Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel - Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying

BeerDocT

Georgia

3.91/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Working my way through the beer fridge and found this baby from my last trip to Black Mountain, NC, and the Berliner Kindl restaurant. When I go there, it's just to pop in and buy some German beers. Gotta make time to sample the food some day. Anyway, on with the review!

-Appearance 3.75: Poured out with a nice, thick, 3/4" head. This quickly faded into foamy swirls on top. Completely translucent beer, which makes me think that the "lager" designation is not simply from tradition. Don't make that statement make you think it is a golden beer, it is not: it is an attractive deep amber color.

-Smell 3.75: Very pleasant and restrained bouquet. I detect hints of toasted grains, raisins and malted barley. The bouquet is very balanced and nuanced.

-Taste 4.0: Front is dry with slight hints of barley. Middle is also dry, and this is where the bubbles hit your palate. Finish is where the barley and toasted grains and slight hops come in and then quickly fade into an abrupt and dry finish. Very pleasant and restrained on every level.

-Mouthfeel 3.75: Mouthfeel is creamy and satisfying. Right on the nose for this style.

-Overall 4.0: Great beer. While I drank it, I kept imagining drinking it while eating some sauerbraten and black bread or a smoked shank of pork with sauerkraut. I really enjoyed this beer on its own and believe it would be an excellent session beer, but cannot wait to try it with food. Maybe the next time I am in Black Mountain, I will. Regardless, if you see this beer, pick it up.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 04:07:24 | More by BeerDocT

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pretty much a fan of everything about this brewery. Always nice to be able to review a new product from them.

A- Poured into a tall glass that seems to be around twenty ounces in total. The beer comes out of the bottle with a nice dark brown hue with some red around the edges. A tall, foamy cap forms to several fingers in height and retains nicely. The foam falls to a thick, bubbly ring leaving some spotty but thick sized lace webs.

S- A pretty mild overall aroma but the things present are appropriate. I get some nice toasted bread and malt hints first with some good brown caramelized sugar and toffee sweetness behind that. Something reminds me of fruit, not sure if hops or yeast.

T- Toasted malts and caramelized dark sugars make up a lot of the flavor for me. Crusty yeast bread, fig, molasses and a tiny bit of cocoa come to mind. Some hops present with mostly herbal and spicy hints coming from them. A good sweetness without being alarming.

MF- Medium bodied with a somewhat sweet overall feel on the palate. Carbonation bubbles feel fine and at a moderate level. Very slight bitterness in the finish.

I am not an expert in Munich Dunkels but this satisfies a lot of the styles characteristics. Just thinking about it as a beer it is balanced and drinks refreshingly, not a surprise when it comes to this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:55:33 | More by cbutova

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.26/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Just a little note, I love the artwork on the bottle caps.

The pour from the tulip bottle forces a nice frothy and semi thick creamy 1.5 finger head that fades somewhat slowly, with lots of nice lacing, over dark but very clear mahogany brown colored beer with some chestnut light streaming through.

Nose is nice, some dark toasty malts, toasted wheat, pilsner toasted straw malts, light caramel and toffee like aromas, a slight caramelized brown sugar like aroma too and faint biscuit, light wafts of dark fig and raisin like fruit, with that nice decoction like complex soft malts, and faint grassy noble hops. It started a little muted but after a few big sniffs more and more complex aromas came through nicely.

Taste brings more of the same, malts the key profile, darker brown malts, caramelized sugars and fruits with a light candied raisin and fig like, nice toasted wheat and biscuit flavors, with a little toasty dark brown malts. Sweet flavors bring a faint toffee and nutty quality with the caramel and brown sugar, but all are on the lighter side and the beer itself is not very sweet. The wheat characters come through a bit more as it goes, a toasted brown wheat like, as well as more of that soft decoction mash flavors. Very faint grassy noble hop in the background that brings a faint spicy quality on the finish. The finish is drier, more caramelized brown sugars and toffee nutty flavors, dark toasted wheat, and touch of the toasty malts, as well as a crisp slightly fruity lager character.

Mouth is med bodied, soft and rich though, and plenty of fluffy carbonation.

Overall quite nice, true to a nice dark dunkel, great malt characters, soft complex decoction mash profile, nice sweetener flavors without the sweetness, faint dark fruits come through, and even the slightest hop profile. very drinkable and I could pound this back in minutes if I'm not careful. This is what I imagine drinking on a slightly chilly spring morning in Germany.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 22:29:56 | More by jlindros

TeamMathis

West Virginia

3.71/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Dark amber. Deep reds when held up to the light.
Smell: Malty, some caramel, and very light fruit.
Taste: Malty, some caramel, some honey, light fruit, and a floral touch.
Mouthfeel: Just like a good lager: balanced smoothness and carbonation.

