I recently had an altbier at Dovetail in Chicago and it was truly excellent. I have utterly no idea whether it was authentic (though the folks at Dovetail do have some cred), as I've certainly never been to Dusseldorf and for that matter I'm not sure I've ever even had a German example of the style. But I do know a good beer when I get it, and this was one: very drinkable, lots of grain, lots of melanoidans, a little bit of crystal sweetness and roast, quite bitter, and noticeable hop aroma. That's what I'm aiming for.
As a further note on inauthenticity, I'm going to use mostly American craft malt, I'm not going to do a decoction, and I'm going to use dry yeast. That's just how I roll. I've also got a weird assortment of hops on hand.
So, first stab at things:
35% Pilsner
35% Vienna
20% Munich
5% English light crystal
3% pale chocolate
2% midnight wheat
To 1.045-1.050. I'm tempted to try English pale instead of the Pilsner. (That's what Weikert -- also not a fan of authenticity -- does.) I also have Caramunich that I could use instead of the light, but I like English crystal.
Magnum or Marynka @ 60 to ~35 IBU
Spalt or Boadicea or Northern Brewer or Crystal, 0.2 oz/gal. @ 10
Lallemand Köln, fermented at 60 F
Everything except the yeast is open for debate! Hit me with your ideas.
As a further note on inauthenticity, I'm going to use mostly American craft malt, I'm not going to do a decoction, and I'm going to use dry yeast. That's just how I roll. I've also got a weird assortment of hops on hand.
So, first stab at things:
35% Pilsner
35% Vienna
20% Munich
5% English light crystal
3% pale chocolate
2% midnight wheat
To 1.045-1.050. I'm tempted to try English pale instead of the Pilsner. (That's what Weikert -- also not a fan of authenticity -- does.) I also have Caramunich that I could use instead of the light, but I like English crystal.
Magnum or Marynka @ 60 to ~35 IBU
Spalt or Boadicea or Northern Brewer or Crystal, 0.2 oz/gal. @ 10
Lallemand Köln, fermented at 60 F
Everything except the yeast is open for debate! Hit me with your ideas.