Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Brewed by Brauerei Aying
Style: Dunkel
Aying, Germany

Deep coppery red color. Firm beige head that persisted. The aroma was more yeasty than malty. Flavor began with dark fruit and hints of chocolate.The texture is a bit thin, but the fruit is balanced by hop at the finish. A lager so good that it could have been an ale.

The 500 ml bottle poured a clear and dark red like a root beer. The mild carbonation made a thick light tan head with variable granularity that quickly dispersed and left a lacing like a fractal. The aroma was mostly bready and malty with a hint of raisins and alcohol. The flavor was not too sweet with a surprisingly light body and mildly bitter taste; also tasted of prunes and coffee, and was mildly spicy. Smooth and light and a slightly hoppy finish sneaks up on you. Not the dunkel I was hoping for but a good beer otherwise.

Rating No. 500. Bottle. Ruby amber pour with a lacy light brown head. Smells of malt, caramel, and toast. Flavor is much the same, big and malty, a little more brown sugar. Aftertaste is long and dry, and the lingering roast borders on ash. Tasted a bit more coffee-funk toward the end. Didn’t knock my socks off, but a very good example of its style. Thanks to joss!

Malty and nutty, with the flavor of toasted grains... a very drinkable beer. Light carbonation, decent head which fades quickly, but leaves behind a bit of lacing. It’s really good, but not necessarily the "ultimate" dunkel. Very good though, I’d drink this again and again.

Clear and fizzy with a thin head that almost immediately disappears. Smells rich, heavy malt and chocolate. The body is heavy and sweet with little hint of bitterness. Would be good on a cold day.

500 ml. bottle from CO Liquor Mart. Drank on 5/23/06. Immaculately clear, deep, dark amber in color. Some brown, but really red when held to the light. Big, chunky, rocky 2+" tan head. Falls to a nice layer of foam. OK lacing, not much. Aroma is not strong. Dominating lager characteristics. Noble german hops, not a lot of malt. Maybe a tiny bit of a musty character. Little malt - smake. Sweeter as it warms. Flavor - a littl bitter as it hits your tongue. Overall nicely balanced. Malty in the finish. Little bit of spice (yeast character?) Little smokey. Was getting a metallic aftertaste in the beginning, but it mellowed. Palate - nice and light, good amt. of carb., not too much. Good smooth drinkin’ lager-like mouthfeel. Dry finish. Overall - Alright. I enjoy dunkels at an authentic german place, but I wouldn’t buy this again. It’s good and enjoyable, but just not that interesting. Some odd flavors - musty and metallic. I haven’t rated a ton of germans so it’s a good experience, bjust not a really memorable beer.

Another good beer from Ayinger. Do they make anything bad? Aroma was roasty and toffeeish, almost like a burnt sugar smell. Appearance was a crystal clear dark coffee color, minimal head and little carbonation. Mouthfeel was a slightly better than average, although I would have liked something a little more lively. Flavors were really malty, part roasty, somewhat sweet, and very little hops. It was a little dry going down. Overall a pretty good beer, although its not quite up to par with the rest of Ayinger’s line-up. Still, it’s good though.

500ml bottle - Pours dark brown with a big, fluffy head that leaves nice lacing. I smelled malts, yeast, and dark fruit. For some reason the aroma and flavor both reminded me of Belgian strong ales though of course with less alcohol punch. It’s a smooth beer with light carbonation and a malt and dark fruit flavor profile. The palate loses something because I found it too watery. The finish is good though and overall this is an excellent beer.