This brew is beautiful. Deep dark, and then deep cherry red under the light. The taste is well-rounded; nothing stands out in dominance, but each part compliments the other; I was surprised by the fruity and floral aspects. Overall, this is beautiful lager that would make me want to drink a lager. I would get this again. I also love the new design on the bottle. It's a cleaned up and simplified revision of the previous one.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 02:16:30 | More by TeamMathis

Ryan011235

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into an Ayinger Kirta-Halbe glass on 3/16/13

Medium-dark brown with dark rust and copper hues. Clear enough to see the fury of rising bubbles feeding a slow-to-dwindle two finger head.

Wonderfully malty aroma of dark bread, biscuit dust, nuts, dark fruits and molasses. Overtones of earthiness. Very nice, indeed. Dark, semi-dry bread notes carry the palate with a hint of dark roast. Suggestions of earthy, almost herbal hops but the malts (oh, the malts) are on full display. Vague fruity notions in the middle. The finish is dry and slightly toasty. At first the body seemed a tad thin, but it quickly grew on me. Low, meandering carbonation - just how I like it.

My overall impression is that I need to drink more Ayinger.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 02:18:20 | More by Ryan011235

DerAtomsmasher

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Never expected that, here, in the listings for Munich Dunkel Lager, Negro Modelo is included. Weird.

A bottle of this guy, poured into a glass with quickly dissipating head. Mahogany in the glass, just this side of opaque.

Not much to add for the smell, here. Subtle hop astringency. Maybe a cookie-like maltiness underneath that.

Tastes like a dark German beer; I think this is one of those styles - and interpretations - that would take casual beer drinkers by surprise. There is, immediately, hop bitterness - herbal, to be specific - followed by roasted malts, and a dry finish. Certainly no overwhelming hops and no yeast.

One of these once in a while would be fine, a sort of re-familiarizing with the style. I imagine it'd best enjoyed in a beer hall with pretzels.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 03:41:24 | More by DerAtomsmasher

schoolboy

Ohio

3.69/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Opening this bottle brings a little of Germany to your room. The color is perfect, and the beer is very clear with a weak head. The aroma is sweet and slightly yeasty.

The taste is off. It has a gone-bad taste (like many European exports) that overwhelms what it was supposed to be. Under that is a dark, somewhat roasty malt taste.

The aftertaste is mild and not unpleasant. Overall the beer does not work - it did not survive the trip and marketing very well. They should not bother with the export unless it can be done better (maybe a can). I will not buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 19:23:08 | More by schoolboy

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I purchased this bottle at The Fridge about a week ago, but it has taken me until now to get around to opening it.

From the bottle: "Brewed in accordance to the 'Reinheitsgebot' Purity law of 1516"; "Authentic Bavarian Dark Lager"; "Brewed and Bottled by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer Aying, Germany".

My initial pour created two dense fingers of light-brown head with excellent retention. Color was a deep-brown with ruby highlights and NE-quality clarity. Nose was rich with a caramel/toffee-like sweetness. Mouthfeel was medium and the flavor was definitely malty. Caramel, toffee, molasses and even a touch of smoke were all in evidence on the tongue. Finish was sweet, but not cloyingly sweet. I liked it, but one 500 ml bottle would be plenty for me at one sitting. I might return to it, but not if other things were also available.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 22:42:45 | More by woodychandler

Doppelbockulus

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I purchased this beer 1 year ago this month, and finally got around to opening it. Wow, it's good.

I poured this into a tall weizen glass. There was an inch of white head on top of a beautifully clear dark red-brown beer with a small but persistence stream of bubbles emerging from the bottom.

It smells like lightly toasted bread, just past golden brown, with a small amount of honey butter.

The flavor is very much like whole wheat bread that is lightly toasted. This is like a liquid loaf of bread, dark brown bread, like what I get at one of my favorite Irish restaurants. There is a faint tart sweetness that comes out way in the back.

It feels great. The consistency is very thin, very little foam form in the mouth, and the carbonation is very light.

This is extremely drinkable and would be very fitting as a session beer. Good flavor, definitely enough to satisfy the taste buds, and a light enough body to do it multiple times.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 02:11:56 | More by Doppelbockulus

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle into guinness pint

look is a dark red-brown, half finger sudsy head. nose is sweet toffee, malt, toasted grain, some dark berries, and chocolate. silky light feel compliments the light roasted grain and coffee/toffee notes.

very enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 09:04:28 | More by jimmah120

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

4.4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a very good looking brown colour with quite a decent head on it.

