Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock - Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying

DAllspaw

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

pours a dark ruby, color, almost like Coke. A slight brown head which quickly dissipates.

Smell is a bit of fig and molasses, but very much a warm, rising dark bread. A bit of amber honey as well.

Taste is where this beer comes alive. The body is moderate to heavy with a pronounced malty, pumpernickel taste. certainly sweet with a slight bitter finish to offset the sweetness perfectly.

Realy nice beer, every bit as good as I thought it would be.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 01:15:56 | More by DAllspaw

barczar

Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2011 vintage.

Pours an opaque deep brown with ruby highlights and a frothy, dense one inch cappuccino head that dissipates slowly, leaving sheets of lacing.

Bready, deeply caramelized malt, extremely rich, with molasses sweetness, toffee, nuttiness, and dark fruits form the initial aroma. Smells like wort with undertones figs, dark cherries, raisins, and dates.

Flavor is sweet initially, with nutty, toasty notes hitting mid palate, finishing a touch roasty and dry. Malt is extremely rich and complex. Brown sugar, tart cherries, raisins, and a touch of chocolate emerge. Melanoidin character, that standard kettle caramelization, abounds.

Body is a touch light, with moderate carbonation and slight alcohol warmth.

Probably a little more dark fruit character than when fresh, but that malt richness is phenomenal. Great malt-centric brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 01:13:24 | More by barczar

TastyAdventure

Kentucky

3.96/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance - 1.5 finger brown head, fades down to paper thin but retains, minimal lacing. dark brown, almost black body.

Smell - brown sugar, dried plum

Taste - caramelized malt sugars, hint if smoked meat, rich. Raisin?

mouthfeel - medium-thick, almost chewy, just enough carbo- low-medium.

Overall - Definitely better than Spaten Optimator, but not I'm not sure it's worth the price difference. $1.60/bottle Optimator, around $4 for this bottle.

Not as complex as I'd expect, with how renowned it is. But Doppelbocks aren't ever as complex as Belgians.
A great doppelbock.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 02:12:46 | More by TastyAdventure

silverking

Florida

4.64/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a clear mohagany with a sturdy tan head. Head retention is fantastic, as is the lacing. Lots of bubbles rising in the glass. Very nice to look at

S- Aromas of malt, figs, hops, spices, and cocoa come together beautifully.

T- malt with hints of Molasses. Slightly spicy towards the middle with notes of cocoa and ripe cherry and plum. The finish shows dark cocoa in the back of the palate with a slight bitterness.

M- Medium bodied and silky, with lots of carbonation. The carbonation really helps to bring this beer to life. It dances across your tongue on an bed of Co2.

O- Big surprise here. Seriously awesome

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 00:10:55 | More by silverking

FLima

Brazil

4.34/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Brown ruby color with a constant thin off-white head.
Malty aroma with notes of caramel, dark chocolate and earthy hops.
Delicious flavor, elegant and with character at the same time. Taste of toasted malts, earthy hops, dry fruits, brown sugar but perfect sweet level, plums and some pines. Aftertaste is dry, bitter and malty.
Medium to full body with low carbonation. A classic mistake of some beers of the style is not to conceal the alcohol (or be harmonic), and here is seen nowhere.
Definitely the best Doppelbock I tasted so far. This should please both malt and hop lovers, even though it is perfect balanced (and not a balanced over extremes). No short cuts and still a great outcome. Celebrator was a well-deserved name. And this should pair nicely with a broad range of food, especially meat or something that can stand to it.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 15:46:29 | More by FLima

YieldToNothing

New York

4.63/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

this is just a really good doppelbock.
poured from a 12oz into a duvel tulip
pours a dark brown with a 1/4 inch head. coffee notes in the smell and in the aftertaste also.
thick, heavy mouthfeel but it doesn't overwhelm and its quite pleasant.
really great doppelbock, probably not the nest i ever had, but right up there. definitely try this one, great intro to the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 05:45:38 | More by YieldToNothing

marzenfannm

New Mexico

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Enjoyed a Celebrator tonight with a grilled flatiron steak and baked potater. What a treat. It's hard to imagine a better brew to suit my taste (although it is such a rich beer I don't see myself drinking more than one or two at a sitting). This beer has a rich brownish-black appearance and pleasant aroma. The mouthfeel is like drinking milk although the taste is nothing like that. The taste is startlingly complex with so many recognizable pleasant flavors all at once. This beer goes down smooth and clean with no distracting after taste. It can be matched, but I don't think I've had better!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 03:02:10 | More by marzenfannm

dpianka

Connecticut

4.7/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

date of tasting: 3/16/2013
place of tasting: Barley Vine
beer: Celebrator
type: Ale
style: dopplebock
brewery: Ayinger
glass: mug
temperature of beer: 55

Appearance: a beautiful rich freshly varnished mahogany

Smell: first hit: fruit leather, (sure this is a serious beer, but all beer is fun damnit) then onto rich caramel hops and banana

Taste: like someone decided to make a really complex banana custard. Pleasant pine undertones with almost a hint of Irish whiskey. As it warms up, rich grape takes over and is almost malty caramel kool-aid like.

