This beer style delights not only fans in Germany, but has also earned an excellent reputation internationally: Altbier. Brewers add more than just normal barley malt to the brew. Special and roasted malts give this beer style its distinctive character. The grain bill is – as so often – a well-kept secret. What makes an Altbier and how did it come about?

The name “Altbier” sums it up: beer brewed in the old way. In 1266, brewing rights were granted to the Bolten private brewery in Korschenbroich, Germany. This makes it the world’s oldest Altbier brewery. Just for comparison, eyeglasses and the dry compass were invented around the same time.

In addition to Altbier from Düsseldorf and the surrounding area, there are two other top-fermented beer styles brewed according to traditional brewing methods: Kölsch from Cologne and Weizenbier from Bavaria. The reason for this is that the refrigerator was not invented until 1873 by Carl von Linde, and until then almost only top-fermented beers could be brewed. Unlike top-fermenting yeasts, which prefer a temperature of 14 to 25 °C (57 to 77 °F) during fermentation and thus also work at room temperature, bottom-fermenting yeasts require a temperature of 4 to 12 °C (39 to 53 °F) in order to work optimally.
By the way, Linde invented the predecessor of today’s refrigerator only because the director of Austria’s largest brewery at the time persistently asked if the inventor could build a refrigeration system for fermentation cellars.

There are two different types of Altbier. First, there is the Westphalian Altbier from the Münster region. It consists of about one-third wheat malt and has a small proportion of dark malts. It is characterized by its creamy foam consistency and a lighter color. The second variety is Düsseldorf Altbier. For this, only barley malt is used, combined with a higher proportion of roasted malts.

What makes a typical Altbier?

The “prototype” of Altbier defines itself as a dark top-fermented full beer with an original wort of 11.0 to 12.5 degrees Plato. The alcohol content is between 4.8 and 6.0 percent by volume. A value of 20 to 45 IBU shows how differently hops can be used. The color (30 to 38 EBC) ranges from copper red to deep brown. The malt character dominates the beer taste and the hop bitterness stays in the background. A small proportion of roasted malts is essential for a successful Altbier. Caramel malts can also improve sweetness and fullness. The beer thrives on the balance of nutty malt flavor and the bitterness of the hops. A distinctive feature of the style is the fermentation process. To avoid unwanted fermentation byproducts of the top-fermenting yeast (such as the formation of diacetyl), fermentation is conducted at very low temperatures.

With its rustic, malty, tart character, Altbier delights not only its fans in its country of origin, Germany. In the meantime, it has also gained a good reputation internationally.

That’s why Altbier is the focus of the BestBrewChallenge 2022. It is to be brewed with BEST Chocolate roasted malt. All the conditions relating to brewing and the competition can be found at www.bestbrewchallenge.com.