Hacker Pschorr Alt Munich Dunkel

Review Date 6/28/2002 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Munich Dunkel   Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr   Country: Germany   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: N/A   ABV: 5%

I felt like having a beer this evening. That’s a feeling that comes over me quite frequently, actually, but usually when it does I have a beer at home. Tonight, though, I felt like having a beer at a pub, so it was off to Taco Mac for a brew. I work in Marietta, GA, which is a suburb of Atlanta, and I’m surrounded by Taco Macs. There’s one nearby in Marietta, another in Kennesaw down the road apiece. I chose to drive about 10 miles to the Woodstock Taco Mac, where I enjoyed first a delicious draft pint of Franziskaner Dunkel Weisse and then a Frankenheim Alt.

The Woodstock location has 42 taps, a respectable number of course but I was craving more. So I drove another ten miles to Roswell and the next Taco Mac, where 108 different beers can be found on tap. Still in a German mood, I was intrigued to see Hacker Pschorr Alt listed on the draft menu. Hmmmm, I thought, another German Alt on draft in one night? I should be so lucky. Actually, the beer in question was Hacker Pschorr Alt Munich Dunkel, which is a Munich Dark lager, not an ale as an alt would be.

Nevertheless, it’s an absolutely delicious brew and a pure delight for any beer enthusiast. Hacker Pschorr Alt Munich Dunkel is, according to the company, the most popular dark lager in all of Bavaria. I can see why. I absolutely loved it. Hacker Pschorr is one of the original Munich breweries; not long ago it was acquired by another traditional Munich brewer, Paulaner. The beer in question is only available on draft here in the United States.

With much anticipation I ordered my Hacker Pschorr Alt Munich Dunkel. When it arrived, I sipped and marveled at how much it resembled an Oktoberfest beer in its luscious nutty maltiness. Indeed, I requested a small sample of Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest (also on tap here) for a side by side. The Ofest was noticeably drier and cleaner than my dark lager.

Hacker Pschorr Alt Munich Dunkel pours to a deep brown to chestnut color with a creamy tan head and a nutty malty nose. There is a deep sweet maltiness here and a rich nutty malt character that carries right on into the slightly bitter finish. A clean but very malty brew, strong enough to stand up to red meat or spicy wings. Don’t pass on this one of you see it on tap.