Phil's Existential Alt (Brewer's Share) - Full Sail Brewery & Tasting Room & Pub

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle - $5.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber-hued body with a medium-small, wispy, ivory-hued head.

Smell: The nose leans a bit malty, with a note of toasted biscuit tops and suggestion of homemade caramel. Low hint of esters. Moderate degree of spicy-minded Continental hops.

Taste: Biscuity, toasty German malts with a little, sweetish nibble of burnt sugar. Slight fruitiness with a bit of green raisin showing. Spicy Noble hop bitterness gives a slight bite and a steady-as-she-goes dryness until the finish with a final zip of suds.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. A notch on the dial just above medium carbonation.

Overall: A solid, well-built alt.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 22:59:32 | More by ChainGangGuy

Tom-Peters

California

3/5  rDev -17.4%

05-16-2013 15:32:10 | More by Tom-Peters

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured a finger of head on a dark amber colored body. Looks great.
It smells old (it is an altbier after all). Seriously, it has a good barnyard/hay and earth smell to it.
It's fairly complex for an alt with some mild maltiness to start, then some hop spice and finishes with a bit of burnt wood.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
I haven't tasted many, but this is the best altbier I've had.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 04:33:02 | More by Fatehunter

acurtis

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

05-05-2013 18:50:05 | More by acurtis

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -17.4%

05-05-2013 18:27:43 | More by djrn2

barczar

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear medium brown with copper highlights and a foamy one inch light khaki head that dissipates slowly, leaving lines of lacing.

Bready, lightly toasted malt a hint of citrus, and floral hops are initially evident in the aroma, with a bit of sweet caramel surfacing later.

Flavor is malt-dominant, with nuances of toasted breadcrust forming the backbone, and a touch of caramel sweetness lingering throughout. There's a back-palate note of lemon that adds intrigue into the lightly roasty, slightly bitter finish.

Body is moderate, if not a touch on the heavy side, with moderate carbonation, and a bit of a citrus bite.

Overall, a great, sessionable brew. Malt character is complex enough to be interesting. Expected a little more floral flavor from the hops, and perhaps not so much citrus.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 18:39:13 | More by barczar

ngeunit1

California

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a fairly clear orange-red with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet bready and caramel malts with grains, lager yeast, light floral hops, and some light fruity esters.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet bready and caramel malts with some fruity esters and grains. Through the middle, some light floral hops come through with some biscuity malts and some lager yeast. The finish is a mix of sweet bready malts with some floral hops, fruity esters, and lager yeast.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice Altbier with good yeast character and smoothness.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 02:31:20 | More by ngeunit1

mactrail

California

3.13/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Dark amber with a modest foam. Lots of lacing along the glass. A pleasant sudsy mouthfeel.

Dark and bitterish flavors lurking. Tangy with hints of caramel. Seems more interesting with a few sips, but it ends up as a lightweight oddity. The Altbier style seems to be a tricky one. This is light, with a hint of butter, and a bitter aftertaste. In between it's a grainy brew that tastes like a Pale Ale with some rye. Some odd spoiled fruit and that bitterness without any hint of hops.

From the 22 oz bottle bought at Pinkie's in San Angelo, Texas. The "enjoy by" date is missing.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 04:57:09 | More by mactrail

valkyre65

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

10-23-2012 00:10:42 | More by valkyre65

KajII

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Suggested Glassware: Kölsch/Altbier Glass]

The pour was a clear caramel brown with a large (2-3 finger) off white pillowy head that was mostly lasting, finally receding to a large cap with excellent streaky lacing.

The aroma was nice and enticing with a toasted sweet grain malt, light floral hops and a mild doughy yeast and had hints of caramel, honey and a slight fruity ester.

The taste was good and malty with a nice caramel sweetness in the beginning, and then took on a mild fruity hoppiness with a slight bitterness creeping in at the end. The flavor hung on for a good duration proceeding the swallow with a mild citrus peel bitterness lingering for a little while longer.

Mouthfeel was a few steps above light in body with a smooth creamy texture and a somewhat mild carbonation.

Overall probably the best Altbier I have tasted to date, it was malty-sweet with a good hoppiness and a great drinkability. There is not much more one could ask for within this style...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 15:22:53 | More by KajII

woemad

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle purchased at Yoke’s on Foothills Drive in Spokane for $3.99. According to the label, this is best by June 16, 2012. Oops. Guess that’s why it was on sale.

Poured a very dark copper color, with a good-sized, bubbly beige head. When held up to light, the beer takes on a slightly reddish hue. Lots of lace left on the sides of nonic-style pint glass.

Nutty in the nose, along with a mild, floral hop scent. There’s some bready malts as well. Smells not unlike Alt’s I’ve had in Germany, which is not a bad thing at all.

At first it definitely seems like a more malty than hoppy tasting beer, which is what an Alt is supposed to taste like. It begins with a complimentary blend of sweet maltiness and mildly bitter hop flavor. The hop bitterness, although restrained enough to be in harmony with the malts, is greater than a typical German example of the style. In the fadeout the hops become a little more dominant, providing a subtly dry ending.