Smells very malty with a hint of yeast.

Tastes mainly of mid-dark malts - caramely and almost chocolatey. A slight hint of yeast and a subtle amount of hop bitterness.

Overall a great tasting and balanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 20:11:38 | More by CwrwAmByth

udouche

5/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a 16oz Pislner glass

A - Pours a deep yet transparent carmel. Two and a half finger head With carbonation trailing up from the bottom. Thick sticky lacing.

S - A strong prune at the front with brown sugar, maple, a hint of fired wood and pipe tobacco.

T - The same prunes you smell right up front come racing down your tongue. I get raisin bread, spices, rich malt, and a sweet carmel on the rinse.

M - It has a medium body that has enough carbonation to tickle your tongue without being overbearing. It is a little sticky from all the sweetness.

O - This is the standard bearer for the style, and with good reason. Its is balanced, easy to drink, and has a distinctly old world Bavarian feel.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 16:00:31 | More by udouche

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear dark amber in color with some garnet red highlights and moderate amounts of gentle visible carbonation near the surface. The beer has a two finger tall light beige head that quickly reduces to a thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of caramel and toffee malt sweetness. Very light notes of earthiness from the hops.

T: Moderate to strong flavors of caramel malts with some lighter notes of toffee malt sweetness. There are light to moderate flavors of earthy hops that contribute light amounts of bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin.

O: Easy to drink, though rather filling from the heavy dose of malts in the beer. Enjoyable and it is the classic example for the style in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 21:19:37 | More by dbrauneis

sommersb

Tennessee

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted On: 12-10-2012
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 500ml brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Willi Becher
Purchased: Single from Midtown, Nashville

A: Giant tan head sits on the amber/brown, clear beer. Features excellent amounts of lacing and head retention. Coloring reminds me of a cola.

S: Aromas start with sweet malts and roasted grains. Then come caramels, chocolate, and some earthy hops.

T: Taste is sweet, but not too sweet, with dark and bready malts. Light hop bitterness helps make this well-balanced.

M: Light to medium body, with a moderate amount of carbonation. The finish is bready and lightly sweet.

O: Overall a very enjoyable dark beer that's not heavy but is very flavorful. Another fine brew from Ayinger.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 03:58:07 | More by sommersb

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear dark brown color with a smallish off white head that quickly dissipates to a ring on top. Smells of dark dried fruits and darker and burnt sugars mostly. There's a light bready malt aroma, but that is quickly drowned out by the other smells. The flavor follows the aroma quite well Dark sugars, caramel, crystallized sugar, prunes and raisins all meld together wonderfully. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet burnt sugary mouthfeel. This is a very nice, clean flavorful German Lager.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 03:56:15 | More by johnnnniee

JimTeal

Nevada

2.9/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Maybe this beer just caught me off guard, but I found it to be just plain odd. Average to above average in appearance and smell, but the taste just left me flat. A tad overcarbonated, a little citrus zing at the finish and even though it has dunkel lager attributes, somehow this Ayinger misses my mark. I do love a good dark lager, and I look forward to enjoying more, but I'll leave this one alone, there are better options.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 00:21:24 | More by JimTeal

TappaKeggaBrew

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Clear, chestnut color, with a finger of beige head that faded quickly, leaving a trace of lacing.

S: Stale, wet grass. Pepper. Lemon.

T: A little sweet malt, but quickly the toasty grain takes over. There's a little tart fruit before a mild, bitter finish.

M: Perfect mix of crisp, refreshing, and carbonation.

O: I was not so sure about this one when I smelled it, but the taste was good and it went down very easily. Worth another tasting.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 02:30:18 | More by TappaKeggaBrew

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: poured from 500 ml bottle into a masskrug, dark golden red brown with a frothy tan head, small bubbles of carbonation rise slowly from the bottom, clear
S: sweet toffee and caramel, fresh yeast rolls, tart fruits
T: dark breads, grains, light hop bitterness, a bit of spice, dry finish
M: pleasant finish but thin in the middle, light carbonation
O: a decent dark lager, I've had better Ayinger products but this is a mild very drinkable lager

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 00:17:40 | More by M_C_Hampton

Mavigo

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Can't read anything on the bottle but it looks fancy, let do. From a pint.

A: Pours a clear amber red-brown, short off white head with some lacing.

S: Cinnamon, sugar, spice and everything nice.

