Little Red Cap

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse 

Loveland, CO

Little Red Cap is Grimm Brothers Brewhouse’s version of an altbier. Indigenous to Düsseldorf, altbiers are top-fermented, full of hops and with a winsome copper color.

ABV: 6.3

ABW: 5.01

COLOR: 29

BITTERNESS: 29

ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1052

AVAILABLE: CO, NE

Amber-red with a rich aroma of butterscotch and a gentle hint of chocolate. Peppery hops kick in on the palate with continuing notes of butterscotch, tangy fruit and biscuit malt. The finish is dominated by spicy hops and tart orange fruit, with toffee and malt notes. It’s perhaps a tad too bitter to be genuine altbier.
- Roger Protz

This has a beautiful copper color leaning into reddish brown with a slight haze. The nose is curious—some licorice, some roast, some caramel, a touch of sherry. It’s lightly hopped for an altbier, but also surprisingly dry, even flinty, with a balanced, linear flavor. It’s quite drinkable, but it has no exciting suggestions to make. Sometimes that’s what you want. For my part, I suggest a loaded cheeseburger, for which this beer will provide a perfect foil.
- Garrett Oliver

Roger Protz
Author of 300 Beers to Try Before You Die and 300 More Beers to Try Before You Die. Respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and www.protzonbeer.co.uk.

Garrett Oliver
Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and the veteran host of more than 900 beer dinners in 15 countries.