Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock - Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying

BlackBeerPirate

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

One of my old favorites.
Dark cola brown in color. Warm hues show in the mostly clear opacity of this fine beer. Rich, caramel tones, roast nutty, Chocolate-malted tongue. Sweet malty nose, with good body, and tall creamy head. Smooth mouth feel bock that has a nice kick to it that puts a monk's smile on my face.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 05:31:39 | More by BlackBeerPirate

sourdoughsteve

California

3.95/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had to give this a try after reading the reviews here. Found it with little effort at a local wine emporium. Tad expensive, but good beer worth it.

Poured into a chilled pint glass.

A: Dark brown with a good bit of head on it. Head disappeared fairly rapidly

S: At first, the typical "lager-y" scents, then a bit of the caramel and fruityness began to arrive. The fruityness increased as the beer warmed.

T: Nice malty blast. Maybe a teeny bit over-roasted though. That bitterness subsided with each sip. Became more balanced as the glass emptied.

M: Thick-ish but not bread-like. A bit of carbonation evident.

D: Serious innard-warmer here. Not something for everyday consumption though. A special occasion beer perhaps?

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2009 18:00:52 | More by sourdoughsteve

rijanyoung

Colorado

4.88/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is wonderful, it has a wonderful oaky flavor. It is deliciously dark red, and is really well balanced, i felt like all of the flavors really complimented each other to give a very powerful flavor!

I am usually not a huge fan of the bock, but this really surprised me! top notch, well done!!!

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2009 00:11:12 | More by rijanyoung

perrinvv

Michigan

4.8/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Very dark beer with nice carbonation. Beautiful dark tan head and fizz long after pouring.

Smells like coffee and chocolate like you would expect but stronger. Very strong, pleasant aroma.

The taste is phenomenal. The chocolate and coffee flavors that you can smell mix with something like molasses that leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste in your mouth that reminds you of the awesome sip you just had. The carbonation makes the beer feel lighter in your mouth. As a result, this beer seems especially drinkable for being a strong beer.

If ever presented with the opportunity to try this beer, its a must!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2010 22:34:40 | More by perrinvv

flatspin187

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was probably my 4th different dopplebock that i've tried.. The color of the beer was like anyother typical dopplebock.. nice and dark, but not too dark.. The smell.. man gotta love the smell of a dopplebock.. And as far as taste.. it was so far the best dopplebock i've drank... I would recommend trying it.. It is a good beer to just sit back and enjoy with a good meal...

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2006 00:46:11 | More by flatspin187

SJI

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This strong lager just might be the ultimate beer - and I tend not to be a lagerhead. At 6.7% the ABV is at the low end of the range for Doppelbocks. So the alcohol presence is not overwhelming, as it can be with some versions of this style. The taste and appearance become one, as the smokey carmel sweetness is bespoken by the creamy tan head and dark reddish-brown body. Enjoy this one in a proper vessel - brandy snifter - to enhance its regal qualities.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2008 22:32:56 | More by SJI

eepopporkahah

New York

4.25/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Dark, ruddy brown, barely opaque when tilted and held up to a light.
S - If any of you remember Faygo's Chocolate Pop, it smells like a grown-up version of that, rich and sweet and warm, a very comforting aroma.
T - Bitter but with a milk-chocolate sweetness that complements and even slightly overwhelms the balance but by only the smallest measure. It ends with a lingering whiskey-like complexity and then a clean almost mossy-sweet finish full of damp soil and toffee. (Can you tell this is a favorite of mine...?)
M - The beer itself has a rather light body. However, upon taking the first sip, one's mouth is coated with a wave of tiny bubbles. Once they dissipate, the more subtle notes of the flavor emerge.
D - As far as doppelbocks go, it's a pretty heavy experience. More Christopher Marlowe's Faust than whatever episode of The Simpsons happens to on, if you know what I mean.
Bonus - The fantastic little goat charms you get when you buy Celebrator. It's like the bygone era when Cracker Jacks used to have good toys in them...also, you get drunk, so, all in all, an awesome beer and a great experience.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2007 23:08:39 | More by eepopporkahah

blackkristos

Maine

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Well, it's Celebrator after all. Mmmm. This beer is certainly one of my favorites of all time. A great, sweet-ish taste and a wonderful smell. How how I long for the days when I could get Ayinger on tap....

Oh and add an extra 5.0 for collecting goats.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2008 18:44:20 | More by blackkristos

DeliriumDuck

North Carolina

4.83/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Beautiful head that crowns after it's left to sit for a while, nice lacing.

