Long Trail Ale
Long Trail Brewing Co.

Long Trail AleLong Trail Ale
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From:
Long Trail Brewing Co.
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Altbier
Ranked #75
ABV:
5%
Score:
81
Ranked #25,715
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 12.61%
Reviews:
456
Ratings:
1,442
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 24, 2024
Added:
Mar 26, 2002
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  324
Long Trail Ale is a full-bodied amber ale modeled after the “Alt-biers” of Düsseldorf, Germany. Our top fermenting yeast and cold finishing temperature result in a complex, yet clean, full flavor. Originally introduced in November of 1989, Long Trail Ale beer quickly became, and remains, the largest selling craft-brew in Vermont. It is a multiple medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival.

25 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of bristol2120
Reviewed by bristol2120 from Illinois

3.52/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I really enjoy altbiers, so I have been meaning to try this one for a while. I finally ordered a sixer through h
Halftime recently. Overall, this is a solid beer, but nothing really special. It pours nicely, with a decent head and a good looking orangeish amber appearance. The aroma is restrained with some notes reminiscent of an English ale or ESB. Taste is again, solid if unspectacular. A nicely balanced malt backbone is accentuated by restrained hops presence. An appropriately lower level of carbonation gives just enough life to a smooth, medium bodied mouthfeel. Again, I would say this is a decent representation of the style, but there might be better out there for those willing to look.
Feb 24, 2024
 
Rated: 3.5 by JLaw55 from Missouri

Nov 29, 2023
Photo of TheYeasticandoo
Reviewed by TheYeasticandoo from Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
This is such a nice, mellow, smooth every day ale that I think it deserves a much higher ranking here. Its just about right in Autumn, Winter & Spring as a fridge standard to always have on hand.
Oct 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.85 by Zylod from West Virginia

Oct 14, 2023
 
Rated: 2.98 by TheIPAHunter from California

Oct 13, 2023
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.54/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Served on tap in a pint glass
Appearance - The beer is served a dark amber brown color with a tiny tan head. The head fades fast leaving almost no lacing on the sides of the glass.
Smell - The aroma is strongest of a caramel and bready smell mixed with a touch of toast and hints of herb.
Taste - The taste begins with a bready and lightly roasted taste with notes of molasses and nut. As the taste advances the bready and roast get stronger, while the sweet and herb get weaker, leaving one with a moderate roasty and toasty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel - The brew is moderate in thickness and creaminess with a moderate carbonation. Good for the style and flavors, making an easy drinker.
Overall - Decent brew overall. Nothing too special, but decent overall.
Sep 10, 2023
Photo of rclangk
Reviewed by rclangk from West Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A very flavorful amber ale. Pours a reddish amber with a light beige head. Toasty aroma and a tad sweet smelling. Tastes malty, hoppy with a hint of fruit.

Any beer lover would like this brew!
Sep 02, 2023
Photo of akaizer
Reviewed by akaizer from Virginia

3.81/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured a nice amber-copper color with a clear body and mild effervescence. Scent is sweetly malty (caramel?) as the primary and more generally malty as a secondary. Taste has notes of spice, hints of dried darker berries, and notes of caramel. Feel is smooth on the lighter side of medium with a mildly bitter aftertaste. A good looking beer with an easy, interesting drinking character.
Aug 17, 2023
 
Rated: 3.39 by wroywel from Massachusetts

Jul 09, 2023
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.05/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium to dark bronze amber with a four finger white head with good retention and solid lacing. Aroma of bready malt, rye bread, raisins, and nuts with light grassy hops. Flavor is bready, dry caramel malt, rye and dark bread crust, nuts, and raisins; malty with light grassy hops in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A nice looking and quite malty ale with bready and dark fruit character. It's been a while since I've had an altbier, but this one leans more towards the malty bock side of the spectrum. A little lighter than the traditional altbiers I've had, but a fair domestic take on the style. An interesting type of beer to be the flagship for a brewery, I'm quite pleased.
Jun 04, 2023
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.94/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
For reasons I don't understand, I drink too few of this style (only 15) and probably only repeated a handful. I like the alt's hybrid nature: fruity nose, yet a clean and semi-dry finish. For this somewhat obscure regional style from Dusseldorf, the three with the most ratings are from the U.S. (two from Long Trail, including this ale.) This also I find interesting: that North American micros are keeping alive a provincial style. Leave It To The Beavers.

Long Trail is a very pleasant beer to drink. (And that is not just the malt-head in my concluding.) Be sure to pour it into a glass; otherwise, you'll miss its beautiful bronze... decent foam, too. Smells like fruit from autumn, mostly pears and apples... but not distinct. Tastes are balanced. I rarely can drink two of the same brew in a row before some imbalance disturbs my mouth; but two Long Trails is very doable.

