Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Brewed by Brauerei Aying
Style: Dunkel
Aying, Germany

malty/buttery/yeasty aroma and flavor and a real crisp feel

on tap. brown, fizzy, short lived head. Much better once warmed. Nice blend of sweet fruit and malt flavors with balancing degree of carbonation. Finishes clean, mostly sweet.

not the best choice to consume after a couple winter ales, i’m about malted out. this one has some additional depth tho, and perfumy richness to it. a chestnut amber presentation rather than the tootsie-roll brown typical of many dunkels. a lax head still sheets and undulates in pretty riverine wisps and oxbows. decent nose has well-worn leathery, earthy scotch peat and coffee tones. to visualize the fragrance in my mind, i pictured an ancient pillar of rotting pine trunk in a forest glade: sappy, lightning struck and bejeweled with mosses and flowers. then i pictured our office secretary naked, which really has nothing to do with any beer. like her, tho, this beer has a silky smooth body and light sweetness. and strangely i feel myself wanting more.

This beer will forever exist as a milestone in my book. My father, a judge, has always tried to equate beer with criminalism, but with this beer he has finally given in and sat back and chilled the fuck out. Other than the obvious social implecations this has for me, it was a rather interesting yet modest beer. The complex malt has a definite sweet nature, but yields to a smokiness that is quite nice. Although a very attractive beer it falls a tad short in the aroma department (a tad sour) and has a decent mouthfeel, although it may be a touch to thin.

We took the kids to the Nine Inch Nails show in Cincy Saturday night. On the way down we stopped at Mecklenburg Gardens. I had one of these from a bottle before dinner. Nose of butterscotch and brown sugar. Pours a clear ruby copper. The tall creamy tan rocky head is mostly lasting with no lace. The flavor is somewhat shallow, but is fresh and pleasant. The floral finish has a bready caramel quality. The light to medium body is creamy and soft. I’m not one for malty styles, but this brew worked well with my meal. I recommend the Hungarian Goulash. Hats off to the owners of this fine establishment, we all left very happy.

Slightly bitter aroma, for a relatevely 'weak' beer, has a hint of alcohol smell. Nice deep brown and copper colour, lacy head. The taste is slightly sweet with a buttery smooth aftertaste.

Reddish-brownish, slightly hazy, with a dense light brown head. Really nice aroma kind of a pumpernickel bread along with some sweetish, fruity notes. Flavor is nocely toasty, with hints of raisin. Slightly peppery, smoky finish.

Bottle. A chestnut brown color with a light brown head. Smoked malts, wood, and an earthy aroma with a light lager palate and a tofee caramel flavor. A fine dunkel.