Uerige Sticke

Brewery: Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Style: Alt
Brewery Website
Rating: A

Today's tasting is the Uerige Sticke. We had high praise for its bigger brother, the Uerige Doppelsticke. How does the Sticke fare in comparison? The Uerige Sticke is deep mahogany in color with a short white head. The nose has raising, caramel and notes of dark wheat toast.

On the palate, the Sticke is juicy with some acidity. There is a note of red liquorice. The back end holds a big note of toasted grain. Raisins, nuttiness and a sweetness are here as well. the Sticke is medium-bodied and juicy. The finish has notes of banana and raisins along with plenty of dark wheat toast.

While not necessarily as big and bold as its big brother the Doppelsticke, Uerige's Sticke is still a fantastic beer on its own merit. I love the flavor profile. I also find that is quite easy drinking for a beer that has such a wealth of complex, big flavors. I did find that the Sticke was a bit undercarbonated. I can't help but wonder if the choice of a flip-top cap plays any role in that. Despite that minor quarrel, the Sticke is a fantastic beer that I highly recommend.

Uerige Doppelsticke

"Holy Shit!" is how Beer! sums up their review of the Uerige Doppelsticke. Read on to find out why:

Brewery: Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei

Location: Düsseldorf, Germany

Style: Alt

Brewery Website

Rating: A+

Today's tasting is a true one-of-a-kind beer. Stickebier is a rare style of German beer that can essentially be thought of as a double-alt (Long Trail's Double Bag is one example of this style). Uerige has taken this one step further in creating their Doppelsticke, which essentially amounts to a double-double-alt.

The Doppelsticke pours up a cloudy, deep-chestnut brown with a light chestnut, creamy head. A firm pour leads to a beautiful cascading-head effect that is reminiscent of a nitro-tap stout. The nose detects raisins, wheat toast, and sherry notes.

On the palate there is a big malt note of dark pretzels along with a clinging malt syrup note. Dried fruit notes of raisins and apricots come along next. Hops hit with a snappy bitter bite along with herbal and grassy notes. There is some initial winy juiciness that drops off quickly. The Uerige Doppelsticke has a medium-heavy body with a clinging body and light syrupiness. The finish just seems to hang around forever. There is a great caramel/"burnt" sweetness, along with rich, dark malt notes paired with fading bitter undertones.

In reading my notes I wrote while tasting this beer, the first line simply reads "Holy Shit!", and that pretty much sums it up. Right from the beginning I was blown away by the flavor and complexity of the Doppelsticke. It rivals the Thomas Hardy's Ale in complexity. The flavor is constantly evolving - from juicy, to bitter, to sweet, to a ringing harmonious chord. Not only is this the best German beer I've ever had, the Uerige Doppelsticke is one of the best beers I've ever tasted. Find this beer ASAP and buy two - one for now and one for the cellar.