Altamont wormhole takes you to a hoppy place
You’ll find Altamont Beer Works tucked away on the eastern edge of Livermore. It’s a gem of a brewery, especially for the hop worshipers among us.
At first glance, the tasting room appears to be a regular bar, with artwork and funky signs on the walls. Head back toward the restrooms, though, and the path leads you into a wormhole that magically transports you into the brewery, where a second bar is nestled among fermentation vessels and brew kettles. On the day we were there, a guitarist was entertaining the crowd on the brewery side.
Altamont is known for its pale ales. Six of the 10 taps in the main tasting room were pale ales, IPAs or double IPAs, with the four exceptions being a blonde ale, a red ale, a wheat ale and the Nutty Operator, a unique peanut butter-oatmeal stout, described quite accurately as a Reese’s peanut butter cup in a glass. This brewery loves to experiment with hops, but they rarely take it too far. Every beer is well balanced, from the Basic Bitch blonde ale, which is 4 percent alcohol by volume, to the Hella Hoppy double IPA, which clocks in at 9 percent ABV.
There are so many choices, you’ll want to try them all. Conveniently, a flight of five 4-ounce tasters costs $6. To ensure freshness, the bartenders only pour one at a time. As the place became more crowded the day we were there, that practice meant longer waits between tastings, but it did achieve its freshness objective. And if you find one you simply must take home, you can purchase a crowler — a 32-ounce can filled on the spot — or a growler.
Don’t miss: All of the IPAs are well made, but the Juice Above the Clouds Imperial IPA (9 percent ABV) is particularly interesting. It features Mosaic hops, one of the hottest new varieties, with an aroma rich in tropical fruit.
Details: Open from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 12-7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 12-6 p.m. on Sundays at 2402 Research Drive, Livermore; www.altamontbeerworks.com.