Schell's Schmaltz' Alt

I've always been fond of this one, whether because of the rhyming name, or the ol' man Schmaltz on the label, or the story of how he taught Ted Marti's Dad how to shoot rats in New Ulm. The beer's nice, too. Got a sample bottle recently, and instead of relying on ages-old notes, wrote some new ones. Here they are:

"Schell's Schmaltz's Alt…the Schmaltz is back!

Dark brown, color, creamy light tan head, with…very strange things on top. What is this? Spices? Herbs? Malt, hops? It ain't no bugs, I hope…

Aroma:
very mellow and even-tempered, warm and nutty, clean and malty. Nice.

Taste: Big, rich, chocolatey malt flavor. Fills the mouth. Brisk carbonation. Taste arrives at delicious rumminess, but a sidecar of raisins. Yum, this just gets better and better. Clean, even finish."

What the heck, here's what I wrote back in April of 2003:

"I've enjoyed this brew many times over the years, but never truly stopped to consider it. There's something irresistible about the rhymy name and the label photo of sour Old Schmaltz sitting on a keg, stein in hand.
Color is a dark brown, almost black, with a fine, 1" creamy tan head. Aroma is largely clean and airy, but there are traces of cocoa and nuts. Hops are there, too, but laying low. On the palate, though, they reveal themselves in all their might. Big burst of fruitiness (bananas,and citrus, primarily!), that soon smooths out bigtime. The malt contingent is firm and swiftly becomes large and in charge. That doesn't stop an overriding fruitiness to continue to ride throughout the flavor and the finish. The rest of the drink is a well-rounded, and fruity flavor, with a slightly coppery edge. I'm no expert on alts, but I know what I like, and this is that.