There are certain facts when it comes to loving beer. First, you’re never going to drink it all. Second, you’re never going to know it all.

Recently, I saw a post on Facebook by one of our fine St. Louis area brewers about a style of beer I am not that familiar with, Altbier. Alt (meaning old), is what the Germans would call the beers made before lager yeast was used in Germany. It’s a German amber ale traditionally made in the Dusseldorf area of Germany. Traditionally, Dusseldorf Altbier is generally hoppy, features either Spalt hops or Noble hops and is brewed with special ale yeasts fermented at cool ale temperatures (60-65 F).

Where to find a great Altbier

Not surprisingly, one of the finest Altbiers in our area is brewed at Stubborn German Brewing Company in Waterloo, Illinois.

“We make ours the same way we make all our German beers – with the best German barley malt, German hops, a German yeast strain,” said Stubborn’s Chris Rahn. “We make our own reverse osmosis water and each beer gets its own minerals added back into it in order to mimic the water of the region in Germany that the beer is originally from.”

Stubborn’s Altbier has a rich malty flavor profile that reminds you of toast and bread crusts. It also has a pronounced hop bitterness to provide balance to that rich barley malt. The yeast used in this beer gives a slight fruity character that adds complexity to the beer.