The Swill: Uerige Sticke and Doppelsticke

The Still: Uerige Brewing

Dusselfdorf, Germany

http://www.uerige.de

The Drill: Sticke: German Altbier, 11.2oz bottle, 6% ABV

Doppelsticke: German Altbier, 11.2oz bottle, 8.5% ABV

Both are only brought out on tap in Dusseldorf two days of the year. The export brews are more readily available, but are weaker than the stuff that stays in Germany.

The Spill: Both beers are made with a generous amount of sweet malts, giving them plenty of mellow complexities. Think sourdough bread, in a way, between the fermented sugars and the creamy, almost bready mouthfeel. The only difference between the two is that the Doppelsticke is the Sticke's big brother: lighter in color, but higher in octane.

Says Bill: These two altbiers, "old beers" in German, are thus named because the fermenting and aging process is an older and less modern one than the lager brewing process, which gained popularity in Germany in the late 1800s. It also takes longer to make, so either way you look at it, you'll find yourself drinking an old beer if you have one of these. I picked them up in a little Germanic market in Torrance's Alpine Village, my pal Victor's favorite hangout. 'Sup, Buddy.

Refill?: These are probably two of the three best German beers I've ever tasted, the third being the refillable 32-ouncer I was chugging from at Octoberfest last year while doing the chicken dance. Sticke: 2.5 taps out of 5. Doppelsticke: 3 taps out of 5.