Altbier – Agner & Wolf Brewery Corp.
With Thanksgiving behind us, we can start to focus on the upcoming holiday season, winter and staying inside a little more often. Cold weather invites warm drinks and conversation around a toasty fire or just reminiscing about the past week’s events in an easy chair. Sometimes this includes a frosty beer to rest your bones after a long day. So, here is one to put on your shopping list, from NH’s own Agner & Wolf Brewery.
Agner & Wolf, located in Nashua, NH, offer us four different styles of beer; Hefeweizen (Wheat beer), Altbier (Ale), Marzen (Red Lager) and Schwarzbier (Dark Lager). Following their long-time dream of owning a brewery, Erwin and Nataly Agner opened in 2012. Keeping their craft as simple as necessary, these four beer types forge the company’s success within a crowded marketplace. All of their label art is classy, with a German flair. They are members of the Granite State Brewers Association and are distributed widely throughout New England in 22 oz bottles. Visit them on facebook.com/agnerandwolf or their website at www.agnerwolfbeer.com
Altbier style is truly of German descent. It means ‘old’ and is a style born before lager beers. It is enjoyed with hearty foods such as roast pork, sausage, bold fish, burgers and pizza. This is a well rounded beer style that should be shared among friends.
Pouring the Altbier from the 22 oz bottle into a pint glass was slightly challenging since there was tremendous head retention the likes of which I hadn’t seen before. You’ll first notice its depth of color; a deep gorgeous chestnut brown. The sparkling tan head stays throughout your pint with generous lacing. Malty with roasted grains meet your nose before your first sip. Coffee and malty mouthfeel remain as you enjoy this brew, with a medium body, a touch of sweetness, while finishing with a typical dryness. A slightly discernible and late hop finish is also an example of this style. At 4.9%, Altbier won’t bite back but just give you a warm hug.
BeerAdvocate.com has officially rated this one 3.6 out of 5.0 while other contributing folks gave equal or higher praises to this Altbier.
You can find this and the three other Agner & Wolf brews at Case-n-Keg in Meredith and Laconia and other fine craft beer providers. Try all four of their offerings to which will be your favorite!
Jim MacMillan is the owner of WonByOne Design of Meredith, NH, and is an avid imbiber of craft brews and a home brewer as well. Send him your recommendations and brew news to
wickedbrews@weirs.com