Mouthfeel: a great balance of creamy and carbonation with slight preference to carbonation

Overall Impression: I could drink this. I will drink this. There is a reason a beer like this has already been rated so high. Beautifully complex, yet simply delicious.

Food Pairing: I had this with some Irish lamb stew and it really goes perfectly. This would also go with some bananas foster as silly as that sounds now. A hamburger or some bratwurst would be really yummy, maybe a pretzel and whole grain mustard. I’m hungry again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2013 04:03:59 | More by dpianka

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

4.26/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

330ml bottle poured into a goblet. ABV 6.7%.

A - Pours a dark brown with a 1cm tan head. Head reduced to a ring of bubble with some clusters on the surface. Minimal lacing.

S - Lightly toasted bread, brown sugar, dried fruit (raisins in particular), slight nuttiness, hint of grass and a hint of booze in the background. Certainly has a bit of a fruit cake vibe to it. (And I love fruit cake.)

T - Some brown sugar, lightly toasted bread, some dried fruit, hint of coffee, mild hop bitterness. Alcohol is well masked. Flavour isn't too sweet or too burnt. Quite well balanced.

M - Medium body, medium carbonation, smooth, creamy, clean finish.

O - Oh this is quite good. Definitely the best Dopplebock I've had so far.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 02:19:29 | More by decimator

DougT

Ohio

4.46/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured down the middle of a Sam Adams glass

A: Near black, 3 finger medium tan, thick creamy head. Very slowly dissipating to thin layer with little lace.

S: Dark wheat bread, yeast, dark cherry and chocolate.

T: Not overpowering. Malty. Some hops, dark fruit. Slightly bitter finish. Chocolate in the aftertaste. Label says Dark, Malty and Rich. Truth in advertising.

M: Smooth and creamy. Hits the front of the tongue and the throat. Nice fizz. Medium body.

O: A very nice Double bock. This hits the high points. Hops and malt in balance, chocolate flavors, smooth and creamy. No alcohol taste. Just like it should be.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 03:04:24 | More by DougT

gr0g

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Almost as dark in color as a Schwarzbier, topped with two fingers of foam. Retention is very good and the somewhat sticky head leaves some streaks of lacing. Aroma of sweet ripe dark fruits, toffee, and the floral aroma of noble hops.

The intertwining flavors of dark, toasty malt with the aforementioned dark fruits are the highlight of the flavor profile. There's just a tinge of bitterness on the finish, enough to impart a wonderful balance to the flavor. While some doppelbocks can be one-dimensional and cloying sweet, the roasted malt and skillful hopping here lend complexity. Exceedingly smooth mouthfeel thanks to a soft, fine carbonation.

"Finest Bavarian double bock beer" is printed on the label and is entirely accurate. Despite being low in ABV compared with many other doppels, Celebrator is head and shoulders above the competition.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 00:16:16 | More by gr0g

MickeyD

Kansas

4.05/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into a clean pint glass.

Appearance: poured dark and thick with a two plus finger width of head however it dissipates fairly quickly, very dark red, black mostly in the glass when held to the light. No lacing to speak of.

Smell: good balance of hops and malt smells, towards the middle a more floral spice is noted.

Taste: Dark roasted notes with heavy and rich nutty malt taste. Hops are very subdued.

Mouth feel: somewhat thin compared to the look at the poor. Dark roasted caramel almost burnt.

Overall: I must say this is a great beer. The “double” makes it stout like while still retaining the caramel malt taste. I like to have this beer with a big filet and pan sauce.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 20:39:07 | More by MickeyD

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle poured into a pilsner glass.

Appearance
Deep chestnut brown with red highlight. Has 2 fingers of off-white head with moderate carbonation.

Nose
Toast, brown sugar, plum and grape.

Taste
Overripe plum, red grape and toasted pie crust. Brown sugar, toasted bread and caramel. Tiny hints of blueberry.

Mouthfeel
Full bodied, smooth and silky.

Overall
Balanced to perfection. This is the Doppelbock to end all Doppelbocks.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 03:33:16 | More by justintcoons

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Stone pint.

A- pours a dark brown with a 1 finger tan head. Some small bubbles cling to the glass.

S- sweet dark fruits, toffee, brown sugar, and slight roast.

T- toasted malts, brown sugar, sweet dark fruits, toffee, and faint coffee.

