Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Bottle. Red-brown coca cola color. Nice white head. Malty aroma. Small hint of chocolate. Fresh choclate/caramel flavor. Well balanced.

Pours a clear mahogany color, with a foamy head, moderate lace - semi-sweet aroma of caramel and roasted malts, some toffee and raisin - nice and smooth in the mouth - slightly grainy, medium sweet, with a background tinge of roast and nuttiness - gets a little sweeter through the middle, with notes of caramel and chocolate - finishes with a moderate hop bite - lingering doughy character - overall a very tasty, clean, smooth german beer.

Bottle, sampled at Christmas during family beer tasting. Color was dark brown with a tan or beige head. Aroma of bread, sweet malt, fruit and caramel. Flavor was much of the same, with sweet tones, caramel, fruit and a hint of raisins. Overall it was a pretty enjoyable beer.

POured a dark brown color with almost no head? Aroma was really sweet and malty, hints of chocolate and roasted malts come through. Flavor was really dull, just plain sweet dunkel, nothing oustanding here, also a bit metallic as well.

From a 0.5 L bottle purchased locally. Aroma is full of malt and a slight hint of coffee. Color is a deep rust amber with a beige head. Smooth malt with some melanoidin character. I taste a little bit of cardboard from probably being on the shelf too long. A little sweetness but balanced nicely with a dry finish. This one is good, but I wish I could have a better bottle because I know this beer could be fantastic.

I still remember my very first black lager; what it was, where I bought it, and how much of an eye-opening experience it was for a beer newbie. A dark beer that wasn’t a dark beer; she wasn’t heavy, thick, richly complex, and deep with alcohol warmth. Instead, she was light, clean and refreshingly flavorful with a delicate personality which instantly won me over. While I haven’t been able to locate that first dark lager, I instead have before me another fine German example in the form of the Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel. Let the seduction begin.
She poured a clear black-brown with deep russet hues glinting in the passing light. A cream-colored thick head tops her off before fading into a thin tribute to her splendor. No lace to speak of, though she does poof up nicely with some teasing swirls. Breaking the surface is a nose rich with bready malts, sweet caramel notes, raisins, dark fruits, and faint citric esters. The initial mouthfeel and body are light and clean with a mild, frothy texture. Soft chewy bread and caramel notes are up to play first while bitter nuts and lemon zest follow a close second. Adding depth and succulence to her palate are dark fruity notes of raisins, black cherries, and plums. Grassy hops make a play for the middle of Ayinger’s Altbairisch Dunkel’s palate while a clean finish with only a mild aftertaste concludes her performance. It is a pleasant reminder that while she may be dark in color and richer than a light or golden lager, she is still a lager. Clean and refreshingly quaffable, she is perfectly balanced for the ultimate session beer.
For the uninitiated, the idea of a dark lager is practically foreign matter to them and about as believable, much less enjoyable, as an alien abduction. Ayinger is here with their Altbairisch Dunkel to prove all that balderdash wrong with a very simple truth: taste me and you will see that there is nothing to fear. Nay, there is much to love and embrace instead.

Crushed with Jakebra. Smells poopy. Color of dirty toilet water. Kinda aight. Taste is kinda sweet, slight roast. If offered for free, I’d take it.

Bottle at Viking Mariella. Amber color, very nice creamy lasting offwhite head. Malty aroma, brown sugar, some nuts, some butter. Malty roasted flavor, some hops, some sweet fruits.