Little Red Cap by Grimm Brothers Brewhouse is being judged as BJCP category 7A, Altbier. It comes to me after a full pour into a classic German stange cylinder great for evaluating beers. Beer is served at is 44oF.
The color is a lovely orange-bronze of roughly 11-12 SRM, with a faint haze to the clarity. The off-white foam is composed of fine mousse-like bubbles that creates a rocky foam top with good persistence and lace.
The aroma is very dry and clean, with hints of dark Munich malt toastiness and a somewhat pronounced herbal hop note of classic continental character: dry, toasty-malty and herbal in a nice package.
The favor starts with a hint of fresh toasty bread then gets quickly smacked upside the head with a very firm bitterness that is clean, dry, and herbal-spicy. The dominant mid-palate flavors are a light toasty and bready notes with a persistent strong herbal hop character that lasts right through the dry and bitter finish. Some mineral and drying notes are evident in the aftertaste which is long and clean (and bitter!). The body is medium but light in texture and assisted by the heavy conditioning. Astringency is moderate as this is a very hop bitter and flavor-forward beer. That said, a liberal and deft hand with classic Munich malt flavors provides an excellent counterpoint, and one that is difficult to find stateside. Overall, the beer excels as a representative Altbier: a clean, low-ester amber ale, highlighting classic continental-style toasted malt with a deeply bitter and herbal hop angle that might even surprise an average American IPA enthusiast that doesn't know much about other classic high-bitterness beer styles of note. This beer would absolutely go well with some good street tacos (lengua!; carnitas!) and hold its own. Very well done, indeed.