Licorice and roasted coco with hints of caramel in the aroma.

Earthy malts with licorice and a light espresso touch. Smooth creamy caramel finds it's way into the background. Finishes like a Latte due to the light foam residing on the top of the beer, which is remenisant of a roasted marshmellow.

A richly complex and balanced beer that I would love to always have on hand. Tastes even better in my Celebrator glass.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2008 07:26:13 | More by DeliriumDuck

benwah22

Florida

4.72/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this delicious brew from the bottle into a .3L Celebrator Dobbelbock specialty glass. Pours the color of Coca Cola - black with the slightest hint of dark brown in the light. Tan head that disappeared rather quickly.

Good mouthfeel. With a beer this dark you just expect a creamier mouth feel, but still good nonetheless. Not a whole lot of aroma, but wow, what a taste. Malty, coffee, dark chocolate, burnt caramel but not overly sugary. A smooth finish with a hint of bitterness.

My tip, let the beer warm slightly. Not room temperature, but definitely not straight from the fridge. It really helps the complexity of this beer stand out. And let's face it, if you can get a Ayinger Celebrator specialty glass, it definitely tastes better.

EDIT: I let this warm pretty significantly and the taste just became incredibly complex and the mouthfeel changed substantially. It was almost syrup like and the flavors you needed to flesh out before just hit you over the head. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 01:16:15 | More by benwah22

Dazfish

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +4.1%
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

chriskq

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a frosty mug.

A-This beer was a deep, dark brown, damn near black. Bottle looked great. Huge head on this beer that wouldn't go away until I was nearly finished with it. Awesome.
S- Two words popped into my head when I poured this and took a whiff; sweet and smokey. Real nice.
T- Real deep, complex flavors of caramel and hops. I was pleasantly surprised.
M- Very creamy and smooth. You get a little smokiness through your nose going down.

Overall-
This was a fantastic beer. I'm not sure what the meaning behind celebrator is, but it fits well with this beer. It's not something you would knock back while watching the game, this is a beer for special occasions. Even an after dinner beer. I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 15:14:17 | More by chriskq

Smokehouse2012

Puerto Rico

4.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Recommended by my local brewery bartender and boy he really hit it on this one. Beautiful dark brown color, just a bit of light gets through. Excellent caramel smell with a hint of fruits maybe? Mouth feel is amazing, silky smooth and very inviting for another sip. Taste is nothing short of exceptional, excellent to enjoy right after dinner. Overall this is a beer i would seek out time and time again, an excellent representative of its style, hence its name Celebrator... Great beer to celebrate!

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 21:22:39 | More by Smokehouse2012

LoveBeerNo7

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Dark mahogany, ruby red with light through and 2-inch thick tan head which eventually fades to thin lacing.

Smell: Robust caramel (Toffee-like), burnt bread and sweet raisin with relatively clean spicy alcohol.

Taste: Burnt malt, dark residual sugars, fading grains, strong coffee and spicy alcoholic finish with a tiny bit of hop bitterness. Some dried fruits are present, but they are not as sweet as the aroma suggests.

Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation that struggles to break free after few swirls. Bold and full-bodied, with sticky but creamy mouthfeel. Lingering burnt bitterness.

Drinkability & Overall: Complex and mellow. A true liquid bread, but it needs more carbonation to balance the flavors and create a fuller feel.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 01:33:31 | More by LoveBeerNo7

stover4

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is an excellence Doppelbock, probably one of the better one's you'll ever taste.

The Germans did it again, boy do they know how to make Doppelbocks. A delightful mouthful of malty goodness.

This is a beer you let sit a little to really bring out the flavor. Prost!

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 07:48:24 | More by stover4

silverhorn

Texas

4.78/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The taste is the exceptional. Rich, roasted malts melding into a chocolaty coffee finish. I have not had a better beer. So smooth going down with a nice lingering finish. From the moment I opened the bottle and got a whiff of the aroma until I put the empty glass on the bar after my second one the experience was thoroughly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2006 19:15:24 | More by silverhorn

salukiKMO

Illinois

4.72/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Now this is beer.
A- like maple syrup only a touch darker and thinner
S- malty, with a hint of raisin
T- hits all the taste buds perfectly, sweet and mellow
M- velvety and smooth
D- This is a beer where I wish I bought more than one. If you see it, get an extra for the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2006 16:43:41 | More by salukiKMO

Palealetial

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I am several beers into my tasting but this is getting my attention.

