Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel - Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying

chinchill

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel 5.0%
.5l in ceramic mug at brewery (bräustüberl)

A: hazy; dark brown; small light tan head that fades quickly.
M: medium body and carbonation, but a tad less body than ideal; slightly harsh feel.
S: sweet medium malt; a bit floral and lightly hoppy. Improves with warming.
T: similar to aroma, but with a more pronounced flavor from both the malt and the hops. Nicely balanced.
O: a finely crafted beer with great balance.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2012 17:44:59 | More by chinchill

AndrewNations

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewing from Notes. I had this beer during Oktoberfest 2010 in Munich. An amazing experience.

Serving type: Served on draft at the Ayinger Haus across from Hoffbrau

A - Bright brown and almost red hues that complemented the base color of a typical lagers. A very cool color that makes you want to look again.

S - Not a whole lot on the nose. Slight sweet, yeast, and bread notes.

T - Such a clean beer. The Germans do lagers so well and this one is no exception. The darker malts that make up the color and the bigger body also provided a bit more sugar but not overbearing. It was almost like a dark helles.

M - Pretty Good. A bit on the heavier side and a tad viscous but overall it worked well. Not overly carbonated
D - Great. This is a great style as the dark color and subsequent sweetness might appeal to those who are same of the same lagers.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2010 14:12:32 | More by AndrewNations

jmhart

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Ayinger Brauhaus in Munich across from Hofbrauhaus

Apearance was a deep deep amber. No apparent sediment. A firm long lasting almond colored head and elementary lace.

Nice aromas of honey and caramel. Mild malt aromas but not as much as would be expected. Warm and full of sugar candy on the nose.

Toffee hits you first followed with a balanced bite of bitterness. Toasted nuts and hints of cardamon and cinnamon.

Silky moutfeel with mild acidity. Medium bodied. It's a nice brew, but mildly body than expected and minorly disappointing.

Highly drinkable...not sure the best way to describe the drinkability for this one so I'll just leave it at that.

Overall this was a good brew, but I wouldn't have more than one in a row, and would only drink this again seldomly.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2010 23:02:04 | More by jmhart

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draught at the Winking Lizard (glass special). This beer pours a pretty burgundy color with a medium thick light beige head that diminishes steadily. Spotty lacing on the glass. Roasted malt, nuts and dark chocolate aroma. Medium-bodied with flavors of roasted malt, toffee and dark fruits with touches of chocolate and hops. The finish is bready malt with a nice lingering roastiness. Overall this is an enjoyable brew, as are the other Ayinger beers I have tried.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2007 20:21:32 | More by Dogbrick

Higravity

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Kicked the Keg of Weiss so this went on. Oh, dear god. I am a huge lover of black lagers done right. Nice dark color with thin edges beutiful full head that fills the stein. The smell is mostly clean but for a hint of boiling wort and a gentle strumming of darkness. The taste is blasting and with the keg not too cold it really develops in my mouth. I gives a slight sticky coating but is refreshing. The gentle roasted flavors give are meet with a nice subtle counter of hops. Balance, this thing could walk a tight rope. Nice mouthfeel and too drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2006 14:07:08 | More by Higravity

PopeJonPaul

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A dark, fizzy beer with a strong smoky malt flavor and a slick (though a bit yeasty) mouthfeel that really made this brew go down easy. It's definitely got that German lager character to it but it's got more body than your average lager. Taste is good but not remarkable, works well with a plate of sausage on a summer day. Despite the yeastiness, this beer is still light enough that it doesn't inflate your belly, so your friends won't have to roll you out of the biergarten. I've had other liters that are way more "filling." A liter of this, and you've still got room for another! Well....

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2004 01:14:01 | More by PopeJonPaul

allboutbierge

Austria

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

Enjoyed at the Ayinger tap house across the street from the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.

Color was slightly lighter than the Hofbrau offering and can be best described as a cinnammon like brown. Head retention was longer and created a very attractive glass. Taste is slightly sweet and slightly bitter-a nice balance that would appeal to most beer and some non beer drinkers. Taste would seem watered down for a fan of big IPAs or Imperial Stouts as there are no real rich flavors but a balance struck that creates a very drinkable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2003 14:44:23 | More by allboutbierge

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer was served in a short squat stoneware mug, so I never got a chance to evaluate the color. It had a light tan head, with an aroma of malt along with a hint of alcohol. The taste was a bit dry, and because it started out cold was not as malty as I would have liked. The dunkel as it warmed up began to release a malty sweetness to my flavor receptacles. At first when cold the predominant taste was in the finish, it was one of bitterness from the hops. When warmed the maltiness balance out and in fact dominated the previous bitter hoppiness. I detected a hint of raisin, some caramelized breadiness. Quite clean as a lager should be, no fruitiness. The malt flavor was not sweet more of a cracker/ breadiness to it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2003 17:01:53 | More by Gueuzedude

BierReise

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear amber-brown ale with thick head that settles down quickly. Aroma is sweet malt with hints of plums, raisins and coffee. Smooth and medium bodied and slightly crisp. Flavor is highly malty and slightly sweet, fruity and nutty. I'm not a big fan of this style but this is really well done and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2003 20:15:04 | More by BierReise

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