 |
AKA:
Sticke Alt
Pronunciation guide for
English-speakers:
"Lut-sen-beer"
Definition:
A
darker and stronger seasonal variation of the traditional Düsseldorf
Altbier. Invented
by the Schumacher brewpub of Düsseldorf, it is brewed only twice
a year and ready for tapping in mid- to late-September and in late November,
respectively.
Another Düsseldorf brewpub, Uerige, serves a similar brew, also twice a year, which it calls Sticke Alt. At Uerige, the two Sticke tapping dates are always the third Tuesday in January and the third Tuesday in October.
Schumacher
started making Altbier in 1838 and is today the oldest Altbier brewpub
in the world. The name for its strong Altbier, Latzenbier, apparently,
dates from an even older time, when monasteries still dominated the brewing
trade and ordinary folk were served only thin beer, known then as "convent
beer." But the real stuff, the strong beer, was stored high up on
"Latten" or "Latzen" (wooden slats) out of sight of
the impecunious commoners. This top-shelf brew, or Latzenbier, would be
reserved only for the brew monks themselves or sold secretly, or "sticke,"
to only to the deserving folk, that is, those with ample cash to make
the pious friars rich.
A Latzenbier, like a Sticke Alt, is full-bodied and well-hopped, with a surprising balance between bitterness and nutty-malty sweetness, overlaid by strong notes of chocolate and roasted, but not acrid, malt. A Sticke Alt is usually dark-copper in color, has the flavor complexity of an ale, the noble hop bouquet and creamy head of a Pils, and the clean, mellow-smooth finish of an Oktoberfest. Its typical alcohol level by volume is about 5.5% — sometimes higher — compared to the 4.7 to 4.8% of a regular Altbier. Schumacher Latzenbier is not currently available in North America. For more information on this style, see Sticke Alt.
Related beer styles:
Altbier