I cannot put my finger on the exact taste but it is similar to figs, nutty, caramel, honey, with a pumpkin spice kicker.

I will celebrate the fact that this is my last beer of the night but it was enjoyable none the less.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2008 03:10:33 | More by Palealetial

luvbeer

Florida

4.78/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It pours dark and thick with a very creamy thick head that is 3 fingers and lasts a long time in a nice cold frosty mug. The taste is very complex and delicious. It should be sipped slowly to enjoy every mouth full. It is my favorite beer except for Ommegang Abbey Ale which tastes very much like it. From now on, every time I go to totalwine (totalwine.com) my local watering hole, I will buy a few bottles of this beer without fail. If I thought I could brew my own beer and it could taste as good as this beer and cost less, (not that it costs that much because it doesn't), I would go through the trouble. If you can find this beer, do yourself a big favor and try some soon, trust me.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2008 00:03:30 | More by luvbeer

hhboulder

Colorado

4.68/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured 11.2 oz into a Deschutes tulip glass after drinking Salvator--surprisingly very different!

App: Deep brown with amber/red highlights when held up in the light. Tan head that fades by 1 min with spotty lacing.

Smell: Rich, sweet toffee and raisin. No roasty/smoky aroma but it just smells "darker" than Salvator. Can't place them but fruity esters noted along with faint alcohol.

Taste: Smooth, rich, sweet bread and raisin. There is alcohol, but it is modest and plays a supportive role as it fades into a dry, malt, bitter finish with some tannins drying the tongue.

Mouth: Full body with low-moderate carbonation. Thick but not as viscous/oily as Salvator. No astringency.

Overall: Great beer that is definitely more interesting and rewarding than Salvator (which is still a very good beer, esp the aroma).

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 04:17:13 | More by hhboulder

Hermanater

Pennsylvania

4.59/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Can you say molasses?

Had this beer while sampling several bocks. Of all of the bocks we tried, this was my favorite.

I tend to stay away from sweeter beers and bocks typically have that sweetness. This had a wonderfully bittersweet molasses aroma and flavor.

Respectable appearance-much darker than most bocks.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 14:44:19 | More by Hermanater

twofattires

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle, served in a pint glass.

Appearance: It pours a rich deep dark mahogany, with a thin head that sticks around pretty well.

Smell: I agree with other reviewers that the caramel scent is obvious. I also picked up something I could put my finger on, until I thought about brownies. Very sweet and malty scent to this one.

Taste: As one might expect, the taste follows the smell. It's got a very smooth mouthfeel, and i found you get a bit more of the alcoholic warmness and kick to come out if you aerate the beer in your mouth a bit. Overall a very sweet, caramel, light chocolate and malty taste. Also I can pick up a hint of pear and apple. Hops are pretty hard to pick out. I'm new to bocks and wasn't expecting such a sweet brew, but I really liked it.

Notes: This isn't something I'd order with a big, spicy steak or any meal that's too powerful. It would make a great after dinner beer, though.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2006 05:30:02 | More by twofattires

AAis4quiters

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Just an all around great beer. This is just my opinion, but damn near perfect for a dopple. This is my new favorite. I had it in a local place that takes pride in their German food and beer. It was a recomendation from the bartender that he hit out of the park. Thanks!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2007 05:37:23 | More by AAis4quiters

mobettabeer

California

4.53/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I was fortunate to have this beer on-tap and have also had it in the bottle. Both are extremely good. This is by far one the best doppelbocks I have had. It has a nice dark color. You can definitely pick up aromas of caramel, coffee, and chocolate. It has a nice feel to the mouth-smooth but to not to thick. This beer has a lot of character for a 6.7% abv and is affordable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2007 23:48:46 | More by mobettabeer

logdogg

Kansas

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

This beer poured good got about 3 fingers head and some nice lacing. Dark black color and tan head. Smells and tastes like a doppelbock should. Malts are a carmel dark bisky very palatable somewhat creamy taste and texture. A very smooth beer considering the style of beer. Not super hoppy, but a great balance with more dark roasted maltyness than hoppyness, with the right amount of bitterness. I would definately recommend this beer it is worth the price and the beer ornaments are dope. This is an outstanding world class doppelbock that is very complex and drinkable, I could pound 8 or more of these and enjoy everyone.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2008 02:26:36 | More by logdogg