T: Very sweet, sugary, has that warmness coming from the cinnamon

M: Fairly refreshing and balanced, but a little on the carbonated side, had a light after taste

O: Its a quality beer, its delicious, refreshing, could be my regular drinking beer if It was more readily available.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 17:43:19 | More by Mavigo

keithmurray

Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - chestnut brown with white head

smell - honey, caramel, nuts, musty whole grains

taste - honey, caramel, toffee, nuts, bran,whole grains

mouthfeel - medium bodied, ample carbonation, balance of flavors here, hint of sweetness upfront, slight bitterness on the end, smooth finish

Overall - solid beer, good value, this is a style that I enjoy, not boozy, not heavy, not overdone, just a straightforward beer with a nice flavor profile. Will revisit

Price Point - $3.19/16.9oz bottle

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 01:41:32 | More by keithmurray

ONUMello

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into a pilsner glass
A: Transparent caramel brown with a one-finger head that slowly settles then lingers
S: Caramel & whole grain bread. I like it.
T: Nice grain and caramel up front, an herb-filled mid-palate, but on the finish there's a fake, sweet medicinal taste that's not entirely pleasant.
M: Medium-bodied, some nice carbonation, and would be quite nice except for that overly sweet, medicinal finish.
O: Overall this is nice, except for the finish. I'll pick up another to try- if the finish is more pleasant, it will become a regular session beer, if not I'll pass.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 23:22:26 | More by ONUMello

TheSixthRing

California

3.74/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a dark, clear ruby brown with an off-white 2 finger head. Average retention, and it leaves behind a thin but consistent lace with a fair amount of stick.

Smell - Honey with faint notes of caramel and a subtle grassy hop aroma.

Taste - A light though somewhat complex flavor profile, with notes of honey, light caramel and with slight hints of dark cherry and chocolate. Finishes with a bit of malted grain and a touch of grass.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium body. Fluffy, and a touch buttery. Decent bite from the carbonation before going down smooth and easy.

Overall - A fairly good dark lager. More sweet than bitter. Interesting, though lacks the "it" factor that puts it into elite status. For that reason, I doubt I'd buy this again; not when it shares the same shelf space with the other Ayinger beers that are amazing.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 03:23:58 | More by TheSixthRing

pkalix

California

4.48/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

nice color, no lacing to speak of. dark copper, dark brew, but still very transparent.
smells sweet-malty; tastes sweet-malty. love the maltier brews. yes, some bread-iness, and i can even see how the one guy got his "grilled corn on the cob". great tasting brew.
mouthfeel is medium with minimal carbonation.
overall, EVERYTHING from ayinger is very good. straight-forward and simple, almost commercial (are they big in germany?) and, like paulaner, always a good bet when in doubt what to drink. i approve this message and beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:34:02 | More by pkalix

Bockrules

New Mexico

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from a 500 ml bottle into a pilsner glass.

A - Pours a perfectly transparent dark ruby-to-brown with streams of carbonation rising to the creamy, three-finger head. The head stays intact until nearly the bottom of the glass where it dissipates to a thin ring of bubbles. Leaves behind several medium sized splotches of lacing.

S - Smell like opening a bag of pumpernickel upon opening the bottle. In the glass the nose opens a tad and hints of caramel, spice, and noble hops are barely perceptible.

T - Sweet malt upfront. The body is primarily sweet yet somewhat musty Munich malt with noble hops in the background for balance. Noble hops rise to the foreground as the beer passes over the back of the tongue before melding into a pumpernickel finish.

M - Medium bodied with ample carbonation to give the beer a very rich and full feel without being heavy.

Ayinger dunked would make for an ideal session beer due to its rich and interesting, yet not too heavy or overly complex flavor profile, smoothness, and low ABV. Despite doing everything well and being very drinkable, I don't see myself returning to this often as it isn't remarkable enough to warrant trips up to ABQ to pay $3.00 for a 500 ml bottle. For now, slightly inferior Negro Modelo will remain my Munich dunkel of choice.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 05:38:14 | More by Bockrules

acevenom

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a glass mug. Pours clear toffee brown with a tall, creamy tan head. Some tiny bubbles are visible in this beer. The head dissipates slowly. The aroma is dominated by bready malts and caramel malts. I can pick up faint chocolate notes. The flavor of this beer is bready and sweet. There is a nice mild caramel sweetness and faint chocolate notes. The body is medium with moderate carbonation. The finish is smooth, creamy, and crisp. The drinkability is high. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 00:24:51 | More by acevenom