Long Trail Ale
No ratings yet — be the first to log it.
Tasting Notes
Long Trail Ale pours with a clean malt-forward character typical of the altbier style, offering notes of toasted bread, light caramel, and a subtle earthiness from noble hops. The bitterness is moderate and well-integrated, providing balance without aggression. Body is medium and smooth, a hallmark of the cold-conditioning process that defines the style. The finish is dry and clean, with a lingering mild hop presence that fades gracefully.
About the Brewery
Long Trail Brewing is based in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, founded in 1989. The brewery built its reputation largely on this flagship ale, which helped introduce many New England drinkers to German-influenced brewing traditions. Long Trail has grown into one of Vermont's larger craft producers while maintaining a focus on approachable, well-balanced beers across a range of styles.
Food Pairings
The balanced malt and moderate bitterness here work well with roasted chicken, where the toasty grain notes mirror the browned skin without competing. A bratwurst or grilled pork sausage echoes the beer's German roots and lets the noble hop earthiness cut through the fat. Sharp cheddar pairs cleanly because its tang plays against the malt sweetness. Soft pretzels with mustard are a natural fit, the saltiness amplifying the beer's bread-like backbone.
Style Guide
Altbier is a German ale style originating in Düsseldorf, where it has been brewed for centuries. The name means simply "old beer," referring to the pre-lager tradition of fermenting with ale yeast, then cold-conditioning the beer to achieve a clean, smooth character more often associated with lagers. Altbier is defined by a firm but not aggressive hop bitterness, a toasty malt base, and a dry finish — distinguishing it from the sweeter, less bitter Kölsch and from the heavier, maltier Märzen.