Uerige Sticke

Brewed by Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei
Style: Altbier
Düsseldorf, Germany

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

Red copper beer with almost no carbonation or head. But the aroma! Nice hops come out, which is surprising for a german brew. Taste is very complex wih a nice malty start and a lingering german hops finish, but everything is there very subtely. This is like the fine beer, very "racée" yet very fresh. Not bored at all...a big big thanks for the MaibockAddict himself .

08.19.06 33cl bottle, bottled on 25.11.??, I’ll guess 2005, but they left off the year. At any rate, the date doesn’t really jive with the notion of this stuff coming out in January and October so I don’t know what to make of it. <!-- p -->This is not the first I’ve had this beer; it’s become a regular in the rotation. I definitely prefer the stuff at a warmer temp, over 65F even, so I usually just chill it a bit and then let it sit in the glass for a while before drinking it. The color is a soft, dark, honey-amber with thick and lasting off-white head leaving classic lace. The aromas are addictive, concentrated, and bready with old grasses, peppery greenery (the stuff reminds me of shrubs and yardwork for some reason), and sourdough pancake batter, bubbly and raw. Herbal and spice notes leap to the fore with the first sip with white pepper, anise, and allspice. Smoothing out in the middle the beer introduces a toffee sweetness coating the mineral notes of a musty apple. There’s a mild nuttiness that pervades, but more nutty like toasted bread than any particular sort of nut. The eff is fine and adding to a creamy soft feel, rich and tending toward slick. The finish is long and bready with a fresh tang that kicks in the last. Really enjoyable stuff, plenty complex without going overboard in any arena.

Bottle from Fancy Grocery NYC. Pours a dark amber with a small white head that diminishes quickly. Big molasses and grapefriut aroma, with some raisin and toffee back there too. Wonderful Munich malt flavor, moderately sweet, followed by an avalanche of hop flavor. What was great about this beer is that just as the malts start to give out, the bitterness kicks in, allowing you to get the best of both, with little blending. How’d they do that? A real treat.

33cL flip-top. Copper and clear. Medium head. Big malt aroma, some grassiness and breadiness. Wow, the flavor is so clean with the big malt and the bitterness at the end is very nice. Medium body. It is very well balanced with an excellent palate with just the right carbonation. Excellent beer! Can’t wait to finally make it to Dusseldorf.

Bottled on 31.01. Am I to assume that is 2005? Poured into my Fankenheim Alt glass. Crystal clear copper/brown with a dirty white cap. Toasted whole grain breads and caramel. Nice scent of Spalt hops. Malt sweetness and hop bitterness it very good. Full bodied.

Various layers of sweet brown things; caramel, brown sugar, maybe a touch of cinammon... I love this beer. I prefer the taste of DoppelSticke but I’m not always in the mood for an 8.5% beer. Then again, this is deceptive at 6.5% and could probably get you in trouble. That’s my kinda trouble, though...

Poured into a cylinder glass. Body is burnt umber in color and clear. Head is light tan, big and rocky. The glass helps the retention which leaves lots of nice lacing. Aroma is mainly sweet doughy malt with some fruitiness. Taste is nice and subtle. Nuts and toffee emerge from the malt, while a leafy tannic hop bitterness tickles the tongue on the finish. Endlessly toasty and mellow. Carbonation is modest but gets the job done. This beer is exceptionally smooth. The light bitterness in the finish tempts you into the next sip. The subtle sweetness and refreshing hop zest make this beer outlandishly drinkable. A tad high in alcohol to be sessionable but the flavor is perfect to that end. A very good beer and a great introduction into the altbier style. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.

A fantastic Altbier. It is a medium/dark and is abundant with rich malty flavors. Make sure you get it fresh though, it deteriorates fast.