Schell's Schmaltz's Alt - August Schell Brewing Company

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Appearance: Slightly murky hazelnut color with a frothy light brown head.

Aroma: Bready malt with hints of toffee. Some yeast but quite a clean aroma overall.

Taste: Starts with some bread and lots of caramel malt flavor. Real light on bitterness with no placeable hop flavor. Disappointed in the finish and aftertaste which give a really metallic tinge like sucking on a penny along with the flavor of blue cheese. It's unfortunate because the lead up to the finish is pleasant.

Mouthfeel: Just above medium in body which is quite an accomplishment for a 5.1% ABV beer. Low carbonation and a bit cloying in its dryness. Average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: Definitely ruined by the aftertaste. I have a hard time believing there was anything wrong with the bottle though because the rest of the sixer was consumed by my friends who didn't seem to take issue with its flavor. Would I drink it again? Maybe, at the brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 03:47:30 | More by JamesMN

PieOhMy

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured into imperial pint glass.

A Dark ruby. No transparency. Fat tan head. Fades quickly but a little foam and lacing remain on the surface.

S Just what they were going for - Malty. Sugar. Small hint of fruitiness, apple and pear.

T Sweet malts right up front. Chocolaty and toffee flavors that I do not pick up in the scent. A subdued bitterness hangs around slightly but no strong lasting aftertaste.

M It is a little chewy but more on the light side. Smooth watery finish.

O The initial flavor, the malty backbone and the sweetness is nice but there really isn't much holding this together. The flavor dies to quickly. I got this as part of variety pack, which is good because even though this is an OK beer, I would not by this in a six or twelve pack.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:19:46 | More by PieOhMy

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

04-22-2013 00:11:12 | More by HoistinBrews

Tjvan2

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

04-21-2013 21:55:46 | More by Tjvan2

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.2%

03-10-2013 00:48:53 | More by ejimhof

PingBob

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

03-09-2013 03:07:08 | More by PingBob

bismarksays

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%

02-25-2013 09:33:59 | More by bismarksays

darky

South Dakota

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%

02-20-2013 02:46:02 | More by darky

Serick507

Minnesota

4.04/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from a bottle into a silo glass

A: Deep ruby red (when held to light), touch above black (when not), small cream head, moderate amount of streaming bubbles, nice lacing

S: Faint, clean choc and caramel malts

T: Jumps out at you, very malt forward, bready, roasted chocolate, coffee and caramel malts, grassy/ hops at on the finish.

M: Medium with just the right amount of carbonation for me (medium carbonation)

O: Love the Schell's style of malt forward, this one doesn't disappoint, bold, deep, interesting but simple, flavors, brewed the old style way. Done right. Great for cold nights. Very Good Altbier!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 05:49:05 | More by Serick507

herman77

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

02-02-2013 17:42:07 | More by herman77

koes0024

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%

01-27-2013 21:44:42 | More by koes0024

MN_Beerticker

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +6.4%

01-14-2013 03:29:22 | More by MN_Beerticker

Cramerican

North Dakota

4/5  rDev +6.4%

01-07-2013 05:42:47 | More by Cramerican

Chucker17

South Dakota

4/5  rDev +6.4%

01-06-2013 23:23:58 | More by Chucker17

11bennett

4.25/5  rDev +13%

11-21-2012 04:27:30 | More by 11bennett

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to swalden28 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a dark, clear brown color with a tan head. The aroma, as expected, is very malty. I get a lot of bread and toffee, with not too much else going on. The flavor is also very malty. There is a lot of toffee and caramel, with a little bit of chocolate thrown in. There is also a touch of grass from the hops. Overall, the beer is very dry. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 03:09:10 | More by Mora2000

GringoKid

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%

06-02-2012 22:56:30 | More by GringoKid

pisomojado8

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +19.7%

05-21-2012 00:41:06 | More by pisomojado8

robbyc1

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -26.9%

04-28-2012 22:25:12 | More by robbyc1

devonnaire

4.75/5  rDev +26.3%

03-12-2012 05:38:49 | More by devonnaire

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer from Brix in Omaha, NE
"042012" stamped on bottle - best by April 2012?
Poured into an Ayinger willi glass

With Schmaltz's Alt, Schell's has produced a solid version of the style that makes an interesting blend of toasted and roasted malt characters with some modest hop contributions. While I enjoyed the beer overall, I thought its aroma and taste could be more pronounced and still not do the beer any harm.

Able to pour a fairly tall, ~4cm head of light tan, small and dense bubbles; this creates a very fluffy-looking and pillowy mass of foam. Head descends gradually, leaving spots of lacing with it, and ultimately fading to a 0.2cm cap atop the body. Body is a dark brown when out of light, holding it up to light reveals a deep ruby-mahogany color.

Aroma has some bread character mixed with fairly sweet, moderately dark malt. Not detecting nuttiness, yeastiness, or estery ale notes, and the scents I do pick up are a bit muted. I feel this area could be improved upon, at least in my bottle.

Taste is a mix of a brown ale meets porter: mild char, cocoa, burnt sugars, and tanginess from roasted malt flavors meet equally mild caramel and toasted malt flavors. Slight metallic notes, nuttiness, and some hops must be contributing to the mild tangy, spicy taste. An altogether noticeable and pleasant taste profile, but still a bit too subtle for me.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body, with a medium-level of carbonation that is still quite soft on the palate. The resultant mouthfeel is generally smooth and creamy, well-flowing. Finish is dry, making you want another sip.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 16:21:28 | More by falloutsnow

RoryOMoore

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -20.2%

02-27-2012 07:22:42 | More by RoryOMoore

cagocubs

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass.

A: Pours light brown but darkens as glass fills. The brown hue is complimented by a 1.5 finger ivory/bone white head that retains nicely and also laces.

S: Roasted malt, some strong bread scent, and some sweet caramel/dark fruit tones.

T: The roasted malt and dark fruit sweetness are present. The taste has lasting effect. Some roasted sweetness make this an interesting drink.

M: Wet throughout the sip but it gives way for some nice drying. Aftertaste is pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 23:26:30 | More by cagocubs

beerbrute

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +6.4%

02-14-2012 22:06:27 | More by beerbrute

c1377

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

EYE
dark burnt amber

NOSE
toasted malt

BUBBLE
slightly foamy

MOUTH
not quite creamy

TASTE
bready, toasted malt; just a nip of CO2; slight warmth; a hint of toffe; and ever so subtle hop

This brew simply avoids bitterness, and compensates with extra malt character. Like eating crackers when you were a kid... sometimes simple is tasty!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 05:25:06 | More by c1377