Medium bodied, with a very slightly oily yet prickly mouthfeel.

This tastes like a really great blend of Germany and America – a beer that is mainy German, stylistically, but brewed with a little bit more hoppiness on account of it being brewed by a brewery from the hop crazy Pacific Northwest. I hope to see this one brewed again, for although the age didn’t seem to harm this beer, I’d still like to try a fresh one.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 20:15:15 | More by woemad

patpbr

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle. The label has got a lot going on.
A nice dark copper color For altbier. The scent is both of carmeal and malts. Taste has a toasted character to it and mostly malt, somewhat nutty? . I found a bit of a hop taste. its light and easy to drink. Not a bad choice for 3.99

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 23:26:09 | More by patpbr

Yjt2

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

09-18-2012 03:15:43 | More by Yjt2

Travisnin

Idaho

3/5  rDev -17.4%

09-14-2012 06:20:01 | More by Travisnin

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a nonic pint glass on 9/4/12

Deep copper and rust hue with tobacco brown highlights. Smooth, one thumb head is long lasting. Overall retention is great. Lace, other other hand, if few and far between (probably because the foam keeps itself as mostly unified mass).

The aroma has a great deal of complexities: dark bread, caramel, figs, raisins, apple butter, herbal hops, leafy hops, orange marmalade and orange peel. Faint hints of cinnamon. This is a dense aroma for a beer with a modest abv.

A mild to modest hop presence of grass and herbal leaves leads of with a subtle bitterness on the peripheries. Candied fruits, caramel, spiced bread and tangy dark fruits fill out the flavor, pushing the hops along to the finish.

The feel is a slick, somewhat sticky medium and is largely left without intrusion of carbonation that is on the low side of the spectrum. Finishes dry with mild lingering residuals.

I'm glad I picked up a bottle of this. Strong throughout and enjoyable to sip on. Good bargain, too.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 06:00:10 | More by Ryan011235

Reidrover

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber from "Lifesource" Salem. $4.79 Nice deep amber/brown body with a slight haze,and a thick creamy quarter inch eggshell white head atop. Malty,bready,nutty slightly toasted aromas. All of the above inn the taste..plus a semi bitter after taste that works well. Nice rounded mouthfeel . Good drinkable beer

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 22:08:49 | More by Reidrover

simonmoyse

Washington

3/5  rDev -17.4%

09-02-2012 21:47:47 | More by simonmoyse

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light fluffy 1/2 finger head with lots of sticky lacing, quite clear cranberry auburn reddish color.

Nose has some light reddish malts, little caramel and red candy, little toasty even, hint toffee. Hops bring a bit earthy hop, little grassy and slight herbal hops, slight ester like earthiness with some fruity aromas, little cherry apple like.

Taste starts with caramel reddish malts again, chewy reddish Munich like malts, some caramel and toffee, little sweetness. Then hops, little spicy, earthy, and quite herbal, and chewy hops. Bitterness is fairly strong but not overly. Slight phenols come through with a bit of fruit again. Finish is dry and quite bitter, long earthy spicy and slightly herbal lingering finish, little sticky sweet malts but mostly dry.

Mouth is med bod, decent carb.

Overall OK, not bad, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 03:20:49 | More by jlindros

jurbanik

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

08-30-2012 23:53:32 | More by jurbanik

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a hazy brown color with a tan head. The aroma is full of toffee malt, with a hint of grass and some earth thrown in. The flavor similar. I get a lot of toffee notes, as well as some grass and ice-tea character. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. I am not a huge fan of altbiers, but this one was pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 23:53:58 | More by Mora2000

ibew443

Georgia

4/5  rDev +10.2%

08-25-2012 13:29:05 | More by ibew443

jaidenjb

Ohio

3/5  rDev -17.4%

08-24-2012 18:13:52 | More by jaidenjb

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.98/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bit above the glass gives this beer a medium sized tan head that settles into a pretty decent lacing above a clear reddish copper colored beer.

A light sweet malt aroma with some bread like qualities.

A lightly sweet yet darker roasted caramel malts taste blended together very well with a lighter floral hops but on the lighter side.

This medium bodied beer has a nice light dry roasted caramel malt aftertaste that stays with you.

This beer is has a easy drinking quality with some good tastes going on, I prefer more hops but I'm not everyone, if you like malty beers and Oktoberfest style beers, you like this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 00:17:16 | More by LXIXME

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle purchased as a single from somewhere localish.

Poured into a CCB pub glass, formed a 1/2" beige head over the clear dark amber brew. Head lasts nicely, with built-to-last lacing. Aroma is worty with a bit of fruity tartness.

Taste follows the nose, sweet upfront, touch of tart in the middle, with a sedate bitterness to the close. Mouthfeel is soft over the tongue, and drinkability is easy. Nice representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 20:49:46 | More by ppoitras

MarkyMOD

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

08-01-2012 05:20:38 | More by MarkyMOD