Schlüssel Alt

Brewed by Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel
Style: Altbier
Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Gravity from the wood at brew pub. Copper with a white head. Like all the local compettitors, wonderfully fresh, fruity and complex. Slightly nuttier than neighbour’s alts with marginally less hops, but certainly worthy of a session.

Had it on tap at zum Schlüssel. After a 8 hour drive from copenhagen we had been looking forward to visit this place - and by the time we got there it was late and we were thirsty. We had 7 of these small Schüssel before heading for some of the other altbier-brewpubs. This one, we all agreed on, better than the others we had. The pour was off cause original directly from the barrels with the help from gravity. The bartender new his job and pour one every second. Very impressive. The beer itself was very nice and very drinkable. Dark yellow like a wheet-field before harvesting with a nice white head The aroma was fresh, mild with som citrus and straw. The palate, crispy as hell with a tickeling feeling and very little carbonation. The taste was fresh with a little malt, wood and mild spices and hops with a finish with a little sweetness like melon combined with a mild bitterness. I guess this is the very best place to have this beer, where you can have it and drink it within minuttes of the pour - it still have the freshness and crispyness that make these beers so good. I guess that you loose alot of that in the bottled versions.

Bottled (thanks Bov!). Deep amber colour, mediumsized off-white head. Aroma is nuts, some grass, caramel malts and also quite wooden notes. Flavour is bigtime nuts, some earth, mild licorice, herbs and also some yeasty notes as well. Pleasantly balanced and very drinkable. Smooth carbonation.

Courtesy of Bov. Appearance: It pours a deep copper beer with a small off white head. Decent lacework. Aroma: Chestnuts, melon, honey, raisins and hops. Earthy. Flavor and palate: Nicely balanced. Medium bodied with hints of gooseberries. Good hop profile. Pop corn in the finish. Overall impression: Very pleasant. Thanks Bov! Second sampling: Courtesy of pivnizub. Very nice. Honeyish with mocha in the finish. Good balance. Yeasty, complex. Definetely a very good beer. Thanks a lot pivnizub. Staying with the initial rating.

draught at the brewery - pours a clear copper colour with a little beige foam; correct lacing; gently earthy with notes of caramel and a touch of marzipan; good malt body and fairly bitter, clean palate; quite long caramelish finish with notes of nuts - subtle and very pleasant

bottle, pours dark amber with a medium off white head. Carmel malt and bitter spiced hop aroma. Sweet carmel malt with a little bit of bread and biscuit flavor in the body as well end with a strong and assertive hop bitterness that dries out the ending. This is a top notch alt. Very drinkable and balanced brew. Moderate carbonation, crisp mouthfeel. Good beer.

Dank an MoritzF! Ein weiteres Altbier aus einer Düsseldorfer Hausbrauerei. Schönes Aussehen mit tollem Schaum. Hopfig-herb, deultiche Röstmalz- und Karamellnoten. Trockener Abgang und herber Nachgeschmack. Gut! 04/2007 BTO

At Schlussel pub in Koln. The alt is more toffeeish, again very soft carbonation. Deep old gold/brown, soft aroma. Soft toffee in mouth. Very bland hop on finish only slight sting and thats mainly cos its cold.