Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Brewed by Brauerei Aying
Style: Dunkel
Aying, Germany

This was very good. Light maltly aroma that reminded me of a Vienna. Black and a small head; nothing remarkable about the appearance. Flavor was a pleasant surprise, it had bitter malt and more smoke than I have ever picked up in this style, so much so it might fairly be called a smoked beer. Looking at the score I shouldn’t have been expecting anything unpleasant, but this greatly exceeded my expectations.

Courtesy of Santa. <P> The body of this beer is a ruby/amber mix that goes from daker to lighter top to bottom. The head is nearly two fingers thick, frothy and light tan in color. <P> Aroma is light and malty with some mild toasty and faint brown sugar-ish notes. <P> Toasty again in the fore then sweet powdered malt, brown sugar, toasty bread and a light caramel flavor. Very relaxed beer that has that awful subtlety curse. Balanced sweetness and a nice lightly cartbonated mouthfeel.

Pour is clear and amber-brown in color; head is off-white, mostly full, and fizzy, yet still creamy and somewhat lasting with some random lace. Nose is nutty chocolate with some plum and maybe some toasted bread. Flavor is toasty and nutty with some chocolate and bread and an apple character, with some coffee somewhere in the flavor. Noble hop noted faintly with a bitterness to balance. Palate is medium to light, moderate carbonation, and a mouthfeel that is somewhere between creamy and dry. Finishes quickly and mostly dry with chocolate bready notes and some faint noble hops. Not as dry and with more fruitiness than other dunkels, but overall, a nice offering.

17 oz bottle. Clear purple brown with a big oatmeal head. Leaves a ring and splotches. Strong dough, light cider vinegar, tobacco malts. Thin taste with brown bread and over-ripe peach. Light body and carb.

Pristine garnet. Dense ring of bubbles surrounds a creamy island of dirty-white foam. Clean, airy and perfumey nose dotted with aniseed, honeysuckle and a hint of creamed coffee, cocoa and toffee. Soft and fluffy carbonation fills the mouth. Slight carbonic acidity. Flavors are bright and expressive from the start, with a fresh bite of black licorice and pure milk chocolate, primarily. What little fruitiness exists is remarkably bright, and offers lift, vibrancy, and malt accentuation. Despite their subtlety, the malts are extremely deep, and range from toasted caramel to dusty hay as well as a light nuttiness. Attenuation is perfect, and allows just enough chocolate mousse and milk chocolate to exude brightly. Noble hops provide a supple yet relaxed honeysuckle sweetness which complements the caramelized malt and biscuity elements to perfection. Finishes raisiny and dry, but saturated with a lengthy assortment of malt residuals. An exquisitely crafted dunkel. The world needs more of this.

16.9 oz. bottle. Sweet, oily, slightly plummy classic German dunkel aroma. Bright, sparkling, gold-tinged brown color. Moderate amount of fluffy beige head. Surprisingly tart, hoppy flavor for a malt-oriented brew, and that’s great for a hops lover like me. Very interesting, unique malt flavor that I can’t put my finger on but that I really enjoy. Excellent flavors could stand to be a little stronger. Very crisp, fizzy, and satisfying to the palate and very drinkable. I am pleasantly surprised at just how tasty this beer is, given that malty German brown lagers aren’t my favorite style. This is probably the best dunkel that I have ever had.

A robust dunkel with lots of goodness to it. Coffee, toffee, chocolate, nuts. Smells good, tastes even better. Good full body with a near perfect amount of carbonation. Quite satisfying.

Aroma is malty with some caramel notes.Pours medium to dark with a redish tent.Tastes very malty.Very carbonated with a nice sweet finish.Not bad.