On the road once again, for the first time in a long time I’m hanging out in the beer-lover’s paradise… Germany. Ah, man – what a place! After trekking across the US, the Atlantic, the south of England, the plains of Nordrhein-Westfalen and the streets of Muenster, it was a relief to finally sit down for a moment and savour a cheeky drop of ale.
First up – a bottle (or two) of Diebels Premium Altbier from Brauerei Diebels, a style I don’t believe I’ve ever tried before, so thanks to the server who recommended it as a fine local ale. Historically brewed in the Dusseldorf region, this is a beer which has been brewed since olden times, the “old beer” name
“refers to the pre-lager brewing method of using a warm top-fermenting yeast like British pale ales. Over time the Alt yeast adjusted to lower temperatures, and the Alt brewers would store or lager the beer after fermentation, leading to a cleaner, crisper beer than is the norm for an ale.”
True, that – a deep copper and hazlenut colour in the glass with a light, thin head this beer is strong in the malt department and finishes with a tasty bitter ending. It definitely looks like an ale, but those looks are deceptive – Diebels has a lean and rangy character that isn’t exactly thin, but definitely doesn’t have the full, rotund body of a traditional ale. Refreshing, but with a hearty undertone that helped carry me from the first to the third bottle in the course of an hour with a plateful of steak to accompany it, this is a beer I’d go for again. If only there weren’t so many others to try while I’m here…
JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again
