The first Moon Room series beer of the year from Ecliptic Brewing is out—Altbier, a take on the German “old beer” style from Düsseldorf. It’s available in 16-ounce cans and on draft, and is a 5.7% ABV take on the style.

Details from the press release:

This month, Ecliptic Brewing will release the first beer in their 2023 Moon Room Series: Altbier. The series celebrates the opening of Ecliptic’s second location – The Moon Room – in Southeast Portland. The Altbier will ship February 8th in 16-ounce can four-packs and draft.

Altbier comes from the Düsseldorf area of Germany and has been made since 1266. Ecliptic’s take on the style is brewed with a variety of malts, including Munich and Chocolate, and features Space yeast. Noble hops including Tettnang, as well as Northern Brewer and Hersbruck, bring a slightly spicy hop character to this dry, rustic beer. While it is technically an ale, it is cold fermented like a lager.

Says Ecliptic’s Owner and Brewmaster, John Harris, “Altbier is an ale, brewed in the “old” way (“alt” literally means old in German)- prior to lager yeast even being discovered. After playing around with some Altbier recipes last year that we loved, we wanted to add this classic old-world brew to our Moon Room lineup of German-style beers. We’re happy with the result!”

Moon Room Series: Altbier will be released in both draft and 16-ounce cans throughout Ecliptic Brewing’s distribution network beginning February 8th. Visit Ecliptic’s website for up-to-date details on potential release events.

About Moon Room Series: Altbier

Originally hailing from Düsseldorf, Altbier means “old” beer, or “brewed in the old way” in German. Ecliptic’s take on the style is a well balanced, copper-hued ale with spicy noble hop flavor.

ABV:5.7%
IBU: 30

The Moon Room series was originally comprised only of lagers so it’s interesting to see Altbier makes its was onto the list, though it makes sense, since it’s brewed like a lager.