M- medium body and carbonation. Very smooth and easy drinking beer.

O- very good doppelbock, nice dark fruits and sweet malts. I could drink a 4 pack of this fairly easy over a couple hours.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 03:41:24 | More by kawilliams81

Dazfish

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Appearance:- Dark brown with ruby highlights; initial off-white head with nice lacing throughout tasting.

Smell:- Big malt waft from the pour filled with molasses, toast, slight dark fruit - prune, alcohol, and gentle hop spice.

Taste:- Malt dominates throughout with hop bitterness present but in a strictly supporting role. Lots of molasses/dark sugar, slight oily coffee, and prune. Smooth and warm with a slight smoke finish.

Mouth:- Medium-full body with medium carbonation. Warm and smooth.

Overall:- Delicious beer; complex and malty. Aromas and flavors work so well together. Bitterness is present to round off the big malt flavor. Nice and smooth; very good stuff.

I was really impressed with this beer, not just from a style aspect but from the taste of the beer itself. I would seek this one out. Yum.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 06:44:57 | More by Dazfish

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.19/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a balloon glass.

Look: dark mahogany, cream colored head, minimal lacing.

Aroma: Malts, brown sugar, toffee.

Taste: Toffee, brown sugar, chocolate, grains.

Mouthfeel: Medium weight.

Overall: Delightful beer, and I'll keep the little plastic souvenir.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 21:47:38 | More by JuicesFlowing

jmendels

Michigan

4.89/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

By far, my favorite beer. It pours a dark brownish-red and smells of malt, chocolate, and raisin. The finish is smooth and malty, a tad chewy, and flavorful. This beer requires several sips to appreciate all the flavors. It's quite impressive how much Germans can do with four ingredients and this beer is testament to the strength of the Reinheitsgebot.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 00:45:34 | More by jmendels

BierStein711

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So, I've made it to the big leagues....

Bottle poured into chalice, three finger golden brown head.

Smells of chocolate, malt, and coffee. As the night continued, and the brew warmed, more and more of its character became present.

Tastes of chocolate, coffee, grain, and alcohol!

Mouthfeel: Thick, like a bock should be.

Overall, this is a beer that will warm you up on a winter's night. This beer's dark brown body screams warmth and comfort. Let the two billy goats on the label show you a beer to be proud of, better yet...

Let them show you a celebration.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 05:08:44 | More by BierStein711

dertyd

California

3.75/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12oz bottle to a pint glass

A:poured a dark black color with hints of red almoast no head and no lacein

S: smells like a dark choclate cake with hints of dark fruit,verry strong malt smell

T:sweet choclate malts with a nice balance verry crisp and refreshing

M: nice and sweet with a real nice crispness

Overall: a realy good brew to me its like a desert in a glass its kinda sweet with hints of choclate I realy like this as a night cap

Live life drink beer!!!:-)

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 05:01:09 | More by dertyd

WilliamAlbrecht

Texas

4.84/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Ayinger's Celebrator is definitely a fantastic brew. I must admit, I love doppelbocks. This is a TRUE bock. Definitely tasty, not too heavy, and great to behold!

Appearance: Poured into a Ayinger Celebrator 'chalice' and certainly looks great. Pours a darkish brown/bordering on black like color. One and a half fingers of nice, delicious, puffy, creamy head!

Smell: Wow. Smells great. I smell raisins, figs(for sure!), toffee, and perhaps vanilla in there as well!

Taste: A very very rich flavor. This is one of the best doppelbocks around. I must admit that I have yet to encounter a doppelbock that can stand toe to toe with the original, Paulaner's Salvator, but this is a fine brew in its own right. The taste is incredible and the carbonation is not too heavy..in fact, it's not heavy at all! No bitter aftertaste in the least bit!

Mouthfeel: Wow..very creamy, very full bodied!

Overall this is a fantastic doppelbock. I would recommend anyone that loves quality beer to get a hold of a "four pack" of these. Whereas they are rather pricey..it is TOTALLY worth it.

Nice touch on the goat(bock) on the bottle. Save them! They look great!

Celebrator is a great winter time beer. It goes great with a t bone steak, with a sirloin steak, round cut steak..in fact, it goes great with meat period! I would also recommend having a few as a dessert. Heavy on taste and quality, definitely worth a purchase!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 03:38:00 | More by WilliamAlbrecht

writerLJBerg

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle from Belmont Station.

A: Aggressive pour yields a cola type head with the fizzle to match. head dies immediately. Very dark brown with an edge of purple. Some legs.

N: Biscuit and bread. Some caramel and toffee blend through the middle. Sweet pecan and toasted tobacco. Lots of clove. Bread in a glass.

