From the Beer Writer: I love this time of year, when German beers reign supreme, and not just the light, more one-dimensional lagers that are now popular year-round. I really enjoy German beers with substantial malt character. My favorite of those styles is altbier, and it’s become my go-to order whenever it’s available at any of Eppig Brewing‘s tasting rooms. Their altbier goes by the name Rival, and offers a lovely intermingling of dark-bread and dark-fruit notes via a lightly (stylistically) sweet, deep-crimson ale that, despite having so many layers of flavor, remains easy to drink. It’s definitely a “brewer’s beer” — the type of style that, due to its obscurity in today’s light lager- and IPA-heavy landscape, has been relegated to unfortunate obscurity. So, not surprisingly, it’s the shifter of choice for Eppig principal brewer Nathan Stephens, who reaches for Rival with great regularity when it’s on tap. That’s some nice justification for my often-contrarian appreciation for this underappreciated beer. To quote Jack Nicholson in the movie As Good As It Gets, “The fact that I get it makes me feel good…about me.”
From the Brewer: “Altbier is a style synonymous with the German city of Düsseldorf. It is fermented warm like an ale, then lagered in a similar fashion to Kölsch, which is the brew of choice in the neighboring city of Cologne. Düsseldorf and Cologne are less than 30 minutes apart by train and the name ‘Rival’ refers to the friendly competition that exists between the inhabitants of those two cities and their affinity for their respective famous and historic beer styles. Rival is a brewed-to-style altbier, complex and malt forward in aroma with some delightful fruity notes provided by the yeast. The rich, toasty flavor is supported with a firm noble hop bitterness to balance and it finishes clean like an altbier should. While not generally seen in local taprooms, I feel strongly that altbier is a classic beer style that the discerning palates of the San Diego craft beer drinker could really get behind if they became more familiar with it.”—Nathan Stephens, Principal Brewer & Co-owner, Eppig Brewing