Long Trail Double Bag

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

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

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Have to agree with the other comments, a very nice beer with a great aroma and taste. Only problem is that it loses it fizz way too early. Definately worth a try.

I bought a sixer of this while in Maine and it didn’t disappoint. Flavor consists of caramel & coffee. Could not taste much alcohol despite high ABV. For $7 a sixer this is a great buy.

In keeping with the tradition of altbier from Dusseldorf, Long Trail decided in 1994, to brew up a stickebier or "secret beer" which is a bigger, stronger, rarer version of alt. Double Bag is a stickebier, or "double alt" that is a bigger, maltier, stronger version of Long Trail Ale. This beer was indeed a secret, much like the stickebiers of Dusseldorf, it could only be found on draught at the visitor center of the brewery. It was not advertised, and if you wanted it, you had to know the secret, and ask for it. But a beer this good can not stay a secret for long, and it got out of the double bag. So Long Trail decided to bottle this one, and make it availble year round. Long Trail Double Bag pours to a beautiful, bright, deep copper color with an off white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose is very malty, with aromas of sweet malt paired with some herbal hop aromas, and some estery fruit aromas. The body is slick on the tongue with lots of good caramel and toffee flavors with subtle flavors of estery fruit. Double Bag finishes with more big malty flavors up front, then ends with a wonderful, snappy, zesty burst of herbal/grassy hop bitterness. Double Bag comes in at 7.2% abv and is dangerously drinkable for a beer of this strength. I love this beer, and this beer style. Big malty character up front and a big burst of herbal hop bitterness in the finish. I think it is fantastic that a domestic brewery would do this very rare style of altbier. Double Bag is a very drinkable beer with lots of flavor, and would work well with hearty dishes. Match this one with some grilled bratwursts, or perhaps a classic German meal of saeurbraten, red cabbage, spatzel, and pumpernickel.

I’m a bit torn about this review. Part of me wants to dog this beer just so the rest of you will continue to denigrate it based on the cartoon cows on the label and the generic "brown ale" quality that fails to impress the uninitiated. But in fairness to the brewers who have worked long and hard and in secret to make this alchemical miracle, I can’t speak afoul of it. Uerige aside, this American interpretation of the style is phenomenal. The dark horse of any beer tasting, this beer is in contention for best of show at any tasting.

Bottle. Brown with ruby overtones, clear, average white head that stayed with the glass. Aroma smells like the bottle looks: cow, grass, farm, and yeah malt and hops, but that's a good thing to me, because I like that Vermont air. Tough beer to describe on flavor: malt is to the max, well balanced with hops; after that, vanilla, cherries, other fruityness, back to malt, and hint of red wine. Fantastic. There's alcohol in this? Yeah, plenty, but you can't taste it. Soft, subtle, complex, yet such big maltiness. Easy to drink in the way that's it's just a great beer. Seriously underrated in my opinion. The bottle was gone before I had a chance to tell it just how I felt. Ok, enough drunken sentimentality, just a great beer, and I'm glad that this stuff is back in Mass.

An excellent beer. Wonderful taste, can sometimes be a bit overpowering.

One of my favorites for sure. A very strong alcohol taste is a very nice accent to the sweet flavor.

Malty, candyish aroma. Moderately full-bodied. Thick, almost cloying lightly carmelized malt upfront. Dries out in a BIG way by the end. If this is how all Sticke beers taste, then I’m getting my arse on a plane to Dusseldorf tomorrow, because this beer was flippin’ fantastic. My thanks to Kaya161 for sending me this gem.

A very interesting and unique beer. A German style Stickebier (secret beer) which means its an alt that is not advertised as being available, and thus only regular customers who visit the brewpub would know about it (however, now that its bottled, its not exactly a secret anymore). This beer is also a great example of matching the right glass to the beer. I first had this in a wide mouthed glass, and I was hit full force by overpowering aromatics and strong alcoholic and malty sweetness, with weird bubblegum and nutty overtones. However, when I switched to a heavy straight walled, oversized German mug, this became a pure pleasure. Still sweet, it was restrained with nutty and caramel notes permeating the aroma and flavor. Smooth bordering on heavy body. Large creamy head - caramel brown color. This sort of beer is a true rarity among US brewers.