My first from Long Trail, I read through their website quickly for my obligatory micro-review. Impressively 35 years old and a Vermont craft-brewing pioneer. Employee-owned and a few other "good guy" hot buttons standout, Long Trail recently merged with similar likes at Harpoon. I wish them well, and hope they get better Midwest distribution. (I got two cans of Long Tail from the new Beer Drop.)

6/14/23 Had the second can and enjoyed this as much as an evening starter.
May 19, 2023
Photo of jonphisher
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Mostly clear, copper in color; off white head, some retention, consistent yet spotty lacing.

Nose is slightly sweet in nature, it has a moderate richness, with a toasty and husk like quality to it.

Taste is lightly malty sweet with some toast like quality; hops are present, earthy and woodsy in nature, possibly a little pepperness ont he finish; very very light generic dark fruit only in aftertaste.

Light body, smooth on the palette; some hop bitterness on a mostly dry finish.
Feb 11, 2023
Photo of leaddog
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)

4.25/5  rDev +19%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - Pours a light to medium amber with four fingers of frothy white head that leaves some pleasant lacing on the glass.

Smell - spicy earthy, floral, and leafy saaz hops, grainy and doughy malts, fruity esters of plum, apple, and other dark fruits I can't quite put my finger on, and earthy yeast.

Taste - mild spicy earthy, floral, and leafy saaz hops upfront. The fruity esters (plum, apple, and other dark fruits) come through next. The grainy and doughy malts and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes crisp with the hops and malts lingering.

Overall - A well crafted altbier from the folks at Long Trail. This is my first go at an offering from them as this is the first can offering that has come to Cowtown. A nice and easy drinking brew that is perfect to take along for a hike in the mountains!
Jan 14, 2023
Photo of Shiredave
Reviewed by Shiredave from New York

3.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This beer brings back memories of visiting it when it was in the basement of a huge basket/ gift shop near Manchester VT in the late 80's. A\That and Catamount beers were the cool VT brews we got when we went to the lake house.
A thin crossover Alt, it was big enough for those days and perfect on the boat or deck.
Crisp, yellow beer, highly carbonated with a bright white head.
Sharp, grassy hop bite and soft malt - good lingering bitter finish.
A solid beer that doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is.
Aug 30, 2022
Photo of Wattie83
Reviewed by Wattie83 from Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
12 oz can poured into a perfect pint glass. Looks "dirty" amber with a nice, off white head that falls to a cap. Some lacing sticks to the glass. Sits still in the glass with no carbonation bubbles. Aroma is bready, malty, with some hop spice buried in there too. Taste starts with malt and sweetness, the middle sees some fruity esters and a minimal bittering. Finish is smooth with the malt and hops balancing each other. Aftertaste is fruity and hop spice. Feel is medium bodied and smooth with light tight carbonation. Feels very lager-like. Overall, it's good, very similar in my mind to a Vienna lager with a bit more fruit esters.
Aug 15, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by Ajc2936 from Texas

Aug 09, 2022
Photo of xxxcjbcxxx
Reviewed by xxxcjbcxxx from Indiana

4.48/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The perfect light beer. Bottled, it was delish! Great color, smell, taste, everything. Sweet, piney-bitter, almost "metallic" (there's no word for it) smooth flavor which is signature with lagers but not ales. Somewhat foamy rich/thickness but not too much. A perfect, run-of-the-mill, simple amber ale. I only didn't give a perfect score because there was no creativity involved. If there was some new twist or if it was a double, or something else unusual, I'd bump it up. For what it is, it is perfect however.
Jul 31, 2022
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.67/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
(12 oz bottle, no date/code; purchased single off shelf yesterday along with Double Bag... poured into a 14 oz mug)

L: polished-clear, tea-like, dark amber liquid; quiet, faded paper white foam... broken collar; no lace

S: dark caramel, ember-woody, black tea-tinged aromas; rich and bold, but lacking intensity

T: brown bread crust, black tea bitterness... has more of a lager shape to its expression, but interrupted, hushed by a near-peppery, endive-like bitterness

F: light-bodied, but with a bouncy, rounded core; beautiful degree of carbonation giving great contrast and balance to its potentially... does get more silky and luscious as it goes

O: yeah, I get the 'Alt' characterization, but it's just lacking malt depth... given its bold yet balanced bitterness, I may relent and grab a sixer at some point, just out of curiosity, to test its longevity of appeal (1919)
Jul 11, 2022
 
Rated: 3.93 by kirkgarner

Jun 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.09 by TheRatCage from Connecticut

Mar 14, 2022
Long Trail Ale from Long Trail Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 1442 ratings