Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Brewed by Brauerei Aying
Style: Doppelbock
Aying, Germany

12oz bottle (with the little goat dangler on the neck.) rich darkest brown, tan head. heavy rich malty flavor. a great lagered version of a porter. malty, roasty flavor. sweet finish and very balanced. full bodied.

Bottle: Nearly black, dark brown edges, mediocre beige head, frothy, with sticky lacing.   Dark wheat bread, nuts, and soft dark pitted fruits on the nose.   Very bready, smooth, fig/date flavors mingling with a very malty backbone.   Also seems to be somewhat nutty.   Great body, but somewhat average mouthfeel, although it is very smooth.   Finishes clean, nutty, with hints of figs and dates.   This is a big boy Doppelbock for sure!

Thick and velvety and creamy, more sweet malts than roasted malts. long finish. just fantastic. and even better on draft. Although I'm not as enamoured with this beer as I was in the beginning, it's still a solid choice and one of the best of it's style.

dark brown, with creamy tan head. Deep malt nose. Faintly nutty malt flavor with mild alcohol heat

Bottle from Beer Run in Charlottesville. I thought I’d rated this before, but apparently not. I was underwhelmed the first time, but I thought I’d give it another shot. So, for me, this is a re-rate. Pours a dark chocolate brown with a large brown head. Brown sugary wheaty aroma. Kind of off-putting. Nice malty taste. It has a "off" aroma and taste to me, but it’s minor (maybe it was bigger with my last bottle), so this is still enjoyable.

Very dark beer. In fact if you just saw it sitting in the glass you’d probably mistake it for a porter as light only gets through around the edges (when it does, it gives a nice red wine color). The head is a thick, lumpy foam that’s a medium tan color. Unfortunately, mine seemed a bit skunky, but I could pick up some good malt aromas with the slightest hint of hops. The aroma was big, but not as big as the appearance would suggest. Caramel, bitterness from the dark-colored malts and some fruitiness I can’t place my finger on. This was all followed up by a bit of grassy hops. I also picked up a little black pepper, but it was faint enough, I’m not sure if I was just tasting things.

Dark red brown color topped by a thick lasting tan head with good lace. slightly sweet strong malt aroma with a slight nuttiness. Slightly sweet strong malt flavor with a nutty smokey background. Great flavor. full bodied, slightly dry and fairly smooth.

Man, this one was good from the huge head obtained on pouring til the last drop with a small and respectable head remaining. I can’t wait for my next Munich business trip, so I can stop by Aying and get a fresh one. Excellent dark brown color with a sweet stout type aroma, even some yeast detectable? Flavor is outstanding, fairly sweet malty and figgy type taste which finishes with a touch of a burnt or coffee type taste. Alcohol was detectable for sure, but not overpowering. Has a nice hop balance, almost perfect for the sweetness and level of alcohol. The smooth and creamy mouthfeel was impressive. June ’06 re-rate on draft at Half Moon: I don’t have to bump the numbers, but I didn’t detect any yeast or coffee flavors. Dark fruits are solid and there is some chocolate character in the malts of this one. Very smooth and the mouthfeel is full, and this finishes with a slight touch of bitter hops, even some grassy notes. The bread character is subdued under all of the dark fruit and chocolate melanoid action, but it’s there. A really fine production. Re-rate, Sept ’06, horizontal vs. Andechser, Maximator, Liberator, Consecrator, Bajuvator, hands down the class of the style, by far the most complex, dark and light fruits both mixed in, chocolate, v. light coffee, great grass hops balance, just wonderful, not too sweet, despite the aroma. World class, the best of the style by a significant step vs. the other nice examples from this style.