Beer of the Weekend #821: Alphorn Ale
While watching the championship game of the World Baseball Classic last night, I cracked open a bottle of something I brought back from the Badger State a few weeks ago: Alphorn Ale, brewed by the Pecatonica Beer Company of Gratiot, Wisconsin.
The color is hazy honey. A finger of tight, beige, buttery head leaves trails of lacing, a bubbly and spotty skim, and a thick ring around the edge. The smell is amazing! It definitely smells like an altbier. (Well, I’ll admit it: it has been a long time since I last had an altbier. But the scent is very familiar.) It is very fruity and sweet. There are scents of cherry, caramel, strawberry, light grass (almost like hay), a touch of toast, and black licorice. That’s a lot to pack into an aroma! The flavor is on point, too, and mostly mirrors the aroma. It is fruity and sweet with a light but spicy bitterness. There are flavors of caramel, cherry, strawberry, grass, light toast, earthy spice, honey, and black licorice. The mouthfeel is soft and leans dry. This beer is an excellent excuse to bust out your 300 ml stange!
Fun facts about Alphorn Ale:
• Style: The case says altbier but the brewery’s website says pale ale. Weird.
• Price: $8.99 per six-pack at the Roelli Cheese Haus on Wisconsin Highway 11 in Shullsburg, Wisconsin.
• Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV is written on the carrier but 5.8 percent ABV is written on the beer’s webpage.
• Food pairings: According to the beer’s webpage, Alphorn “pairs well with a fish fry or prime rib dinner with rosti potatoes.”
• The carrier is interesting. The broadsides feature an alphorn and a traditionally dressed player, but the ends feature a boat motor.
The brewery is, I guess, named after the Pecatonica River.
• I love Pecatonica’s slogan: “What the heck, have a Pec!” It’s Thursday night and I’m thinking that right now.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
The color is hazy honey. A finger of tight, beige, buttery head leaves trails of lacing, a bubbly and spotty skim, and a thick ring around the edge. The smell is amazing! It definitely smells like an altbier. (Well, I’ll admit it: it has been a long time since I last had an altbier. But the scent is very familiar.) It is very fruity and sweet. There are scents of cherry, caramel, strawberry, light grass (almost like hay), a touch of toast, and black licorice. That’s a lot to pack into an aroma! The flavor is on point, too, and mostly mirrors the aroma. It is fruity and sweet with a light but spicy bitterness. There are flavors of caramel, cherry, strawberry, grass, light toast, earthy spice, honey, and black licorice. The mouthfeel is soft and leans dry. This beer is an excellent excuse to bust out your 300 ml stange!
Fun facts about Alphorn Ale:
• Style: The case says altbier but the brewery’s website says pale ale. Weird.
• Price: $8.99 per six-pack at the Roelli Cheese Haus on Wisconsin Highway 11 in Shullsburg, Wisconsin.
• Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV is written on the carrier but 5.8 percent ABV is written on the beer’s webpage.
• Food pairings: According to the beer’s webpage, Alphorn “pairs well with a fish fry or prime rib dinner with rosti potatoes.”
• The carrier is interesting. The broadsides feature an alphorn and a traditionally dressed player, but the ends feature a boat motor.
• I love Pecatonica’s slogan: “What the heck, have a Pec!” It’s Thursday night and I’m thinking that right now.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
