What does autumn whisper to the beer-minded soul? Not a shout, not a swagger — a glow. A copper-toned murmur. An altbier.

These quietly gorgeous beers arrive dressed like October itself, all burnished amber and leaf-pile bronze, reminding us that not everything seasonal needs to scream pumpkin or pine. Altbier lives in the middle register — comforting without heaviness, structured without sharpness — the beer equivalent of a wool sweater that knows when to stop talking. Where summer beers snap and hiss and winter beers brood and brood some more, altbier simply settles in.

Born in Düsseldorf and carrying the slightly misleading name “alt” — German for “old,” though there’s nothing tired about it — altbier is a beautiful contradiction. It ferments warm like an ale, then takes a long, cold rest like a lager, emerging clean, composed, and quietly confident. The color drifts from deep bronze to ruby-tinged brown, crowned with a sturdy foam, releasing faint fruit notes and a malt backbone that reads more toasted biscuit than sugar rush. Dry finish, gentle hops, balance above all else. No theatrics. No clutter. Just poise.

So in conjunction with the Troubeerdourks beer club’s altbier tasting this afternoon, Peaks & Pints invites everyone into the season with Craft Beer Crosscut 11.18.18: A Flight of Altbier — a reminder that fall doesn’t need fireworks when it already has flame-colored leaves and a beer that knows exactly who it is.

Craft Beer Crosscut 11.18.18: A Flight of Altbier

Alaskan Amber

5.3% ABV, 18 IBU

Amber from Alaska’s biggest brewery — Alaskan Brewing Co. based in Juneau — might already be in your refrigerator if you live in one of the 20 Western and Midwestern states where it’s available. Or you might have refreshed yourself with an Alaskan Amber on your Alaska Airlines flight on the way into Anchorage. By sales volume it is the 19th largest craft brewery in the United States. Alaskan Amber is made from glacier-fed water and a blend of European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties and two-row pale and specialty malts. The brewery’s water originates in the 1,500 square-mile Juneau Ice Field and the more than 90 inches of rainfall Juneau receives each year. Richly malty and long on the palate, Alaskan Amber has just enough hop backing to make this beautiful amber colored “alt” style beer notably well balanced.

Maritime Pacific Flagship Red Alt Ale

5.2% ABV, 28 IBU

In 19990, George and Jane Hancock opened Maritime Pacific Brewing Co. in an old transmission shop in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The first beer George brewed was what is known today as Flagship Red Alt Ale. Red amber in color, the beer is derived from a blend of malted barley, wheat and Yakima and European hops. Sweet malt on the nose with some toast and soft citrus. The medium bodied alt is light and softly fruity with light citrus and a touch of malt. Expect gentle floral malt into the finish.

Occidental Altbier

5.2% ABV

Occidental Brewing offers Portland, Oregon something truly refreshing: crisp, sparkling German-style suds. Their Altbier is enough to make you want to throw on a pair of lederhosen over your Pendleton flannel. Occidental’s take on Dusseldorf’s broad style features the brewery’s most complex grain bill, which produces a malty, amber beer with a lot of flavor. Saphir hops give it a spicy, noble aroma and delicious hop profile. It’s on the hoppy side for this style of beer, but the beautifully copper color and crisp beer offers a malty chewy and creamy experience.

Chuckanut German Altibier

5% ABV, 35 IBU

When lager brewing set out to conquer the world in the mid-1800s, not everyone got with the program.  Though Germany was the center of the lager revolution, Düsseldorf was one of the only cities to hold onto its tradition of ale brewing in the form of altbier.  Alt “old,” is an adjective that Germans tend to use wistfully. Chuckanut Brewery German Alt has only a hint of fruitiness that gives it away as an ale- otherwise the flavors are very clean and round, with a medium-bodied malty center made with Skagit Malts supported by a refreshingly sharp whack of hop bitterness. Chuckanut German Alt hits the nose with a nutty, biscuit aroma. Flavors are moderate sweet caramel with a slight bitterness on the finish.

Ninkasi Sleigh’r Dark Double Alt Ale

7.2% ABV, 60 IBU

Ninkasi Brewing’s motivation for creating Sleigh’r was to make a beer different than other Northwest winter beers that feature big hop profiles and rich caramel flavor. They created a malt-forward yet dry, toasty and hardy beer brewed in the traditional German Alt way, only darker. First released in 2009, Sleigh’r rides roasted barley and Chocolate malts with Nugget hops balancing roasted malt, cooked sugar and a little dark fruit flavors. It’s surprisingly light in body with a dry finish.