United Nations of Beer

Schmaltz Alt Ale

by Bill Cassidy
(Beer Delegate, MN, USA)

Schmaltz Alt Ale
August Schell Brewing, MN, USA

I’m walking to the local liquor store, in my head bemoaning the fact that I’ve sampled virtually everything they carry. I stand in front of the windows somewhat grumpily looking at all the old hats in the cooler case.

When out of the corner of my eye, I see something new! Could it be? This old joint changed things up and brought out a new flavor.

There it was, Schmaltz Alt Ale. Oh, For Joy! Given my affinity for German styles and with a nice picture of an old-timey miner- or logger-looking fellow seated on a barrel holding a nice frothy glass of brew (which you can see in the image, complete with the proper service glass for an Alt!), I was soon racing home to crack one open.

The excitement lasted until I actually opened the bottle. You might wonder how I got beer on my pants... I will say it involved a non-twist off top and a Bic Lighter. Upon decanting the slightly shaken bottle, I noticed very little. Not much in the way of aroma.

The color is very dark and, upon a few more tries, the Schmaltz Alt Ale always seems to pour very frothy.

Flavor-wise, Schmaltz’s is somewhat flat. Not sweetly malted, as you might expect from a darker beer. The hops note is somewhat stronger, with a hint of black licorice near the end of the swallow. It does have a pleasant, but hardly noteworthy creaminess throughout the entire sip.

In fact, despite what the label says, it doesn’t remind me of an Alt at all (granted, it has been many moons since I’ve been to Düsseldorf and had the real thing), seeming to share more in common with a Porter. Color me unimpressed.

But then again, Porters have never really fluffed my skirt and this guy had a big glass to fill, being the new find at the old haunt, and all. Back to the old reliables it is.