Altbier is a top-fermented, amber, lagered beer, that is traditionally brewed in the historical region of Westphalia, mainly in Düsseldorf. “Alt” (old) in its name refers to the older style of brewing when ale yeast has been widely used.
The appellation became necessary when bottom-fermenting yeasts spread about the brewing scene in the 1800’s. Nevertheless, this style is perfect mixture of ale and lager yeasts: uses ale yeast, but fermented and conditioned at colder temperatures, that results in a cleaner and crisper taste. It also has a nice hop-malt balance, but usually only moderate level of fruity esters, and more like some floral and spicy aromas.
| Original gravity | 1044 – 1052 |
| Final gravity | 1008 – 1014 |
| Colour EBC | 22 – 33 |
| Colour Lovibond | 9 – 13 |
| IBU | 25 – 50 |
| ABV % | 4.3 – 5.5 |
Grain bill
| Variety | Quantity | Quantity | Colour EBC | Colour ºL | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swaen Pilsner | 4 kg | 8.8 lb | 4 | 1.5 | 73% |
| Swaen Munich Dark | 1 kg | 2.2 lb | 20 | 7.5 | 18% |
| Gold Swaen Brown Light | 0.3 kg | 0.66 lb | 180 | 68 | 6% |
| Black Swaen Chocolate B | 0.15 kg | 0.33 lb | 900 | 340 | 3% |
The grain bill usually consists of German style base malts – mainly Pilsner and occasionally some Munich. Some sub-styles prefer cara malt to achieve the required color, while the original Düsseldorf style adds some chocolate or black malt. This recipe one is the mixture of both. Adding some wheat, or roasted wheat is also an option. Traditionally this is brewed by using a decoction mash. In case you don’t want to mess with it, feel free to perform a mash schedule of 53-62-71 °C (127-144-160 °F) for 10-30-30 minutes.
Hops
| Variety | Quantity | Quantity | Duration | Alpha acid | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spalt | 30 g | 1.1 oz | 60 min. | 5% | 17 |
| Spalt | 30 g | 1.1 oz | 30 min. | 5% | 13 |
The hop aroma varies from moderate to low and can have a spicy, floral or herbal character. Traditionally it is brewed with Spalt, but feel free to replace with other Saaz-like hops. The schedule is straightforward – same addition at 60 and 30 minutes.
Yeast
You need a clean ale yeast, preferably a higher attenuative one. This beer should be fermented at the cooler end of ale temperature (15-20 °C / 59-68 °F). Condition at lager temperatures (~10 °C / 50 °F) for a few weeks.
Dry examples: Fermentis Safale US05 or Mangrove Jack M54 Californian Lager.
Liquid examples: Whitelabs WLP036 Dusseldorf Alt or Wyeast 1007 German Ale.
Results
| Batch size | 23 L / 6 gallon |
| Efficiency | 71% |
| Original gravity | 1049 |
| Final gravity | 1010 |
| Colour EBC | 32 |
| Colour Lovibond | 12 |
| IBU | 30 |
| ABV % | 5.1 |
| Carbonation | 2.5 |
| pH | 5.25 |
Taste profile
A clean and crispy, rich malt character.
Food pairing
Sausage, grilled fish, roast pork.