Altbier worthy of German roots
Malty mainstay of Doan’s Craft Brewing Company would be at home in Dusseldorf
Ask any craft brewer what one of the best things about his or her industry is, and they’ll almost certainly say the camaraderie.
Sure, they’re all competing for your beer dollars, but the province’s 120-plus craft breweries generally respect the hell out of each other.
They understand the sacrifices they’ve made to start each other’s businesses. They recognize the passion they share for quality and creativity. They’ll trade ingredients, visit each other’s breweries for a taste, freely offer and share advice.
And besides, they still have a common enemy: the giant brewery corporations that — even despite the massive growth in smaller breweries over the past decade — still command around three-quarters of beer sales in B.C.
An increasingly common way of expressing that camaraderie is joining forces to brew beer. Collaboration brews are becoming more popular, with Vancouver’s Parallel 49 even releasing an annual mixer pack of “collab” beer. But the true collaboration king in B.C. is its East Van neighbour, Doan’s Craft Brewing Company.
Since brothers Evan and Mike opened their brewery in 2015, they’ve produced nine beers with other breweries.
A big reason for this is, simply, capacity. They can only brew so much beer in their tiny facility, so mashing in at a bigger brewery gives them the space, as well as a creative outlet.
Most recently, Doan’s brewed up a Rye Munich Dunkel with Moody Ales of Port Moody; next in the pipeline is a collaboration with Sons of Vancouver Distillery, another nearby neighbour: a blend of the distillery’s amaretto with the brewery’s Altbier called Altaretto.
These batches are generally on the smaller side, so pick them up when you see them. It’s much more likely you’ll happen upon one of Doan’s mainstays, one of which happens to be that Altbier.
Altbier, which has its origins in the northwestern city of Dusseldorf, is a robustly malty style that’s balanced with a generous bitterness. With a grain bill that’s 100-per-cent Munich malt, it’s not a cheap beer to produce, but its malty depths make it worthwhile.
Like all of the brewery’s releases, the bottle labels feature the beautiful, folksy and distinctive artwork of East Van artist Ola Volo. Yes, yet another collaboration.
Appearance: Slightly clouded, dark copper with a dense white, long-lasting head. 3/3
Aroma: Bready, crusty and nutty malt notes combine nicely with earthy, slightly musty, herbal and spicy hops. 9/12
Flavour: Bready, crusty malt with a sweeter hint of caramel is present upfront. The flavour profile moves languidly through some subtle fruity esters in the lightly juicy mid, then into a moderately bitter finish, revealing a pleasant herbal aftertaste. Dry. 15/20
Mouth feel: Medium-bodied, soft and smooth with medium carbonation. A touch of astringency in the bitterness. 4/5
Final thoughts: An impressive altbier that wouldn’t taste too out of place in Dusseldorf. 8/10 Final score: 39/50 Food pairing: Pretty much any German style tastes good with pork, and altbier is no exception, whether it’s pot roasted or in a generously seasoned sausage. Mushrooms also come to mind: the beer’s crispness would cut through a cream of mushroom soup and find harmony in those earthy notes.
Buy: From $6.49 (650 millilitres) at select private liquor stores across southern B.C.
Jan Zeschky is a certified cicerone® and BJCP certified beer judge.