Ayinger Weizen-Bock

Brewed by Brauerei Aying
Style: Weizen Bock
Aying, Germany

0.5L on draft at Ayinger’s Speis und Trank during 2007 Oktoberfest in Munich When you’re tired of the tents and fairgrounds of Oktoberfest and want to sit and savor some of the greatest liquids on God’s green Earth, walk through the Marienplatz and head to Speis und Trank. This beer was 0.5L of heaven in a glass. Truly a memorable dark wheat offering from one of the best brewers you’ll find (in my humble opinion, obviously). Wonderful clove aromas augment a beautiful malt flavor that just seduces the front of your taste buds. I believe that this beer went into a wooden barrel less than 24 hours before I drank it. The freshness was that apparent. This is a near-perfect brew, one that did not disappoint my lofty expectations for Ayinger. On par for this style in quality as is Ayinger’s Celebrator for the doppelbock style. Damn fine.

Great spicy banana bread nose with a good frothy white head. Pale dark yellow/light orange pour. Very crisp and clean. banana taste immediately with a nice bread flavored finish lingering on the palate.

500ml bottle. Cloudy golden-tan color, lighter than I would’ve expected. Big foamy off-white head. Some wheat and banana is the aroma. The mouthfeel of this beer is awesome. Smooth, sweet malt tones. Well-defined hefe-yeast banana-clove flavor. Creamy and thick, with some light pungency underneath. Wow, this beer is excellent. World class German beer.

125h rating for this beer - my 19th Weizenbock and easily my favorite. Bottle. Ooooh baby! Bottle itself hasn’t even been recycled yet. Nose is super malty, dry though, light brown sugar and light cloves. Light golden body (surprisingly so) with visibly strong carbonation. Head is a pillow, soft and densely bubbled. Medium body, soft and smooth. Taste of medium bananas, heavy bubblegum, seemingly a little candy sugar, indistinct berry. Malt profile is gentle on the whole but there’s a frisk side lurking under the surface. Aftertaste is dry and pure honey-malty goodness. Vanilla, cream, light meringue, light lemon zest. Light and refreshing, no muddy or grainy malt, absolutely no sign of the strongish alcohol. A pleasure to drink, and an extremely promising offering for a style that was leaking hope. Manna, poetry, gift of the ancient eagle, stolen by Odin and given to man to reward his faith.

Bottle. Clear-to-opaque apricot trumpet fizzing madly beneath a high silky white head. Aroma is wow; toffee apple rolled in clove, orange rind, lemon meringue pie, dribble making Bazooka chew, lemon sherbet, bananas on toast sprinkled with cinnamon, Hoegaarden and all manner of sexual confectionary. Fat and lovely with honeyed banana, clove; candy cigarettes and gentle warming alcohol. Bulbous exotic spice without spice. How do they do it?? A beer to simply marvel at, whilst chucking a few pints down your neck. It’s wintery, it’s summery, it’s perfect fireside refreshment for an English May evening with a gale howling down the chimney and the rain lashing against the windowpane. Top 10 material, no questions.

33cl bottle straight from Munich courtesy of my mother-in-law in the funky new Sam Adams glass which is almost weizen shaped. Cloudy orange with big fluffy white head and lotsa lace. Lots of banana clove bubble gum bread and citrus in the aroma. Sweet peach apricot vanilla with medium wheat tang and sweet vanilla finish. No alcohol burn and no residual bitterness. Just delicious and complex for the style. Awesome.

500mL bottle. Pours a very cloudy orange, highy carbonated, white foamy head. Huge aroma of clove and banana, lots of wheat malt. Very sweet flavor, rich wheat, clove, and a bit of banana puree. Heavy bodied, rich and flavorful. Overall, it finishes with a forward charge of bold hefeweizen character. Lots of hefe... its and Imperial German Hefe. Awesome and rich.

Bottle at Microbar, Clapham, "Just a quick one" session, 18th Dec 08 (well, by this point, in the early hours of the 19th!) Classic weiss taste but not too citrus, with lots of bock malt there. This is a man’s weiss beer! Heavenly aroma - orange peel, wheat, fresh dough. Clear yellowy amber colour with a persistent white head. Smooth, full bodied. Soft, foamy, clean finish. Just perfect for this style. Tastes like 5% not 7.1%. This redefines weiss beer for me. One of the most enjoyable beers I drank in 2008.