T: Tobacco, leather, toffee, caramel, and rye bread. Has a very deep base. Lots of the barley, and a nice sweetness. Earth and dirt balance the sugars. Clove and nutmeg. Lots of flavors for a 6.7% beer. M: Clean and filling. I think we can all agree this is a definition of the style. O: What can I say that hasn’t been said by more experienced reviewers? The classic everyone ought to regularly appreciate.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 16:49:43 | More by writerLJBerg

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours crystal clear very dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger fluffy khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, raisin, toast, toffee, molasses, apple, dark bread, cocoa, light roast, light nuttiness, and light floral. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of malty notes and light fruity esters. Taste of caramel, toast, toffee, raisin, molasses, apple, dark bread, cocoa, roasted malt, light nuttiness, and light smoke. Lingering notes of caramel, toffee, molasses, dark bread, toast, raisin, apple, roasted malt, cocoa, and light smoke on the finish for a good bit. Excellent flavor balance and complexity of robust malty flavors and light fruity esters; with zero cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent doppelbock! Great balance and complexity of robust malt flavors; and extremely smooth to drink. A highly enjoyable offering as expected.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 04:52:48 | More by superspak

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

this is the essential doppelbock as far as I am concerned. it is true as true can be to the style, and is downright delicious. flawlessly made. the pours is a rich mahogany to molasses color with a foamy khaki head a few fingers tall, excellent retention. looks like a lot of body and a lot of malt character, judging by looks alone. the nose is really heavy malt, some roast, some caramel, some dessert or bread pudding type of aromas, and more alcohol than you would think at only 6.7% abv. the flavor is really heavy, dark wheat, heavy toasted barley, and mineral rich water are evident. the yeast is also characteristically german, bready and drenched in dark fruit. there is a peculiar weight to this that makes it wholly satisfying but may reduce drinkability to a certain degree. its rich and smooth, and the carbonation is slight. its a perfect early spring beer to me, and one that would work well with grilled meat, a peppery arugula salad, or even fresh baked cookies. its not for everyone, but if you like the style, this is the go!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 19:05:05 | More by StonedTrippin

tectactoe

Michigan

4/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a color close to inky black at first, but shows some deep ruby red clarity when held up to the light. A big, creamy, light-tan head tops this one off - nice retention, however much to my surprise, not much lace is left behind.

Nose is powerful, right from the start. Caramel malts take center stage with some sweet, brown sugar heavy in the background. Light fruits also help contribute to the sweet smelling aroma - raisins, plums - all covered in molasses. Some grains help dry things out a little bit and stop the aroma from being too overpowered with sweetness.

Up front, the alcohol is noticeable, especially considering the brew is only 6.7% ABV, but it's far from off-putting. It meshes with the dark fruits to give almost a wine-like presence and sweetness. This beer is nearly as sweet as it smells - molasses, syrup, deep black licorice, and a faint spice, somewhat reminiscent of anise. Rustic, dry cocoa flavors hide in the back, but are definitely there.

Roasted malts? A little. But I'm getting a larger quantity of sweetness from the malts here - this brew is very caramely and toffee-like. Some earthy undertones trace the outline for this beer, with some herbal hop aromas, slightly tea-like on the tail end. Aftertaste is a fading, earthy caramel sweetness with a hint of dry bitterness. Medium bodied, light creaminess to it on the palate, medium amount of carbonation.

Very robust and full-flavored brew. Haven't had many Doppelbocks, but this one was certainly tasty. Packed with intense malt and sweetness without being cloying - very impressive. Score may adjust once I open up and sample more and more beers of the style, but this is definitely something I'd like to have again.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 00:08:32 | More by tectactoe

Efay

Illinois

4.26/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I've heard from many people that this beer was excellent, but I kinda held off of it for awhile. Today I saw it in stock at the store and decided to give it a try. Had my tries of bocks but never had a doppelbock.

A- Lot's of carbonation and lots of foam. This foam is extremely creamy, and is a pale brown color. The body is almost pitch black, but some light passes through and you can see a hue of dark brown. Lots of thick lacing.

S- Subtle roasted malts, with some dark chocolate. Smells very sweet. Maybe a hint of dried fruit. This smells aren't the strong point in this brew. Every thing is very subtle.

T- Roasted bitter malts and chocolate are nice and appropriate.Some burnt sugar that definitely makes this an after meal must.

M- Medium bodied and light amounts of carbonation. This is highly drinkable and goes down extremely smooth.

O- Even though its lacking in smells, the taste and easy drinkability make up for it and make up for where it lacks. This is much like a porter but different at the same time, minus the higher drinkablity that comes from this doppelbock. I definitely enjoy this more than a typical porter though.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 05:30:04 | More by Efay