Cicerone Smackdown - Altbier vs Munich Dunkel

In this episode, Scott Fielder and I compare Altbier and Munich Dunkel, both German beers. We were both Advanced Cicerones when we filmed this. Scott has since gone on to pass the Master Cicerone exam. We've got BJCP approved commercial examples Uerige Altbier ("Old Beer") vs. Ayinger Altbairisch ("Old Bavarian") Dunkel. We've also got a fresh Fortuna Altbier by Wayfinder Beer, a great brewery in Portland, OR.

These styles are both copper to brown, feature lots of toasty malt, have fairly clean yeast character and have moderate ABV levels. So how can you tell them apart? The main differences here will be found in their balance and bitterness levels.

Altbier

Alt beer originates from Düsseldorf. "Alt" means "old" and refers to the old way of making beer in Germany, which was to ferment it with an ale yeast. Alt is sometimes called a "hybrid" style because it's fermented with ale yeast but at cool temps and it is then lagered. It is made with ingredients and techniques common to both ales and lagers (much like California Common or Kölsch). Alts are firmly bitter and their balance leans toward bitterness. Also, low but noticeable levels of fruity esters from the ale yeast end up in the final beer despite the style having a very clean fermentation character for an ale.

Munich Dunkel

Munich Dunkel is, on the other hand, fermented with lager yeast. The yeast character is even cleaner than an Alt's. Dunkel has similar malt flavors as Alt, featuring lots of toast, bread crust and pumpernickel bread-like aromas and flavors. However, Dunkel is even more malt focused than Alt and will be perceived as extra malty because it lacks the firm hop bitterness of an Alt. Dunkel's balance tends to be more toward the malt. Thanks to their differences in bitterness levels and thus balance, Dunkel gives more of an impression of sweetness than does an Alt. But don't be fooled, Dunkels are fairly dry and well attenuated lagers! Don't let those caramel-like aromas and flavors trick your brain into thinking Dunkel is a truly sweet or viscous beer.

As always, remember to NEVER rely on visual cues in a blind tasting!

The Classic Styles Side-By-Side series

In the Beer Scholar "Classic Styles Side-By-Side" series, we compare similar classic styles, discuss them and provide tips for how to pick them apart in a blind tasting. This is all about helping you learn about beer styles and pass the Certified Cicerone exam and the Advanced Cicerone exam if you're prepping. Tasting blind is HARD, we're here to help!

Watch the video above to see us taste through all three beers. If you want more of this, the weekly live tastings in the Beer Scholar community on Skool are exactly this kind of side-by-side work. The Certified Cicerone course covers every style on the syllabus.

Cheers! –Chris