bit more striking. Still a delicious beer. Thanks, beer buddy Venom.

Nice citrusy nose. Body is very malty, just a little sweet. Has moderate bitterness with more citrusy flavor giving it a more refreshing taste than you’d expect from a beer of it’s darkness. Very drinkable and pleasant. My main complaint was that there was no head. Maybe the trip from CT to GA by mail harmed the carbonation a bit, though.

Maybe I’m missing something here, because this beer is rated pretty highly by raters I usually agree with, but I just don’t see it with this beer. The aroma was of like a belgian or a scottish ale, the head was white and frothy, but the texture tasted a little thin in my mouth, the finish was nice though and the high abv% was hardly noticable. I don’t think I would reach for another.

UPDATED: JAN 11, 2004 Re-rate 3/25/02: Down a point or two, but I've had some real treats since then. I can't get over how smooth this is. This is nothing like a barleywine! Someone should smack that Volgon guy in the head. 8/20/01: Almost a barleywine. Strong malt and alcohol taste.

Very nice Altbier with a good malty aroma. Body has a nice bitterness to it, but could use a little more maltiness to balance the hops and the %7.2. All in all, a very drinkable altbier.

Dark amber color. Very malty, sweet, very flavourful, need I say complex?