Here we have another beer in the ‘historical beer styles’ series that Maltgarden have been producing.
A Dortmunder lager is a specific style of German lager, stylistically a little heavier in body than the Helles Lager that we had last month, and with a little less bitterness. Probably the most well-known Dortmunder we see in Australia is by DAB. Their 5L mini kegs were one of the coolest things I ever received as a present about 20 years ago!
MG’s beer pours an interesting amber colour, quite a bit darker than a traditional lager. Bready malt and a grassy hop note are present in the really-quite-pleasant aroma.
The first taste reveals a solid malty body, with a light fruit sweetness. Balancing this is the hop bitterness from the Hallertauer Mittelfruh hops. There is a certain weight to the body, but it is really drinkable.
This is a beer that suits an afternoon session, with enough interesting character in the taste to satisfy without affecting the drinkability. No wonder those German beers all come in such big glasses!