D.wight L.
Yelp
This is a hoppy beer lovers dream of a place. Altamont actually has made enough of name for themselves that I see it regularly at many bars/restaurants out in the east bay. Actually my friends and I are super famililiar and are regular drinkers of 2 of their IPAs, the Maui Waui which has acidic tropical notes and their Hella Hoppy, which is kinda my go-to these days for a night cap...very assertive hop backbone in a well balanced malt profile. And I've probably had over a hundered Altamont beers within the past 8 years or so, BUT I've never gone to their actual spot in the cuts of Livermore. Until recently.
It is actually such a beer dudes place that it was almost stereotypical in my short visit there for a quick tasting. Almost all dudes in the bar area, all in shorts and a baseball cap of sorts (probably to mask some pattern balding). Every dude was well over 30, so dad bods galore and all probably well into their careeers, so no bums in here really. I'd say all had at least a goat tee if not a beard and 90% of them had a large dog on a leash by their feet under that bar stool. Never seen anything like it before, like every dog was 30 pounds or heavier, so when the dogs got on their feet, there definitely was a lot of butt/groin sniffing and occasionally a quick growl or bark for a particular dog who didn't want all the attention. Lol But overall I fit in more than I didn't so beer wins.
Beer Flight Tasting ($12/5*) First off it is a really great price for a tasting flight. You can pick 5 from at least 20 that's currently on tap. It is actually a bit tedious having to look up at their screen to scroll to see what would fit you. Lots of text and you have to do it standing on the bar counter as the screen is only visible from one corner of the bar. Nice 5-6 oz pours in cool little tasting snifters in a cool stainless steel caddy holder. Just write in your 5 on piece of paper and the flight will be brought to you at your seat.
When I go to a brewery where I'm familiar with their beers, I will never order something that I've had many times at another bar/restaurant, no matter how much I like it. I am simply there to learn something new. I always will start with something lighter then move to a medium strength beer like a Pale Ale then always have some higher gravity ones toward the end, like a strong IPA or a dark beer.
I didn't love all the beers tasted but I did like enough of them to bring some home. Didn't really like their lighter styles but that's not really a surprise as anytime I get into an Altamont beer it is usually for a good punch. I tried 2 pale ales, with one being much more special, their Green Collar Pale totally fits my palate. In any other era, this would actually be deemed as an IPA but in today's hop crazed beer world, this is considered light. But I'd say more balanced, which tends to fit my preferences.
Ended up taking 2 4-packs home for my buds to try and we all enjoyed them thoroughly as they were flavors that we don't see at other places. And their take-away beers are very reasonably priced being around $14-$16, as many places want to charge about $20 for a four pack. Props Altamont love how you're here for the common working dude. Drops extra star!