Arbor Brewing Olde Number 22 Alt Bier - Arbor Brewing Company

RichieS2

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from taps at ABC into authentic looking 16 oz stein.

Appearance - Was excellent, as dark and opaque as any stout, very little head with no visible carbonation.

Smell - Some mild sweetness from the malt with a hint of that coffee taste associated with dark beers.

Taste - Very intriguing, the darkness is deceptive as the beer itself is very light and sweet when it hits the tongue much like a brown ale. From there the coffee like taste found in porters and stouts asserts itself ever so slightly, it is never overpowering but it is there amidst the sweetness. Then it finishes clean.

Mouthfeel - Perfect consistency, it had lager-level lightness of body without being watery; a definite pleasure to roll around in my mouth.

Drinkability - With a lighter body and moderate alcohol content a 2nd order is in my immediate future.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2010 12:09:03 | More by RichieS2

Rostie

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +22.1%

01-22-2013 11:32:44 | More by Rostie

sgoro

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

12-22-2012 23:43:21 | More by sgoro

Acuity

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

11-10-2012 19:33:22 | More by Acuity

Zonian1

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -21%

11-05-2012 01:22:16 | More by Zonian1

TypsiYpsi

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +7.8%

11-02-2012 01:41:20 | More by TypsiYpsi

bluckbeyes

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

08-27-2012 17:43:23 | More by bluckbeyes

SirDalton

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

07-17-2012 10:55:13 | More by SirDalton

Rich540

California

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

04-14-2012 00:56:46 | More by Rich540

JimmyP

4/5  rDev +14.9%

04-06-2012 03:30:27 | More by JimmyP

Jason

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

LOOK: Two shades away from black, light brown head

SMELL: Burnt raisins, toasted dark bread, yeast, dried grass, faint herbal hop

TASTE: Smooth, semi-creamy, medium body, mild charred note, grassy, burnt pizza crust, balancing hop bitterness, clean, faint caramel, nutty yeast, semi-sweet finish

Brewer aims for the Sticke Altbier and seems to hit that right with the more robust profile, expect a slightly higher abv but this works for me. It keeps on growing on me sip after sip.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 14:50:29 | More by Jason

imperialking

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

01-08-2012 22:22:17 | More by imperialking

rsitarski

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +29.3%

12-31-2011 23:41:56 | More by rsitarski

TasteTester

Ohio

2/5  rDev -42.5%

12-17-2011 01:48:02 | More by TasteTester

Another6Pack

Michigan

4/5  rDev +14.9%

11-22-2011 02:19:58 | More by Another6Pack

StoutHunter

Michigan

2.58/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

I picked up a bottle of Arbor Brewing Olde Number 22 Alt Bier the other day for $1.69 at The Lager Mill. I didn't have the greatest first impression of Arbor Brewing, but after trying their version of Dark Corner I decided I should give them another chance and see what else they got. No visible bottle dating but the store just got them in and I know it's a 2011 vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A- The label looks pretty plain but I like the old school font the name is written in. It opened with a loud pssh sound and it poured a deep, dark, and hazy brown color that even with a very gentle pour it still yielded five fingers worth of tan mocha colored head that died down to a thick layer that stayed till the end and it left lots of nice looking lacing. This is a pretty nice looking beer.

S- I pick up a large amount of medium roasted malts that have a medium amount of sweetness to them. The malts impart some nice subtle coffee and chocolate aromas along with a slight grainy aroma.

T- The flavors starts of with the medium roasted malts that retain that medium amount of sweetness to them, it could be toned down a little. The flavors aren't as deep and roasty as the aroma led me to believe. It had a nutty flavor that I normally find in Brown Ales, to me it tastes like a mix between a Brown Ale and a lighter Porter, the flavors just don't go together that well. The finish was semi bitter, earthy, and dry, no real presence of hops.

M- It had a semi dry finish with a light body, I felt it should have been thicker, it has a watery feel to it that I don't like that much. This beer was also over carbonated, normally I don't mind a little extra head but this one took a while to pour even when I made sure to be gentle, but it was so carbonated that the mouthfeel suffered because of it, it was just to fizzy and I feel like that messed up some of the flavors.

Overall this was a pretty dull beer that I wasn't impressed with. I liked the look and aroma of this beer but after that everything pretty much went down hill. There wasn't much going on in the flavor darpartment and what was there was pretty subdued. What I liked the least about this beer was the mouthfeel, it was a mess, it was too watery and way over carbonated. I wasn't digging this brew and I don't think I would ever buy it again. I have very little experience with this style with this being first Altbier I have knowingly drank, but this beer just didn't do it for me. I can't say I would recommend this beer to people, its just too out of whack and needs lots of work. I am starting to think Arbor brewing's beers are hit or miss for me, with the misses being the majority, but I am not ready to write them off just yet.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 02:53:46 | More by StoutHunter

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a dark brown hat is nearly opaque win a nice off white head. Some lacing. Nose brings a bit of sweet malt that consists of darker chocolate, bringing some dryness as well. Taste and feel come together with a nice dry malt characteristic. The taste is a bit plain wihout much more than some grain and faint flavors behind it, but I like the feel. Drinks well and shows me yet again why I wish this were a more common style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2010 11:43:35 | More by Thorpe429

tubacharlie

Michigan

3.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A slightly musty aroma of hops and yeast is discernible. Full pour produces a light brown head that quickly dissipates. The flavor is hoppy on the front of the palate with not much follow through. A Dark brown color, it is somewhat thin in the mouth but well carbonated, more hoppy than malty. An unexceptional but very drinkable session beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 01:43:09 | More by tubacharlie

dfillius

Michigan

3.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass

A: Dark liquid? I expected golden. It does say dark on the label though. 1/2 finger of tan head from an aggressive pour. Poor head retention. Clear dark brown almost black liquid. Porter colored.

S: Dark chocolate, coffee, barley graininess. Really delightful. Very nice aroma sits about halfway between a brown ale and a porter.

T: Dry, bitter from roasted malts. One dimensional. Needs more hops to balance the sweetness. Nice alcohol nuance at the end of the glass. Merely okay.

M: Dry and a tad watery, but still bitter and bold. Boldness stops a tad short for me.

D: Pretty easy drinker. I would move on to another beer at a bar, and I don't think I'll buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 16:27:04 | More by dfillius

bamadog

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review is from notes taken on 3/29/2010 and poured from the bottle to a tulip.

Appearance: A nice dark coffee brown with deep ruby highlights; starts with a modest one finger tan head that fades slowly to a thin, but full and even skim; body is nearly opaque; firm washes and spots of lacing hold pretty tight.

Smell: Smell of bitter and earthy/dirty hops; a bit of a burnt roastiness; it's impressive just how bitter and earthy this beer smells.

Taste: Very and earthy bitter overall -- hops are very grassy and combine with a dark burnt roastiness; a mild smoked/charred wood presence that really lingers in the aftertaste; I feel this would be better in the fall; not bad overall, but not really my thing - may have to give more altbiers a chance I guess.

Mouthfeel: A little thin and watery, but it feels like it wants to be creamy; a dry stickiness allows that bitter/smokey aftertaste to linger for quite a while.

Drinkability: Not really sure I dig these flavors as of yet. The bitterness is nice, but a little too present and doesn't bring enough flavor along with it.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 01:13:58 | More by bamadog

berserker256

Michigan

2.08/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

An incredibly massive head. I poured the bottle into a pint glass and it's literally all dense tan head with about a half inch of beer at the bottom of the glass. It's annoying because I want to drink it. I can still smell it, though, and it smells like smokey burnt raisins and burnt carmel. Tastes as it smells but with a mediocre sour aftertaste that I don't really care for. Did I get a bad bottle? Upon second sniff I can detect the sourness in the aroma also. I just lowered the ratings from 3 to 2 in both those categories. The texture is a little watery and too carbonated. I'm disappointed in this beer... But what do you expect from something that comes from Ann Arbor. Go State.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 19:08:21 | More by berserker256

hackmann

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: I had to make an aggrssive pour and only got a one finger head that disappeared before my eyes could blink. No licing on the glass from the little head nor while drinking.

Smell: Faint smoky malt note but nothing to exciting.

Taste: Nice little bitter-sweet taste. Mild coffee and roasty malt notes. The watery feel seemed to wash away any undertones.

Mouthfeel: Little sharp bite on the tongue. The little carbonation and the too watery feel left me wanting more from this nice looking black beer.

Drinkability: Easy to drink - I could drink a few of these and I have at the brewpub in Ypsi.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 02:31:13 | More by hackmann

association330

Michigan

3.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, no freshness date

A - Pours a dense brown with a finger of fluffy tan head. Superb retention, with some patches of lace. Unfiltered.

S - Roasted malt - nutty and chocolately overtones, with slight smokiness. Some earthy hops.

T - Smoky and nutty malt flavor with good crispness. Finishes semi-dry with a kiss of hops and a slight sourness. Brief lingering bitterness. Hops are not quite assertive enough for the style.

M - Body is too wimpy; carbonation was medium-high, which is fine.

D - Impressive appearance and nose, decent taste, mouthfeel needs work. I'd try it again though.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2010 05:25:13 | More by association330

edenm

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is deep brown in color with a light tan head. The flavor is wonderfully malty with chocolate and nutty undertones with not much aftertaste. It's easy to drink with a light carbonation.

It's not one of the most flavorful beers I've ever had, but it's smooth and pleasant. If it was sold near me, I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 00:00:48 | More by edenm

sliverX

New York

3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a very dark brown with a thin tan head a small amount of lacing
smell is nutty with a small roasted malt character with an earthy hop note
Taste very much a malty roasted taste with a big walnut backbone slight dark chocolate but very faint, very earthy flavor from malts and hops, woody
Mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side of medium light on the carbonation at least in the feel on the tongue
Drinkability is decent nothing spectacular but a nice session beer...
*If this had been called a porter I wouldn't disagree with you and would most likely score it higher...

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 01:02:37 | More by sliverX